NFL Draft Pick Salary By Round: How Much Do Rookies Make?

2022 NFL Draft - Rounds 4-7
2022 NFL Draft - Rounds 4-7 / David Becker/GettyImages
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The NFL Draft not only determines where the top rookies will play this season, but how much money they'll make. Since the rookie wage scale was introduced a little over a decade ago, young players have had their salaries determined completely by where they are drafted.

Cam Newton was the first #1 pick to play unde the rookie wage scale and signed a 4-year, $22 million deal that was fully guarunteed. The year before Sam Bradford had signed the biggest rookie deal ever for six years and $78 million. This year's top pick will get a four-year deal worth around $41 million including a signing bonus of $26 million. Compare that to Travon Walker's $37 million deal last year.

All first round picks will sign four-year deals, with the team having an option to extend the deal to a fifth year. After the first pick the salaries will drop consistently and the 31st pick in the first round - currently Kansas City's pick - will be able to sign a deal worth around $12.75 million.

In the second round of the Draft, contracts will be worth between $6 million and $12 million. The first pick in the third round can sign a deal worth $6.25 million while the last pick in the third will have to settle for a $5.4 million deal.

Fourth rounders will get between $4.5 million and $5.4 million. Fifth rounders will all get more than $4 million and less than $5 million. The first pick in the sixth round will get $4.1 million and the last pick in the sixth (No. 217) will get $3.98 million. Slightly more than $3.925 million that Mr. Irrelevant, pick No. 259, will make.

You can check out the salary for each individual pick over at Spotrac, but this serves as a nice general guide if you don't want to get into the nitty-gritty.