Chosen much earlier than most scouts anticipated, Cincinnati Bengals first-round choice Levi Jones wasn't about to be late to training camp, and the offensive tackle made certain of that by reaching agreement Thursday evening on his first NFL contract.

The 10th player selected overall, Jones will sign a five-year deal, ESPN.com confirmed, but financial details were not yet available.

"This is a dream that I've had for a long time," Jones said, "and I wanted to make sure I gave myself a chance to fulfill it. There are too many things I have to learn and I didn't want to be late. The money is fair and I'm ready to play football now."

There was considerable controversy, and even more criticism, of the Bengals' decision to choose Jones so high in the first round. But many league personnel directors defended the selection and Jones was widely regarded as the third-best tackle prospect in the lottery, after Mike Williams and Bryant McKinnie.

The former Arizona State standout, a three-year starter in college, demonstrated raw tools in spring practices but also struggled at times with some of the finer points of the game. He will be groomed to eventually replace 12-year veteran left tackle Richmond Webb, and could push for the starting job at some juncture of his rookie campaign.

Jones, 22, has good size (6-foot-5, 304 pounds) and is more athletic than either Williams or McKinnie, having been clocked in the low 5.2s in the 40-yard dash. Jones spent some time at guard for the Sun Devils but scouts universally felt that, with his long arms and good feet, tackle was his better position.

He appeared in 35 games during his career, participated in 2,503 snaps and graded out at an 84-percent efficiency rate.

The Bengals also signed second-round pick Lamont Thompson, a free safety from Washington State, who already has been penciled in as a starter.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.