Every year we hear about how the Rams are finally turning a corner and THIS is the year they’ll finally surprise people. But after Sam Bradford went down with yet another season ending injury and the team is starring down the barrel of a 1-3 start, can any of us really say we’re surprised? The Rams have oscillated between mediocre and woeful for over a decade now and they haven’t had a winning season since 2003. The Rams have only had two 8-8 seasons since then, and they haven’t been to the playoffs since 2004. This is our third installment of this series but unlike the Raiders and the Jaguars, the Rams during the period have drafted some real gems. Chris Long (who is out indefinitely after undergoing ankle surgery), Robert Quinn, Rodger Saffold, Michael Brockers and Alec Olegtree are all recent selections that can be viewed as success stories. Unfortunately the negative is still overshadowing the positive and the Rams have been unable to dig out of the hole they are in. The degree of difficulty playing in the NFC West is extremely high right now, no question, but the Rams are paying for critical mistakes they made in the draft process. Here they are:
5. Brian Quick, WR, 33rd overall pick from Appalachian State in 2012
The 2nd round pick is averaging just under 17 catches a season in three years with the Rams. I’m kind of picking on him, but I easily could have said Chris Givens, Austin Pettis, Greg Salas or Mardy Gilyard. A slew of average to below average receivers. The Rams invested a lot of high mid round picks attempting to build some talent around Bradford to give him some weapons to work with and none have really turned into anything special. Honestly Tavon Austin has shown some game breaking ability and he was a higher pick, but the jury is still out on him too. You really have to question the Rams’ ability to find the right guy at this position. Twelve picks later Alshon Jeffery was taken.
4. Adam Carriker, DE/DT, 13th overall pick from Nebraska in 2007
He had two sacks in two seasons with the Rams but sustained an injury after decent play early. He was then traded to the Redskins where he didn’t fare much better. He is currently a free agent trying to catch on with a team. One of a few big whiffs by the Rams in the first round the last ten years. It’s not often a first round pick only lasts two years with the team that drafted him. There weren’t many good defensive lineman taken after him but a slew of Pro Bowlers at other positions.
3. Tye Hill, CB, 15th overall pick from Clemson in 2006
Who? Yes, exactly. Hill was a track star with blazing speed and the Rams fell in love with his measurables and drafted him. How many times have we heard that story before? He played three poor injury filled seasons with the Rams before he returned a 7th round draft pick in a trade to the Falcons. He was out of the league by the following year. A complete flop of a 1st round pick by the Rams. Do you want to know who the two corners taken in that same draft were after Hill? Antonio Cromartie and Johnathan Joseph. Oops.
2. Sam Bradford, QB, 1st overall pick from Oklahoma in 2010
With Bradford it was less about his performance on the field and more about his inability to stay healthy. Who knows what the Rams could have been with him if he had stayed on the field? Granted Bradford did play entire seasons in 2010 and 2012 and was never anything truly special. Unfortunately the Rams continue to be saddled with a 6 year, $78 million deal with $50 million in guarantees contract. Bradford’s tenure with the Rams is assuredly done at this point and his career might be too. That’s a tough pill to swallow when you consider that no less than the 6 players drafted directly behind Bradford have all been to the Pro Bowl (Suh, McCoy, Trent Williams, Berry, Okung, Haden). That said, the quarterbacks in this class were utter garbage and there’s not a better passer that could have been had, if that’s any consolation to Rams fans. Consider the class: Tebow, Clausen, McCoy, Kafka, Skelton, Crompton, Joe Webb and a bunch of other no namers. Sadly Bradford was probably the best one. When you consider a botch of this size combined with the one below, though, you being to really understand the Rams’ futility for the last decade.
1. Jason Smith, T, 2nd overall pick from Baylor in 2009
The Rams were confident they were getting the second coming of Orlando Pace when they selected Smith. You don’t hear Smith mentioned in the same breath as JaMarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf and/or Akili Smith, but that’s only because quarterbacks are more high profile. Smith is absolutely one of the biggest top pick busts in the history of the league. Smith signed a 6 year $61 million deal with $33 million in guarantees. He would only start 26 exceedingly mediocre games before getting traded to the Jets in 2012. He’d last there one year as a backup and fail to make 53 man final rosters in subsequent years. Smith is a bust of the highest order and he is already out of the league. Better tackles in that class included Eugene Monroe, Michael Oher, Eben Britton, Phil Loadholt, and Will Beatty. Those are the five tackles that were selected after Smith and they have all been significantly better. That’s not to mention the number of other countless Pro Bowlers at other positions that were there for the taking.
