Raiders sign all seven in rookie class

In a head-spinning two-hour stretch Saturday, the Raiders signed their entire seven-player draft class.

The signings of Alabama wide receiver Henry Ruggs and Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette and the rest of the draft class came after each rookie passed the mandatory COVID-19 screening process.

Per the coronavirus testing protocol agreement between NFL owners and the players association, every player is required to have two negative test results over a 72-hour period before being allowed in team facilities.

That process began Tuesday for Raiders rookies. By Friday night, the entire class had achieved the necessary clearance.

That is no small thing given how the players association informed players Friday that 12 rookies from the nine teams that had completed the screening process by then had tested positive for COVID-19.

By Saturday, Ruggs and Arnette and the rest of their fellow rookies were able to report to the club’s Henderson headquarters to undergo standard physicals and get fitted for equipment. And at the successful conclusion of the physicals, it was finally time to sign their contracts.

Ruggs, the 12th overall pick, signed a four-year contract for $16.67 million, with a $9.7 million signing bonus. Arnette, taken 19th overall, signed a four-year deal worth $13.4 million, with a $7.3 million signing bonus. The Raiders have fifth-year options on both players.

In addition, the Raiders signed second-round running back Lynn Bowden from Kentucky, third-round linebacker Tanner Muse from Clemson, third-round wide receiver Bryan Edwards from South Carolina, fourth-round cornerback Amik Robertson from Louisiana Tech and fourth-round guard John Simpson from Clemson.

Muse and Robertson signed four-year deals, Muse for $4.3 million and Robertson for $3.8 million. Edwards reportedly signed a four-deal for $4.7 million. Signing bonuses ranged from $973,00o for Edwards to $832,000 for Muse and $494,000 for Robertson. Contract numbers were not available for Bowden and Simpson.

Ruggs is expected to make an immediate impact with his electrifying speed and athletic ability. Bowden, Arnette, Muse, Edwards and Robertson could push for playing time early in their rookie seasons. So getting them signed was imperative.

For the Raiders, the gratification was multilayered. Anytime a team gets its draft class wrapped up ahead of the start of training camp, there is satisfaction. That is more true than ever now, given how COVID-19 completely wiped out the in-person, on-field element of the offseason. With so much time already lost, sacrificing even more time hassling over a contract would have been detrimental.

There also was a sigh of relief that the entire class passed the initial COVID-19 screening phase, and that a complex process that was only finalized by the NFL and players union within the past week came off without a hitch. Much of the credit for that, according to Raiders general manager Mike Mayock, goes to Tom Delaney, the Raiders director of football operations.

“Tom Delaney did a great job navigating through a difficult process,” Mayock said.

But it’s really just the beginning of a seasonlong operation.

In fact, beginning on Tuesday the same process will begin for roughly 80 players — or all Raiders veterans aside from quarterbacks Derek Carr, Marcus Mariota and Nathan Peterman, who reported Thursday for the first phase of testing.

Once the Raiders get through that undertaking, the entire roster — including the rookies — will undergo daily COVID-19 testing for at least two weeks. If the rate of positive results falls below the 5 percent mark, players will start getting tested every other day. However, if at any point that rate exceeds 5 percent, players will get tested on a daily basis.

Those are undertakings for another day. On Saturday, at least, the Raiders could take a moment to celebrate the signing of all their rookie while also giving thanks that the entire draft class got through the COVID-19 testing process safe and sound.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.