Colts sign four more draft picks

The Indianapolis Colts are moving fast in getting their 2016 draft class under contract.  Last night, they agreed to terms with Alabama center Ryan Kelly, their first round draft pick.  Tonight, they have agreed to terms with four more: defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway, offensive tackle Joe Haeg, linebacker Trevor Bates, and center Austin Blythe.

We recently calculated the projected contracts for each Colts pick, and it proved to be very accurate with Kelly's deal.  For Hassan Ridgeway, his deal is projected to be four-years, $2,972,098 with a signing bonus of $568,353; Joe Haeg's deal is projected to be a four-year contract worth $2,643,326 with a $237,899 signing bonus; Trevor Bates is projected to get a four-year, $2,471,810 deal with a $67,083 signing bonus; and Austin Blythe is projected to receive a four-year, $2,466,034 deal with a $60,157 signing bonus.

Ridgeway was drafted in the fourth round out of Texas, Joe Haeg was drafted in the fifth round out of North Dakota State, Trevor Bates was a seventh round pick out of Maine, and then Austin Blythe was a seventh round selection out of Iowa.  With these four players now under contract, the Colts have five of their eight selections locked up, with the only exceptions being T.J. Green, Le'Raven Clark, and Antonio Morrison.  The players arrived in Indianapolis today as they anticipate the beginning of rookie mini-camp tomorrow, so there's a chance we could see more of these deals coming soon.  Either way, with the new CBA there's little room for negotiation and the other three deals should come soon enough.