Rams nearing a deal with second round pick OT Rodger Saffold

Fans of contract negotiations and others with high hopes for the St. Louis-based football team will be happy to hear that the St. Louis Rams are close to getting a deal done with Indiana OT Rodger Saffold, their surprise second round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. 

That comes from Brian Stull of ESPN 101. Late last month, when the Rams signed most of their other draft picks, I made this prediction for Saffold's deal:

Second round pick Rodger Saffold's deal won't be that tough once the draft spot/contract size relationship starts to take shape as teams start signing second rounders. Lions S Louis Delmas, the first pick of the second round last year, signed a four-year deal worth $5.699 million with $3.5 million guaranteed. LB James Laurinaitis, the Rams second round pick and the third pick of that round, got a four-year deal worth $5.09 million with $3.29 guaranteed.

Only two second round picks have inked deals so far, Tampa Bay DT Brian Price and Jets OT Vladimir Ducasse. Price's deal reveals a little about what Saffold's should look like according to the slotting system. Price, the 35th pick, got a 4-year, $5.32 million deal with $3.55 million guaranteed. That's a noticeable raise over what the Rams gave James Laurinaitis, picked in the same slot as Price, last year.