Pittsburgh Steelers sign 4th round pick Jerald Hawkins to rookie contract

The Pittsburgh Steelers are slowly signing their 2016 NFL Draft class. Already signed were 7th round picks Tyler Matakevich and Demarcus Ayers, 6th round pick Travis Feeney, 2nd round pick Sean Davis and now 4th round pick Jerald Hawkins.

Steelers Sign Fourth-Round Pick OT Jerald Hawkins from LSU

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) June 2, 2016

Hawkins' contract with the Steelers, however, is for 4 years.

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) June 2, 2016

Hawkins is viewed as the swing tackle of the future for the Steelers. While at LSU, Hawkins played right tackle as a freshman, and moved to left tackle for his Junior and Senior seasons. Many thought Hawkins would be fighting for a roster spot, but after the Steelers released Mike Adams it became clear they were carving out a spot for Hawkins on the team's roster.

Currently at tackle the Steelers have Alejandro Villanueva, Ryan Harris and Marcus Gilbert as their only experienced tackles. Hawkins could certainly stake his claim on the roster if he, and Mike Munchak, can show enough progress leading up to the 2016 regular season.

The only players who have yet to sign their rookie contracts are first round pick Artie Burns and third round pick Javon Hargrave.