The San Francisco 49ers have signed rookie cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who played college football at Colorado. He was selected with the second pick of the third round in the 2017 NFL Draft. That leaves just three draft picks unsigned – first-round picks Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster as well as third-round pick C.J. Beathard.
The @49ers have signed third-round draft pick CB Ahkello Witherspoon to a four-year deal.
DETAILS: https://t.co/P1IowBtBN0 pic.twitter.com/JFPQJ5iMve
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) May 12, 2017
Witherspoon played at Colorado in 2014 after spending the previous year at Sacramento City Community College. He appeared in 10 games and started one before becoming a part-time starter the following season. Through his final two years with Colorado, Witherspoon had a total of 59 tackles, 25 passes defended, and three interceptions.
The 6-foot-3 and 198-pound Witherspoon was one of three members of Colorado's secondary who earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors and was tied with teammate Tedric Thompson for first place in the nation with 23 passes defended in 2016 – one of which was an interception. He also made 23 tackles and had an interception last season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Witherspoon allowed just a 31.8-percent catch rate and a 50.9 quarterback rating when targeted in 2016.
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 Witherspoon. 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 Witherspoon's four-year contract is believed to be $3,373,572, or very close to that amount, according to Over the Cap. That includes a signing bonus of $973,572 and a 2017 salary cap figure of $708,393.
