Rivers signs rookie deal; all Patriots rookie draft picks under contract

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FOXBORO -- All Patriots draft picks are now under contract for 2017 and beyond. 

According to the representatives for Derek Rivers, the third-round pick out of Youngstown State has inked his rookie deal. 

Rivers, the first selection made by the Patriots this season, is the fourth and final Patriots rookie to put pen to paper. His deal will be four years in length, as is the case for all rookies. Since the last collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players, there isn't much to negotiate in terms of pay. Each pick has been assigned a value, meaning the amount of money a draft choice is given is preset. 

There are, however, other issues that are negotiated and can take some time. Deferrals of bonus payments, for instance, can be a sticking point. Offset language, allowing teams to recover guarantees if a player is released and signs elsewhere, can also take some time to hammer out.

Rivers has been on the field for all three days of mandatory minicamp and taking reps as an edge defender. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder has both rushed the passer and dropped into coverage on occasion. 

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