FLOWERY BRANCH --The Falcons signed third-round pick running back Tevin Coleman to a four-year contract on Tuesday.
He becomes the sixth of the team's seven draft picks to sign.
Only first-round pick Vic Beasley remains unsigned and he is expected to sign soon.
The deals are getting done more quickly because under the current collective bargaining agreement there is nothing much to negotiate because the players are slotted by the draft and get paid accordingly.
“Basically the only thing you’re dealing with is how much of the signing bonus is going to be deferred,” said Joel Corry, CBS Sports’ NFL business analyst. “That’s a team-by-team policy.”
Coleman, 5-11, 210 pounds, played in 33 games at Indiana and rushed for 3,219 yards on 452 carries.
He rushed for 2,036 yards last season as he became the third player in Big Ten history to accomplish that feat along with Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon III and Penn State's Larry Johnson.
Coleman is expected to contend for the starting running back position.
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