The Rams have had plenty of high picks in the past few years. Some have worked out, some did at first but then didn’t (but still could).
One has been a major disappointment.
Jason Smith, the second overall selection in the 2009 draft, has appeared in only 29 of 48 games. And when he has played, he hasn’t played in noteworthy fashion.
Drafted as a left tackle, Smith has landed on the right side. He soon will be landing on waivers, unless he agrees to a dramatic reduction in his salary.
Per a league source, Smith will face the time-honored take-a-pay-cut-or-take-a-hike ultimatum in the offseason, given that (per NFLPA records) Smith is due to earn a base salary of $10 million in 2012. With only $1 million of it guaranteed, the Rams won’t hesitate to dump Smith, if he won’t dump much of his scheduled pay.
In 2011, Smith received $8.5 million in base salary, as part of the windfall previously given to unproven players taken at the top of the draft.