Could NFL draft's 2nd round holdouts end up missing valuable camp time?

Yahoo Sports fantasy analyst Matt Harmon and NFL writer Charles McDonald discuss how 30 of the 32 players selected in the second round of this year’s draft are holding out – likely to try and earn fully guaranteed contracts – and which teams most need their player to report to training camp. Hear the full conversation on “Football 301” – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

32nd round draft picks still do not have a contract signed over issues regarding guaranteed money.

At least one team right now, the deadline is here, like Trey Harris, wide receiver for the Chargers, 2nd round pick is already holding out of camp because he doesn’t have a contract signed.

So, I don’t, again, I don’t know if I want to make a big deal about this, but it is certainly a pervasive story in the NFL.

Uh, for those who are familiar, Jayden Higgins, the wide receiver, the Texans drafted.

Uh, with the 34th overall pick in the draft, he signed a 4 year $11 million contract, fully guaranteed.

It’s the first time ever that a non-first round contract has been fully guaranteed.

He’s 34th pick, then the 33rd pick, Carson Schwinger, linebacker from UCLA who the Browns drafted, he’s gonna have to meet that deal too, right?.

Like all these deals are based on things that have happened in the past.

Once the Jayden Higgins deal, I, you know, the, the ink dries on that contract, that is something that has happened in the past and is a new precedent for agents to try and get money for their contract, uh, for the clients.

So it, it just kind of seems like all these teams are just waiting for the dominoes to fall on the picks above them.

What I do know is that training camp starts for the whole league by like the whole league will be in training camp by the end of next week.

You have 30 of 32 2nd round picks unsigned.

Second round picks are people that you have like reasonable expectation that they could potentially be like Pro Bowlers down the road.

At the very least, like, capable starters.

These are guys you want to get into your locker room, so I think we’re gonna see some teams folding a little bit over the next few days, how much, uh, we’ll be.

But honestly, man, the more I looked at it, like, I think it’s, it’s, it’s, there’s a lot of guys like I could pick that it would be pretty problematic if they missed time, starting with the guy like right after Quinhaw Judkins, Jonas Sabinaya, uh, the guard that the Dolphins traded up for, like, dude, they need to get him into camp because they probably want him to start this year.

Yeah, I mean, even another Texan second round pick, right?

That they drafted.

Second round picks are people that you have a reasonable expectation could potentially be Pro Bowlers down the road.

At the very least, like capable starters.

These are guys you want to get into your locker room.

So, I think we’re gonna see some teams folding a little bit over the next few days.

How much, uh, we’ll be.

But honestly, man, the more I looked at it, like, I think it’s, it’s, there’s a lot of guys like I could pick that it would be pretty problematic if they missed time, starting with the guy like right after Quinhaw Judkins, Jonas Sabinaya, uh, the guard that the Dolphins traded up for, like, dude, they need to get him into camp because they probably want him to start this year.

Yeah, I mean, even another Texan second round pick, right?

That they drafted.

Pick, uh, Ariante Izi, who’s lost to one side, he was the 48th pick.

Wait, we saw what their offensive line looked like last year and we saw the moves that they made.

They made.

They need him to get signed and not, not only get signed, but they need to start and like play well this year.

Uh, I think the guy that you just mentioned is gonna be holding out.

Trey Harris is another guy that could stand to use, uh, in NFL camp just to get ingratiated to that offense with a veteran quarterback who already has a top target that he likes, you know, you might want to get in and start getting reps and getting reps and, getting familiar with each other.

So I think the real answer here is we’re talking about 2nd round picks, so all of them, just probably all 30 of them need to get in.

Could NFL draft’s 2nd round holdouts end up missing valuable camp time?

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