New Orleans Saints

Arizona
Rd	Sel#	Player	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	School	Jay's ranking	Jay's draft value
1	7	Sedrick Ellis	DT	6'0"	309	Tennessee	#1 DT	Round 1
2	40	Tracy Porter	CB/Ret	5'10.7"	188	Indiana	#6 CB	Round 2

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Porter has excellent speed, a nose for the ball, and good man-to-man cover skills. Some question his toughness but the kid showed good strength at the Combine and he did have 83 tackles his senior year. Porter is an underrated cornerback prospect. He also looked good during Senior Bowl practices. He could develop into one of the better corners in the league. He is also a good punt returner.

5	144	DeMario Pressley	DT	6'3"	300	N Car St	#10 DT	Round 3/Round 4
5	164	Carl Nicks	OT/OG	6'4.7"	341	Nebraska	#7 OT	Round 2

Given that the Saints had no third or fourth round picks, their grade of "A" is very impressive. They got excellent value with Nicks and signed one of my favorite college street free agents in Roach.

DRAFT PICKS

Ellis was my top rated defensive tackle in the draft. I believe he will be a more dominate NFL player than Dorsey. Ellis was virtually unblockable in Senior Bowl practices. He will be solid against the run and will get penetration against the pass and make sacks. He could be the best defensive tackle since Warren Sapp. Obviously, a great get by the Saints.

Porter was a very underrated corner coming into this draft. He has excellent man-to-man cover skills, great speed and quickness and a nose for the ball. The supposed knock on him is that he doesn't like to mix it up. However, he has good strength for the position and made his share of tackles at Indiana. I look for him to eventually be a starter and the Saints' best corner.

Pressley is good against the run. He has tremendously quick feet and changes direction very well. He is not the big-time run stuffer, but instead moves well to the ballcarrier to stop quick bursts thru the hole. He should be a good rotation player for New Orleans' for years.

Nicks was a steal in round five. He is a boom or bust type that I believe will be a boom, hence my second round grade. In round two, however, there was a considerable risk. In round five it was a no brainer. Nicks is a big man with tremendous speed and quickness for a man his size. He is also a strong kid who, worst case should develop into a good run-blocking guard. Best case he could be a dominate tackle.

Mehlhaff was my top rated kicker. He has good accuracy and a better leg than many think. He could be this year's version of Nick Folk. Oh, by the way he had 14 bench presses, not bad for a kicker!

Early reports on Arrington have been very good from Saints' camp. However, that's what they are, early reports. Don't expect another Colston. In fact, Arrington may have trouble making the team and could wind up on the practice squad.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Geathers is a strong, undersized defensive end who could develop into a situational pass rusher. With backups like Josh Savage and Orien Harris on the depth chart, he has a shot a roster spot.

Dunbar's best attribute is his versatility. He can play inside and outside and will be a productive special teams player. Still, he will have his hands full trying to make the roster.

Roach was a great free agent signing. I will be surprised if he doesn't make the roster. Roach convinced me that he will be a good pro by his workouts. He was thought to be a good athlete, and he is. He was thought to have good speed, and he does. he was thought to be too straighht-line, lacking quickness and change-of-direction skills. Uhhh, no. Look at the numbers! They're excellent. Lastly, he will need work on his technique, he doesn't play as fluidly as he should. Most thought that was due to the supposed limitations. I believe it was because he was getting by on his athletic ability alone. Roach will be a toip special teams player and could be a quality starter down the line.

Blythe is a tall, quick, slot receiver with a knack for catching touchdowns. He could wind up on the Saints' practice squad and could be a better long term asset than Arrington.

red indicates workout number in top range at position in draft
(blue college name indicates workout #'s include Pro Day numbers)

COMBINE
YES

FIRST NAME

SCHOOL

HEIGHT

WEIGHT

BENCH

SHORT

LONG

3 CONE

VERT

BROAD

Ellis

Cedric

USC

6'0"

309

5.01

1.85

3.06

4.75

7.78

30"

8'9"

Porter

Tracy

INDIANA

5'10.7"

188

4.30

1.46

2.56

4.07

7.20

34"

10'3"

Pressley

DeMario

N CAR ST

6'3"

300

5.09

1.65

2.86

4.72

7.15

28"

8'10"

Nicks

Carl

NEBRASKA

6'4.7"

341

5.18

1.80

2.98

4.68

7.91

25.5"

9'1"

Arrington

Adrian

MICHIGAN

6'2.7"

203

4.55

1.53

2.64

36"

Geathers

Jeremy

UNLV

6'2.1"

256

4.74

1.66

2.83

4.49

7.28

28"

