Who Dat?

Another draft in the books and despite the lack of 3rd and 4th round picks (with the 3rd rounder going for a very important cause and the 4th rounder going for Vilma), I am pleased with the Saints draft for the most part.

Round 1, Pick 7 (from NE): Sedrick Ellis DT USC

I called this trade/pick from the Saints a few days ago (see my final mock draft thread in general). Obviously I am pleased with the selection. Ellis has a non-stop motor, loves football and has tremendous quickness (not speed, which is ok for a DT, as long as he hit holes quickly) for a man his size. Ellis is a total 180 from the last Saints 1st round DT Jonathan Sullivan in that Ellis' ethic and effort are just about unmatched. The Saints cannot stop the run and haven't had anyone in the middle that could compete at a pro-bowl level in some time. Hopefully they have found him. IMO there isn't a very big drop off from Dorsey to Ellis so to be able to get him at 7 by just swapping a 3rd for a 5th with NE was a tremendous deal for NO. He should be a force in both stopping the run and rushing the passer immediately and Saints fans should be rejoicing about his arrival. His prior knee problems are a bit of a concern but he's been injury free for a full year now.

Ellis Highlights:

YouTube - USC Football 2007 Sedrick Ellis

Round 2, Pick 40: Tracy Porter CB Indiana

The Saints added some depth to the secondary (fully expected) with Porter in Round 2. An undersized corner at 5'10, Porter has blazing speed and is generally regarded as a competant one-on-one cover corner. It is my understanding that he is not simply an athlete but shows very good awareness and is very adept at reading the QB. He should also be able to contribute in the return game with his sub 4.4 speed. The biggest knock on Porter I've read is that he is not strong at all and can get pushed off the line by bigger WR's, he is also not very good in run support. He is mainly thought of to be a playmaker in coverage, someone that can come up with turnovers and can cover streaking receivers downfield. The Saints were absolutely killed by speedy wideouts on the outside for big plays all season (see Joey Galloway), hopefully Porter can contribute to this end. As it is I expect him to be competing for a starting job right away due to his great natural instincts.

Porter Highlights:

YouTube - Tracy Porter

Round 5, Pick 144: DeMario Pressley DT NC State

After the first 2 picks, the Saints were done on Day 1 and made their first move of Day 2 by trading up a few spots to take Pressley. Outside of his first name being awesome, I do not know very much about him. Apparently he is a very good athlete for his size running a 5.09/40 at 6'3 and over 300 lbs. Most of his concern appears to lie with his technique/motor and lack of football smarts. He also had knee surgery in 2007, he is a project however he certainly has some upside to him.

Pressley Highlights:

YouTube - Demario Pressley Highlights

Round 5, Pick 164: Carl Nicks OT Nebraska

Oh baby, giddy-up! I was very excited to see Nicks get called upon by the Saints. I was touting him for sometime as a late 1st round/early 2nd round talent if not for some off the field problems and some lack of technique in the trenches. He is a tremendous project to get this late in the draft. Carl checks in at 6'4 and 341 lbs and 5.2/40 speed and he is downright mean. Nicks has a chance to be an effective RT in this league I believe. He needs time, coaching and the proper motivation but if all goes right he could certainly be one of those guys you notice a few years later went in Round 5 and have some teams kicking themselves for passing on him. He has all the physical skills except maybe the great footwork but he is certainly quick enough to compensate by getting into the proper position to offset that and that will happen if he is coached well and he listens and works. This is a big if but I am excited to see if he can develop into yet another solid O-line late pick by the Saints.

Nicks Highlights:

YouTube - Carl Nicks

Round 6, Pick 178: Taylor Mehlhaff PK Wisconsin

Mehlhaff you have to assume will compete with Gramatica right off the bat. It is my understanding that he has the strongest leg in the draft but is not the most accurate. Probably at worst he is a guy that I could see becoming a kickoff specialist/long FG attempt guy if he struggles with his accuracy. Interestingly he is the 1st kicker to be drafted since the god of kickers, Morten Andersen.

Mehlhaff Interview:

YouTube - Taylor Mehlhaff Interview

Round 7, Pick 237: Adrian Arrington WR Michigan

The Saints have had some luck with Round 7 receivers. Arrington projects as a possession type of receiver who has good hands and can catch the ball in traffic. In fact he enjoys going over the middle so that's a plus. The downside is that he lack any sort of speed and strength. Then again if he can be a guy that can be relied on to make a couple of tough, chain moving catches every once in awhile, he will be worth his extremely late draft position. He doesn't run very good routes either so he has that going for him. In all seriousness, the one thing he does have apparently is hands and that is the most important trait for a receiver in my opinion so if he can become a decent 3rd down option to catch a few crossing routes and move the chains every once in awhile, that's fine by me.

Arrington Highlights (including a ridiculous one handed catch):

YouTube - Adrian Arrington Highlights

In summary, I am obviously most excited for the Ellis pick (for the present) and the Nicks pick (for the future). I think Porter gives the Saints some much needed speed on the outside to match up with some of the quicker receivers that were burning our corners last season. I think the Saints did a good job of both addressing some need areas while also getting good value at those picks. I would rate this draft for New Orleans a solid B- with the minus mainly due to lack of mid round picks. They did a good job with what they had and I certainly don't fault them for dealing a 3rd to NE to move up for Ellis. Saints fans should be pleased.

__________________
"One thing is the coaching, the other is the players."

John Madden (on the Patriots success)

Blaze_1UP

Nicks is the man

__________________

Your gonna take a pound'n if you ride bulls for a liv'n, thats juss the way it is.