49ers sign 6th-round pick Pita Taumoepenu

The San Francisco 49ers have signed rookie linebacker Pita Taumoepenu, who played college football at Utah. He was selected with the 18th pick in the sixth round (202 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.

In seven games as a freshman, Taumoepenu made six tackles, two for loss, and had a sack on defense and special teams. Over the next three years, he was used as a pass-rushing specialist. In 2014, he had 17 tackles and 5.5 sacks. The next year, he had nine tackles and six sacks. As a senior, he had 49 tackles, 12 for a loss, and nine sacks through 13 games – including a three-sack performance against Arizona State.

Thanks to the 2011 CBA, all rookie contracts are now for a length of four years. Only first-round selections come with an option for a fifth year, which does not apply to Taumoepenu. Having set numbers for each spot eliminates the need to negotiate salary and only leaves items like bonus payment terms, roster bonus allocations, and other miscellaneous structural items.

The total value of Taumoepenu's four-year contract is believed to be $2,501,016, or very close to that amount, according to Spotrac.com. That includes a signing bonus of $146,016 and a 2017 salary cap figure of $501,504.