Yesterday, we talked a bit about the spots that the Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Rams occupy in the 2012 NFL Draft, and what I thought were the best scenarios for our favorite team. One of those scenarios involved the Rams taking USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil with the second overall pick, and the Vikings attempting to auction off the third overall pick to the highest bidder.
Taking a look at the rumor mill, it looks like that scenario might be more likely than we think.
According to our friends at Turf Show Times, the Rams appear to be seriously thinking about cutting offensive tackle Jason Smith, who they selected with the second overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft out of Baylor University. (See, Baylor did have a football team before Robert Griffin III came along.) Smith has played in only 29 of 48 games in his three-year career, and his performance during the time that he has played has been less than stellar. Smith is scheduled to make $10 million in 2012, but the Rams will only be on the hook for $1 million if they cut him.
Despite Smith being a disappointment thus far, I find it sort of hard to believe that the Rams would cut him if they didn't have a serious eye on drafting his replacement. Sitting in a position to take the first non-Andrew Luck player off the board, they could certainly grab Kalil and plug him into that spot, allowing a bidding war to start for Griffin III's services.
Just a bit of speculation on a Wednesday morning, folks.