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Eagles sign first round pick Nelson Agholor

By Juan Basadre

November 22, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Nelson Agholor (15) runs the ball against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
November 22, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Nelson Agholor (15) runs the ball against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia Eagles have signed their first round pick Nelson Agholor to 4 year, $9.4m contract.

On Thursday the Eagles signed first round draft pick Nelson Agholor, wide receiver out of USC, to a 4 year, $9.4 million contract, reported Mike Garafolo. Agholor will also receive a 5.1 million dollar signing bonus.

Since the 2011 CBA agreement, signing rookie contracts has become much simpler. In the years prior, rookie players held a disproportionate amount of power in leveraging their contracts. For teams, under the previous system, first round picks were even more risky then they are today and finding your franchise your quarterback might have meant franchising your future.

We have seen it happen too- think Ryan Leaf or JaMarcus Russell, both were huge busts and both players significantly damaged the salary cap of both teams at that time. The last player to really benefit from the previous system was Sam Bradford, who signed a $50 million contract back in 2010, when he went first overall.

Since then, rookie contracts total have become tied to where the player was picked in the draft, meaning all No. 1 picks are paid about the same as every other No. 1 pick. While bad for the rookies, its good for the fans and teams. No longer does a franchise have to offer a ludicrous contract in order to sign their number one pick, which means more available money to improve the rest of the roster.

It also makes for a more interesting draft. Teams are now more willing to trade up because they know they will not have to dish out all their available space to sign their pick. Furthermore, fans can now enjoy a less predictable draft, raising entertainment value, and missing on one pick doesn’t forsaking the team’s immediate future.

Nelson Agholor seems to be a good pick for the Eagles. Some analysts have compared him to Jeremy Maclin, the player he is presumably replacing.

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