Thursday, July 30, 2009

Jason Smith signs, Crabtree nowhere close

St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Jason Smith made good on his pre-draft promise that he wouldn't hold out, as this year's No. 2 overall pick agreed to terms on a six-year contract Thursday afternoon. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Smith's deal has a max value of just under $62 million with $33 million guaranteed, which is slighty above what fellow tackle Jake Long got from the Dolphins as the draft's top selection last year (Long received $57.5 million over 5 years with $30 million guaranteed).

Smith is the second top 10 choice to sign today, joining Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, and the fourth among the first seven picks. As you may recall, the Detroit Lions inked Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford to a landmark six-year, $72 million contract (with over 41 million guaranteed) on the eve of the draft and the Jets locked up USC signal-caller Mark Sanchez with a five-year, $50.5 million pact in June.

Only 10 of the 32 first-round picks have signed so far, with center Alex Mack (No. 21, Cleveland), offensive tackle Michael Oher (No. 23, Baltimore), defensive tackle Peria Jerry (No. 24, Atlanta), linebacker Clay Matthews (No. 26, Green Bay), offensive guard Eric Wood (No. 27, Buffalo) and defensive lineman Ziggy Hood (No. 32, Pittsburgh) all having come to terms in the past week.

One likely explanation for that slow progress is the situation regarding former Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree, taken 10th overall by San Francisco back in April. A blog entry from the Denver Post's Mike Klis on Monday stated that Crabtree's camp was seeking a contract commensurate with a top-three selection, which clearly would in turn affect the value of those players unsigned from picks 8-20. It's doubtful that the 49ers are going to blink, so an extended holdout could be on the horizon. The Niners hold their first training camp practice on Saturday.

This potentially troublesome scenario certainly won't help dissuade those rumors of a perceived "diva-like" attitude that Crabtree had displayed during his pre-draft visits.

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