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Significant Investments: 12 Questionable Checks that Stan Kroenke has Written Since Purchasing the St. Louis Rams

By Patrick Karraker

Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Isaiah Pead St. Louis Rams
Aug 1, 2015; Earth City, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Isaiah Pead (24) carries the ball during a drill at Rams Park. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Isaiah Pead

Pead may have been a slightly later pick than Quick, but he was an even greater disappointment. Pead, the Rams’ third and final pick of the 2012 second round, was selected as an alternative and possible successor for Steven Jackson, the Rams’ longtime bellcow in the backfield. But while Jackson’s playing time was indeed reduced for a rookie back during Jeff Fisher’s first season as the Rams’ head coach, it ended up being for seventh-rounder (pick 252 overall) Daryl Richardson, who passed up Pead on the depth chart during training camp and earned 98 carries, compared to Pead’s 10.

When given another fantastic opportunity to win the starting running back job following Jackson’s departure following 2012, Pead once again failed, this time falling behind Richardson as well as rookies Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham on the depth chart. He got just seven carries (but an increased 11 receptions) during the 2013 season. He did start making some contributions running down kicks and punts late in that season, but he didn’t live up to his value as a second-round pick at any point.

Pead’s Rams career seemed to be over after he suffered a torn ACL that caused him to miss the entire 2014 season, but he did battle back to make the opening roster in 2015, serving as the backup to Cunningham and getting two carries, one of which he fumbled and lost. That seemed to be the final straw for Pead, and he was released shortly thereafter. He finished his Rams career with 19 carries for 78 yards, 14 catches for 94, and 18 kick returns for an average of 22.9 yards per return.

Never mind the fact that better backs such as Ronnie Hillman, Bernard Pierce, and Lamar Miller were available when the Rams took Pead at pick 50; the fact that they tried to make their obviously poor investment work for so long was the most disturbing element of Pead’s tenure with the team. It was decently apparent that he didn’t have it when he was beaten out for a spot as a rookie by Richardson, who wasn’t exactly a world-beater, but Pead’s Rams career ended up developing into a four-year charade that cost the Rams $3.16 million (nearly $1 million more than he was guaranteed in his rookie contract).

Next: 8. Jared Cook

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