CLEVELAND, Ohio — On Wednesday afternoon, the Cleveland Browns announced the signing of their No. 8 overall draft pick Justin Gilbert to a 4-year contract with a team option for the fifth year.
According to sources, the deal is worth nearly $13 million with $7.6 million in the form of a bonus.
With the signing, all six of the team’s draft picks have come to terms.
The 6’0″, 202-pound Gilbert was selected with the eighth overall pick in the draft. He was the first of the Browns’ two first-round selections. He appeared in 51 games with 39 starts at Oklahoma State.
Gilbert is being counted on to come in and play a significant role on defense. In Mike Pettine’s system, the corner backs play press coverage, and that shifts a lot of responsibility onto their shoulders.
Gilbert totaled 182 tackles, 27 passes defensed, 12 interceptions and two interception-return touchdowns at Oklahoma State. He also set a Big 12 record with six kick-off return scores and finished second in conference history with 2,681 kickoff return yards with an average of 26.3 yards.
Gilbert and fellow rookies reported on Wednesday, along with quarterbacks and players dealing with injuries. The first team practice is Saturday morning.
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