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Falcons 2022 draft class: How much will each rookie cost?
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The Atlanta Falcons came away from the 2022 NFL draft with eight players and 13 undrafted free agents.
In order to sign their rookie draft class, the Falcons had to release running back Mike Davis, offensive lineman Willie Beavers and linebacker James Vaughters. Then on Tuesday, the team gave defensive lineman Grady Jarrett a three-year extension and freed up even more cap space.
Here’s a breakdown of how much each rookie in the team’s 2022 draft class will cost this season.
Round 1 (No. 8): WR Drake London
2022 Cap value: $4,484,353
Avg. yearly increase: $1,121,088
Round 2 (No. 38): EDGE Arnold Ebiketie
2022 Cap value: $1,762,627
Avg. yearly increase: $440,657
Round 2 (No. 58): LB Troy Andersen
2022 Cap value: $1,181,476
Avg. yearly increase: $295,369
Round 3 (No. 74): QB Desmond Ridder
2022 Cap value: $1,022,953
Avg. yearly increase: $255,738
Round 3 (No. 82): EDGE DeAngelo Malone
2022 Cap value: $994,404
Avg. yearly increase: $248,601
Round 5 (No. 151): HB Tyler Allgeier
2022 Cap value: $803,268
Avg. yearly increase: $131,667
Round 6 (No. 190): OL Justin Shaffer
2022 Cap value: $759,351
Avg. yearly increase: $131,667
Round 6 (No. 213): TE John FitzPatrick
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
2022 Cap value: $743,853
Avg. yearly increase: $131,667
Top 51 cutoff
(AP Photo/Aaron Doster)
With each drafted rookie and the contracts that follow, it will affect the Falcons salary cap throughout the rest of the offseason. While the entire class costs the Falcons a projected $11,752,285, this doesn’t mean that it will all have to count on the salary cap – for now at least.
The rule of 51 means that only the top 51 players count against the NFL’s salary cap during the offseason. However, each rookie that is signed could push down a player that is currently being accounted for under the salary cap rules. When applying this to the salary cap itself, you take the difference between the rookie’s 2022 cap hit and the player he pushed down.
Taking into consideration the recent cuts of Mike Davis, James Vaughters, and Willie Beavers, this is how the cutoff line currently looks. The release of Davis and Vaughters pushed up Frank Darby and Avery Williams, who now both count against the cap. However, it brought forward a gain of roughly $3.465 million when accounting for the dead cap to be applied.
Bottom 51-man Cut-Off | ||
POS | Name | Cap Hit |
CB | $965,000 | |
WR | $965,000 | |
WR | $960,000 | |
DT | Ta’Quon Graham | $930,000 |
LS | Beau Brinkley | $912,653 |
WR | $895,000 | |
EDGE | Ade Ogundeji | $885,038 |
CB | Avery Williams | $885,038 |
WR | Frank Darby | $876,123 |
This is a projected look as to what the cut-off spot will look like once the Falcons sign their rookie class.
Bottom 51-man Cut-Off | ||
POS | Name | Cap Hit |
CB | $990,000 | |
CB | $975,000 | |
TE | $965,000 | |
LB | $965,000 | |
OL | $965,000 | |
CB | Lafayette Pitts | $965,000 |
WR | Auden Tate | $960,000 |
WR | KhaDarel Hodge | $930,000 |
DT | Ta’Quon Graham | $912,653 |
The signings of Drake London, Arnold Ebiketie, Troy Andersen, Desmond Ridder, and DeAngelo Malone push down five Falcons players. The difference between these players and the ones they pushed down is $5,870,737. The signings of Tyler Allgeier, Justin Shaffer, or John FitzPatrick would not count against the salary cap for the offseason because they are lower than the last player at the cutoff spot.
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