How Much Does a First Round NFL Draft Pick Make?

How much does a first round NFL draft pick make?
The answer may surprise you.

Introduction

In recent years, NFL draft picks have been getting bigger and bigger contracts. In 2018, the average value of a first-round pick’s contract was nearly $12 million. That’s a lot of money for a player who hasn’t even stepped onto an NFL field yet.

So how do these contracts work? And how much does a first-round pick actually make? Let’s take a look.

When a player is drafted, they are given a four-year contract with a team option for a fifth year. The total value of the contract is determined by where the player is drafted in the first round. The higher the pick, the more money the player will make.

For example, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Baker Mayfield, signed a four-year contract with the Cleveland Browns worth $32 million. By contrast, the No. 32 pick in the same draft, Lamar Jackson, signed a four-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens worth $9.47 million.

Of course, not all of that money is guaranteed. In Mayfield’s case, his contract includes a signing bonus of $16 million that is paid out upfront. The rest of his salary will be paid out over the course of his four-year rookie contract (assuming he doesn’t get cut or traded). His base salary for his rookie year is $480,000; it will increase to $555,000 in his second year and $630,000 in his third year. His fourth-year salary will be determined by whether or not he receives the fifth-year option on his contract (more on that later).

In Jackson’s case, his signing bonus is much smaller at just under $4 million. His base salaries are also much lower than Mayfield’s at just over $1 million for each of his first three years and $2 million for his fourth year (if he receives the fifth-year option).

It’s important to note that these numbers are just for first-round picks; salaries for players drafted in later rounds are even lower. For example, the No. 64 pick in the 2018 draft (the final pick of the second round), Mike Gesicki, signed a four-year deal with the Miami Dolphins worth just over $3 million with a signing bonus of less than $1 million

NFL Draft

The NFL draft is an annual event in which the teams in the National Football League (NFL) select eligible college football players. The draft order is determined by each team’s record in the previous season, with the worst team picking first and the best team picking last.

First Round

The first round of the NFL draft is where teams can really make or break their future. A first-round pick is a big investment, and teams are usually very careful about who they choose.

The average salary for a first-round pick in the NFL Draft is $12 million. However, the exact amount varies depending on where a player is drafted. For example, the first overall pick in the NFL Draft will make more money than the 32nd pick (the last pick in the first round).

The average career length for an NFL player is 3.3 years, so a first-round pick will have to perform well to justify their big contract. Luckily for them, first-round picks are usually some of the best players in the country and have a good chance of having a successful career in the NFL.

Second Round

The second round of the NFL draft is where you start to see a lot of the talent level drop off. Players drafted in the second round are usually guys who teams had a first-round grade on, but who fell for one reason or another. That could be because of character concerns, an injury that happened in their final year of college or just because they’re not as polished as some of the other prospects in the draft.

Second-rounders don’t make quite as much money as first-rounders, but they’re still quite well-compensated. The 2020 NFL draft second-round picks will make an average of $3,846,000 over the course of their four-year rookie contracts. That comes out to an average yearly salary of $961,500.

NFL Salary Cap

According to Over the Cap, the 2019 NFL salary cap is $188.2 million. This means that each NFL team has a maximum amount of money that they can spend on their players’ salaries. The salary cap is calculated based on a percentage of the league’s revenue.

First Round

As of the 2020 NFL season, first-round draft picks will earn a base salary of $4.36 million as part of a four-year contract, with an average annual salary of $10.9 million. Bonuses and other earnings can push a player’s total earnings much higher. In 2019, the average first-round pick made $13.8 million in total earnings.

Second Round

rookies selected in the second round of the NFL draft will sign four-year contracts worth $3.485 million. This is a decrease from last year, when the same pick in the second round was worth $3.588 million. The slotting system puts a ceiling on how much can be spent on each draft pick, and the NFLPA sets recommendations for salaries at each spot.

Conclusion

In recent years, the average first round NFL draft pick has made around $12 million in their first four years in the league. This number will likely go up in the future as the NFL continues to rake in massive amounts of revenue. While this may seem like a lot of money, it’s important to remember that most players only have a short window to make this money before their careers come to an end.