The Pittsburgh Steelers announced that have signed fourth-round OT Jerald Hawkins to a four-year contract on Thursday.
“He can come in here and help right away by competing and pushing the guys and making them better,” said offensive line coach Mike Munchak. “It just makes the group better when you can bring in a good athlete and a good player that has the ability to compete and help us become better.
“We feel this guy can come in and learn from the guys we have, push the guys that we have and now it’s just a matter of how quickly we feel he can contribute.”
This leaves first-round CB Artie Burns and third-round DT Javon Hargrave as the only draft picks who have yet to sign their rookie contracts.
Hawkins, 22, was selected with the No. 123 overall pick by the Steelers over a month ago. Hawkins entered the draft following his junior season at LSU. He started 37 games during his college career at both tackles spots.
According to OverTheCap.com, Hawkins receives a four-year contract worth $2,870,484 to go along with a signing bonus of $530,484.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
