The Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday signed first-round draft choice Lito Sheppard, a cornerback from the University of Florida and one of three rookie defensive backs expected to contribute to the team this season.

Sheppard, 21, was the 26th player selected overall. He signed a five-year contract worth $5.7 million, and the deal includes a signing bonus of $3.4 million. The contract is in line with structure the Eagles used in 2001 with first-round wide receiver Freddie Mitchell, offering a higher signing bonus than the draft slot called for, but less total money.

"I'm very thankful that this whole process is over with,'' Sheppard told the Associated Press. "Now I can go to camp and concentrate on the upcoming year. I'm glad that I'll be in camp on time and I'm looking forward to being with my teammates.''

In an effort to bring some young blood into the secondary, and to better match up with the St. Louis Rams receivers, Philadelphia used its first three choices in the 2002 draft on defensive backs. The choice of Sheppard was followed by selections of safety Michael Lewis and cornerback Sheldon Brown with the Eagles' two second-round picks.

Given his raw coverage abilities, it is likely that Sheppard will quickly challenge for playing time in the "nickel" and "dime" coverage packages as a rookie. Sheppard is an athlete who is more quick than fast, but still runs the 40 in the 4.47 range, and he has tremendous instincts.

He was a two-time All-American performer for the Gators and, while he didn't make as many big plays in 2001 as he did the previous season, Sheppard still was regarded among the top cornerback prospects in the draft. The Jacksonville native is a cousin of former Florida wide receiver Jabar Gaffney, a second-round choice of the Houston Texans this year, and the two practiced long hours together.

Sheppard is especially explosive when closing on a ball thrown in front of him, has very soft hands, and can turn an interception into a touchdown. He appeared in 34 games and started 22 of them, and finished with eight career interceptions, 13 passes defensed, 87 tackles and two fumbles recoveries.

His best season was in 2000, when he had six interceptions and returned one for a score.

He also averaged 11.4 yards per punt return, scoring two touchdowns, and 22.5 yards on kickoff returns.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.