8'9"

Dunbar

Jo-Lonn

BOSTON COL

6'0.4"

231

4.79

1.52

2.69

4.45

7.05

33"

9'4"

Roach

David

TCU

6'0.3"

210

4.51

1.54

2.59

4.15

11.11

6.88

38.5"

10'3"

Blythe

Todd

IOWA ST

6'4.7"

217

4.61

1.61

2.67

4.23

6.92

31.5"

9'10"

QB	Brees is a solid starter. Martin is a free agent so the team needs to resign him, or bring in another backup. Palko is not a bad #3 who could develop into a good backup quarterback.
RB	The need here depends on how well McAllister comes back from injury. Bush will need some time to become a full time starter. He may grow into a Brian Westbrook type of player. To do that he will have to commit to the weight room and become a better runner inside the tackles. Thomas is a keeper. Stecker gets it done.
WR	Colston is All Pro. Patten is a nice receiver but if an upgrade can be secured it would help. Meachem could be that guy, but may need a year contributing in multiple receiver sets. Henderson flashes big-time potential, but has inconsistent hands. Moore has the look of a long time, valuable #4 receiver. Copper is a valuable end of the roster type player.
TE	Johnson can catch, but is hurt a lot. Campbell is coming off injury, but is best served as a #2. Miller, once a one-dimensional receiving threat is an improved blocker and a valuable reserve. If a top tight end can be brought in, it would represent an upgrade.
OL	The Saints line did an excellent job protecting Brees. It's hard to know if the drop off in run blocking was due to the line regressing a bit, or McAllister's injury. The Saints also have good depth. If a player the Saints' believe can be a dominate LG or RT, they could pull the trigger. Otherwise, the team will just bring in competition for camp.
DL	A deep and talented unit needs Grant and Smith to rebound and get more sacks next year. A third end who can rush the passer should be added. The team has good depth at tackle.
LB	The trio of Futija, Simoneau and Shanle just doesn't strike fear in opposing teams. All are solid players, Futija more than that, but a stud in the middle and a sideline-to-sideline force at the WILL are needed.
DB	This is a case where the sum of the parts is not better than the whole. When looked at individually, you would think the unit would perform better than it does. To correct that, a top corner should be brought in to pair with McKenzie or Young, and the short-statured David should be relegated to the nickel. At safety Harper and Bullocks look like a good young tandem. However, the unit may be best served if a cagey veteran was paired with one of the youngsters.
ST	A third kicker could be brought in to compete with Mare and Gramatica. Punter, long-snapper, and the return game are in good hands.

2008 DRAFT PICKS	2008 REPORT CARD followed by workout numbers	2008 TEAM NEEDS prior to free agency
2007 DRAFT PICKS	2007 REPORT CARD followed by comments & workout numbers	2007 TEAM NEEDS prior to free agency

2005 Draft Picks	2005 Draft Report Card	2005 Draft Team News
2004 Draft	2003 Draft	2002 Draft

6	178	Taylor Mehlhaff	K	5'10"	185	Wisconsin	#1 K	Late Round Value
7	237	Adrian Arrington	WR	6'2.7"	203	Michigan		Late Round Value
FA		Jeremy Geathers	DE	6'2.1"	256	UNLV		Late Round Value/Free Agent
FA		JoLonn Dunbar	ILB/OLB	6'0.4"	231	Boston Coll		Late Round Value/Free Agent
FA		David Roach	FS	6'0.3"	210	TCU	#5 FS	Round 3/Round 4
FA		Todd Blythe	WR	6'4.7"	217	Iowa State		Late Round Value

Rd	Sel#	Player	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	School	Jay's ranking	Jay's Draft Value
1	27	Meachem, Robert	WR	6-3	211	Tennessee	# 3 WR	Round 1
3	66	Young, Usama	CB	5-11	186	Kent State	# 9 CB	Round 3
3	88	Alleman, Andy	G	6-4	302	Akron	# 5 OG	Round 2
4	107	Pittman, Antonio	RB	5-11	195	Ohio State	# 3 RB	Round 2
4	125	Bushrod, Jermon	OT	6-4	315	Towson		Late Round Value
5	145	Jones, David	CB	6-0	196	Wingate		Late Round Value
7	220	Mitchell, Marvin	ILB	6-3	249	Tennessee		Late Round Value
FA		McKnight, Rhema	WR	6-1	211	Notre Dame	#13 WR	Round 3
FA		Palko, Tyler	QB	6-1	212	Pittsburgh		Late Round Value
FA		Porter, Joe	CB	5-10	198	Rutgers		Late Round Value