Indianapolis Colts rookies are due to report for training camp on Monday, July 21st, with the first practice on July 23rd. And as of right now, the Colts have a major problem: their second round pick, JT Tuimoloau. Like the majority of second-rounders, Tuimoloau still has not signed his rookie contract. And if he doesn't, then he is not eligible to report to training camp.
Throughout the league, second round picks seem to have taken a collective stand.
While first round picks have their contracts fully guaranteed, second round picks only see their first two years guaranteed. Previously, the only two second-rounders who had signed - Cleveland's Carson Schwesinger and Houston's Jayden Higgins - had both received fully guaranteed contracts. But now, a third second-rounder has signed their contract, and it could be a blueprint for Chris Ballard to follow, and ensure Tuimoloau shows up next week.
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch agreed to terms with second round pick Alfred Collins. While it's not fully guaranteed, it's pretty close; Lynch gave him four years at $10.3 million, with $9 million guaranteed.
This is a huge development. It seemed that second-rounders were prepared to take a hard line, with the Chargers' Tre Harris already an official hold-out. If the group stood together and refused to budge, it would have meant major trouble for virtually the entire league. But with Collins' deal finalized, it gives a roadmap to how other teams can - hopefully - come up with a deal that makes second-rounders happy, even if it isn't fully guaranteed.
The Colts will need to see Tuimoloau at training camp. He will need the chance to play alongside DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart and learn from them, and begin the process of finding out where he fits into this defense. Tuimoloau is known to be a strong athlete, disruptive, able to completely collapse the pocket, and stop the run. It's assumed that he will fit in well to Lou Anarumo's new defensive scheme, but it will be impossible to find out if he isn't able to show up to training camp.