Redskins officially sign first-round pick Da’Ron Payne, all other picks except Geron Christian

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Da'Ron Payne #94 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates with the defensive player of the game trophy after the AllState Sugar Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Da'Ron Payne #94 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates with the defensive player of the game trophy after the AllState Sugar Bowl against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Washington Redskins have moved quickly to sign their first round pick Da’Ron Payne. They have now officially signed all of their draft picks except for third rounder Geron Christian.

The rookie signings after the draft usually don’t take very long. It usually takes a couple of weeks, but before rookie mini-camp, teams usually sign all of their rookies in one fell swoop. And that’s what the Washington Redskins did on Thursday afternoon.

According to the team’s official Twitter, they have signed seven of their eight draft picks. The only player who remains unsigned is third-round offensive lineman Geron Christian. Ironically, the Redskins signed all of their picks last year at the same time… except their third round pick Fabian Moreau. So, perhaps that is a trend for the team.

Notably, the Redskins are also the first NFL team to signed their 2018 first round pick. They signed Da’Ron Payne, per ESPN’s Field Yates, and it’s good that the team got that off their plate.

More from Commanders News

These signings were always bound to happen. And since the implementation of the rookie pay scale, it has become easier to negotiate terms. But still, it’s safe to say that the Redskins are making a smart move by getting all of this done early.

The earlier that the Redskins get these contracts done, the more they can continue to evaluate the players on their 90-man roster. Additionally, they will be able to evaluate other available players on the market and consider signing them with the set amount of cap space that they have. In short, it’s good to officially get the contracts on the books so the Redskins can know their spending limits moving forward.

And, of course, being the first to sign a first-round draft pick is good as well. It shows that the team has a renewed interest in quick, fair negotiations, and that may attract players to the team. It could be a non-factor, but it does at least show that the front office is in a good place at the moment.

Overall, these deals were bound to get done. But getting them done early was a smart move regardless. Now, we get to see all the rookies on the field in mini-camp in the coming days. And that will be fun as the future will be on display for the Redskins.