Orlando Sentinel

How much will 2017 picks make?

- By John Reid

JACKSONVIL­LE — With his projected signing bonus estimated to be more than $17.8 million, Jaguars firstround pick Leonard Fournette apparently did some gift shopping last week.

Fournette surprised his mother, Lory, by buying her a Mercedes SUV and shared the video on social media.

As the fourth-overall pick in the April 27-29 NFL draft, Leonard can expect to earn a hefty payday from the Jaguars.

Spotrac, a sports financial website that compiles NFL player salaries and team payrolls, projects that the total value of Fournette’s fouryear rookie contract will be worth approximat­ely $27,150,842 and the Jaguars will take a $4,936,517 cap hit in 2017.

Neither Fournette nor the Jaguars’ six other draft picks have signed their contracts yet. But they are all expected to participat­e in the team’s rookie minicamp this weekend.

At LSU, Fournette rushed for 3,830 yards in three seasons at LSU, which included 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2015. He is expected to provide immediate help as a workhorse running back for the Jaguars, who had only eight rushing touchdowns that tied Houston and Tampa Bay for secondfewe­st in the league.

All players drafted in the first round receive four-year contracts and their salaries are based on the NFL’s $167 million salary cap and the 2017 rookie compensati­on pool in which salaries are slotted based on draft selection.

Based on the 2011 collective-bargaining agreement, the rookie compensati­on pool puts a limit on the total amount that NFL teams can spend on the total four-year contract of a draft pick.

For Jaguars’ secondroun­d pick Cam Robinson, the total projected value of his contract is $7,018,163 and he will earn a $3.2 million signing bonus, according to Spotrac. The cap hit on Robinson’s contract in 2017 is $1,276 030.

Third-round pick Dawuane Smoot’s projected contract estimate is $3,845,095, which includes a $964,161 signing bonus.

Fourth-round pick Dede Westbrook’s total projected value of his rookie contract is $3,076,156 and his signing bonus will be $676, 156.

Fifth-round pick Blair Brown’s contract is projected to be valued at $2,694,715 and his signing bonus will be $294,715.

Seventh-round pick Jalen Myrick’s contract is projected to be $2,493,666 and his signing bonus will be $93,666. The contract for fullback Marquez Williams, also selected in the seventh round, is projected to be $2,471,224 and he will receive a $71,224 signing bonus.

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