Back in April, as the draft debate heated up, St. Louis Rams fan batted around three names they would have liked to see the team take with the second overall pick in the draft. Most of the debate was between LB Aaron Curry and OT Jason Smith (or Eugene Monroe) with more than a few carrying the water for Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree. When the team released future Hall of Fame OT Orlando Pace, it was 99% clear what direction they'd take with their first round pick, and eventually they surprised nobody by drafting Baylor OT Jason Smith. Curry went to the hated Seahawks and the hated almost as much 49ers drafted Crabtree.
Two of those players have signed deals; one has not. [Ed. Note: Curry actually has not signed a deal.] Now, players drafted in the slots around Crabtree's 10th spot are sitting on their hands to see whether or not the 49ers cave to the receiver's demand for a contract more akin to a top five pick than the "lowly" tenth spot, creating a logjam of unsigned picks drafted in those spots and pissing off more than just the 49ers management and fans.
The main reason for drafting Smith over Crabtree is fairly obvious: the Rams wanted to rebuild their team around a young, stout offensive line, that was the point they are at this year. That said, I can't help but wonder if some of the "character" concerns that were cited regarding Crabtree didn't have something to do with the receiver's potential for a holdout.