Rookie wide receiver Arrelious Benn agreed to a four-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday, leaving the team with only two 2010 draft picks still to sign before the start of training camp on Friday.
The Buccaneers laid the groundwork for a smooth transition into training camp this year by signing six of their nine draft picks in June and early July, then continued that work on Tuesday with Benn's deal. The dynamic pass-catcher out of the University of Illinois joins fellow 2010 draftees defensive tackle Brian Price, cornerback Myron Lewis, wide receiver Mike Williams, punter Brent Bowden, linebacker Dekoda Watson and defensive end Erik Lorig in getting their first NFL deals done.
The only remaining unsigned rookies are first-round defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and seventh-round safety Cody Grimm. Though they may participate in offseason team activities, players may not report to camp without a signed contract.
Tampa Bay has not had an extended training camp holdout by a rookie since Trent Dilfer in 1994. The Buccaneers were certainly eager to get this year's class in on time, as several of the rookies could compete immediately for significant roles. That appears to be the case for Benn, who will join Williams as the newest starting candidates in a revamped receiving corps.
The 39th player drafted overall in April, Benn was the second of two second-round picks made by the team. A talented pass-catcher who is especially dangerous after the catch, he is the highest-drafted receiver by the Buccaneers since Michael Clayton was snagged in the first round in 2004. After drafting Price 35th overall, the Buccaneers traded up three spots in the round to make sure they could land Benn, the standout pass-catcher out of Illinois.
In three seasons with the Illini, the 6-2, 220-poun Benn appeared in 37 games with 35 starts and notched 159 catches for 2,221 yards and seven touchdowns. He was selected as a team captain in each of his last two seasons and he caught at least one pass in all but one of the games in which he played.
Benn's top statistical season came in 2008, when he started all 12 of Illinois' games and finished with 67 receptions for 1,055 yards and three scores, becoming the first Illini receiver to break the 1,000-yard mark since 2002. Benn also rushed 23 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns, returned 20 kickoffs for 398 yards and ran back 15 punts for 1,114 yards.
