Top NFL Draft Picks Still Without Contract

With every team in the NFL nearing the opening of training camp, teams are working on signing the last of their draft picks to contracts.  There are no two teams more in the limelight for this than the St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions.  Neither of them have yet signed their top draft picks, Sam Bradford and Ndamukong Suh.

St. Louis Rams Sam Bradford Contract

Sam Bradford's representatives met with the St. Louis Rams to lay the groundwork for the annual signing of the riches NFL contract. Every year that a quarterback is the number one pick of the NFL draft, he signs a contract with the most guaranteed money every awarded before ever stepping on the field and throwing a pass in a game. Last year Matthew Stafford inked a six-year contract that included $41.7 million in guaranteed money. Bradford is expecting somewhere in the range of $45-$50 million in guaranteed money.

Detroit Lions Ndamukong Suh Contract

Speaking to the media Friday, Ndamukong Suh said, "I feel like being paid and, as coach (Jim) Schwartz said, he feels I'm the best player in college football and I think they understand that. I don't think it'll be a problem."

This sounds like he want's to be paid more than number one overal draft pick Sam Bradford. The likelyhood of a holdout is high because he is represented by Eugene Parker and Roosevelt Barnes. Other players represented by these two include 2009 holdouts San Francisco 49'ers Michael Crabtree and Chiefs defensive lineman Tyson Jackson. Crabtree's holdout extended a month into the regular season while Jackson only missed a little more than a week of camp. Other players such Cedrick Benson and Steven Jackson have also been holdouts while these two worked out their deals.