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promomasterj
If he finally turns his play around in year...?...4? then what - you won't be able to pay him like a starting veteran left tackle and pay Donald and everyone else. So either Robinson stinks for 4 years and is released or he takes 4 years to develop and walks because we can't pay him. Either way - we lose. This is the crux of the problem with drafting players with 'potential' like Robinson, Quick, etc.

You need rookies who are ready to come in and start and contribute right away to keep your roster affordable or you'll never have a chance.

These aren’t the only two options.

Starting veteran left tackles don’t get paid the same amount. There is a range of salary depending on his attractiveness on the free agent market. The market is determined by a number of things including how good the player is, how long they have performed at a high level, health issues, and more. It’s all about risk. A player who has produced one good year out of four will not command the same salary as a player who has been consistently good from day one.

Thus, another option in your hypothetical will be that the Rams pay him a decent salary after finally producing. He won’t command top dollar like a consistently top performing LT would.

I see no reason to assume that the Rams won’t be able to sign him to a fair contract or that they can’t pay him. The Rams have been saving money in the budget to pay their impending free agents for years.