With NFL training camps set to open next week, and rookies for many teams required to report several days early, the league faces a crisis. As of Wednesday, 30 of 32 second-round draft picks still refused to sign their contracts. One of them was Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku.
But by Thursday afternoon there were signs that the months-long standoff may be breaking down, and that Ezeiruaku  â a Boston College edge rusher taken with the 12th pick in the second round, 44th overall â could finally agree to terms with Dallas before next Tuesday’s opening of training camp, held this year in Oxnard, California.
At the same time, there remains at least one potential obstacle to getting the 21-year-old from Williamstown, New Jersey, under contract.
How the Second-Round Showdown Began
The standoff over second-round contracts began in May when the Houston Texans, for reasons that have not been made entirely clear, awarded their second-round pick a fully guaranteed contract.
Former Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins became the first second-round pick reportedly in NFL history to get a full salary guarantee over the four years of a rookie deal. Previously, full guarantees were reserved for first-round picks.
Higgins at No. 34 was the second pick in Round Two. That meant that the player picked ahead of him, UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger now had leverage to demand his own full guarantee. And he got it.
But no other second round pick did. The third pick in the second round, Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori, had not reported with other Seahawks rookies to his team’s camp as of Wednesday.
First Second-Rounder Blinks
On Wednesday night, however, according to an Athletic report, San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Alfred Collins blinked. He agreed to terms with the ‘Niners on an 88 percent guaranteed deal.
Collins was selected with pick No. 43 â just one slot ahead of Ezeiruaku.
“The Cowboys now have a very good feel for whatâs ‘fair’ and it shouldnât be too hard to get this done,” wrote Tom Downey of the Chat Sports Cowboys Report podcast. “BUT, this is more money than what the Cowboys were expecting to have to guarantee pre-Texans.”
According to the Athletic report, the 88 percent guarantee handed to Collins was a substantial increase over the same draft slot’s guarantee last year. That was 78 percent, for the Arizona Cardinalsâ Max Melton.
The Dam Has Now Burst â Or Has It?
With Collins caving and inking his deal, the dam was broken, at least somewhat. Next up were Chicago Bears defensive tackle Shemar Turner and Baltimore Ravens edge rusher Mike Green. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, both had agreed to terms as of Thursday afternoon, presumably without full guarantees.
But Green was taken at No. 59 and Turner at No. 62, 15 and 18 slots ahead of the Cowboys second-rounder. Their signings would offer no leverage to the Cowboys, or other teams with earlier picks.
Athletes First Agency Controls 8 Second-Rounders
There may be another complicating factor for the Cowboys in finally getting the former Boston College defensive standout under contract. Ezeiruaku is represented by the agency Athletes First, who were the “winners” of the second round with eight players from that agency’s stable going in the second round, more than for any other agency.
Of the five second-rounders known to have signed or agreed as of Thursday afternoon, none were represented by Athletes First, who with eight players under their shingle, could form a bloc and exercise more leverage than other agents to obtain the full guarantees that they feel their clients deserve.
Emmanwori, who as the third second-round pick remains the most important link in the chain, is also an Athletes First client.
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