Defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan, who had been the highest first-rounder still out of training camp, reached agreement with the New Orleans Saints on his first contract, and is expected to begin practicing with the team on Thursday.

The former University of Georgia star, expected to start as a rookie, checked into the Saints' camp late Wednesday night and, barring any unexpected last-minute glitches, will sign the contract on Thursday. Sullivan, who missed the first six days of camp, was the sixth player selected overall this year.

The contract is for seven years, but will void to just five seasons, provided that Sullivan reaches minimum playing time levels. Total value of the contract is $19 million and the total bonus money, $11.4 million, is the highest ever paid in franchise history.

Sullivan, 22, will receive an initial signing bonus of $7.4 million and then a second-tier option bonus of $4 million next spring. His agreement leaves five first-round choices still out of training camps.

New Orleans coveted Sullivan so much in the draft that the Saints traded a pair of first-round choices, the 17th and 18th overall, to Arizona for the right to move into the No. 6 slot and choose the former Bulldogs star. New Orleans had also been eyeing another defensive tackle, Dewayne Robertson of Kentucky, but a deal with the Chicago Bears, for the fourth overall spot in the draft, fell through.

The Saints are intent on upgrading a defense that statistically ranked No. 27 in the league in 2002, and was 19th against the run. Throughout the spring, the team made free agent moves to improve the unit, and to augment its overall speed. Sullivan, however, has been regarded as a key piece of the puzzle.

At 6-feet-3 and 313 pounds, he has prototype size and excellent quickness and, when he is on his game, can be a very disruptive defender. Sullivan, who bypassed his final year of college eligibility to enter the draft, was a two-year starter for Georgia and the third defensive end the team has drafted in the past three years.

Sullivan played in 35 games in three seasons, and started 23 contests, finishing his career with 154 tackles, nine sacks, 53 quarterback pressures and two fumble recoveries. In the spring drills, he worked with the Saints' first-unit defense, and likely will assume a job in the lineup once he is in football condition.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.