The San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday reached agreement in principle with first-round draft choice Mike Rumph, a cornerback from the University of Miami, and a player expected to assume the starting "nickel" job.

Rumph's agent Ken Harris confirmed that the contract, which is pending approval from the league, is for five years. League sources told ESPN.com the deal is worth $6.4 million and includes $3 million combined between the signing bonus and an option bonus that is due next spring.

"There's nothing tricky about (the contract)," Harris said. "It's pretty straightforward, and we're just waiting to hear back from the 49ers that the league has approved it. But there shouldn't be any problems at all."

Rumph was the 27th player selected overall, the last of five former Hurricanes players (and the third member of the secondary) taken in the first round. The 49ers went into the draft having targeted two cornerbacks, Rumph and Lito Sheppard, to fill the "nickel" role.

While the 49ers have an outstanding starting tandem in Ahmed Plummer and Jason Webster, they have not been able to match up at times with the St. Louis Rams because they did not have a solid enough No. 3 cornerback. Rumph will help to address that deficiency, according to San Francisco coaches, who liked what they saw of him in minicamps.

Rumph isn't fast, but he's a physical corner with good size (6-2, 205 pounds) who can get up on a receiver and play "press" coverage, using his hands to redirect the wideout's route. He has surprisingly quick feet and good change of direction and is also a force on run defense.

Overshadowed by some of his more high-profile Miami teammates, Rumph started 36 games and appeared in 44 contests during his college career. He had six interceptions and 27 passes defensed, 164 tackles and two forced fumbles.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.