New Orleans Saints traded with New England to move up to the 7th pick overall in the NFL draft.

{sidebar id=1}They turn around and pick Cedric Ellis, Defensive Tackle From USC.

With that seventh pick, the Saints got one of their men, choosing USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. With their other five draft picks, New Orleans chose Indiana cornerback Tracy Porter, defensive tackle DeMario Pressley of North Carolina State, tackle Carl Nicks of Nebraska, kicker Taylor Mehlhaff of Wisconsin, and wide receiver Adrian Arrington of Michigan.

In the second round, the Saints selected cornerback Tracy Porter 40th overall. Coming out of Port Allen High School in Port Allen, Porter was originally ignored by LSU and committed to Indiana. Nick Saban got in late to make an offer but Porter kept his commitment to the Hoosiers. Clearly, Porter's strength lies in his speed. He has decent but not preferred size at 5'11, 185 but he runs a sub 4.4 forty yard dash. His cover ability is good and he should be a third corner pretty quickly for the Saints. The only question mark for the Louisiana native, who has always been a Saints fan, is his tackling ability.With the 164th pick in round five, the Saints chose tackle Carl Nicks, a mammoth 6'5 341 mauler who hasn't played much football, serving as a starter at left tackle for Nebraska for just one season. He is aggressive by nature and has a long wing span but needs work on his footwork and pass blocking. Still, his physical size and strength make him an interesting project. In round seven with choice number 237, New Orleans was able to trade to get a targeted player, wide receiver Adrian Arrington of Michigan.

Overshadowed by teammate Mario Manningham, Arrington is an intriguing choice, a player who has great size (6'3 203). The Saints are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle for a second time with a tall receiver in the seventh round. Arrington has many of the qualities of Marques Colston, the sensational seventh round choice of two years ago. Like Colston, Arrington has great size and good hands. He was very productive at an elite program. He suffered a significant ankle injury in 2005 and had an off-field problem in 2006 as he was arrested on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge from a fight with his girlfriend. He was also suspended in 2007 for disciplinary reasons. That is why Arrington lasted as late as he did. Basically, the Saints were willing to take a chance on a player with questionable character in this spot. The talent is there. Hopefully, the maturity will follow.

Ellis is a quintessential run stopper. At 6'1, 305, he has the size to hold his ground. He is very strong, has good instincts, and plays with a high motor. He has enough quickness to generate pass rush from his inside position. He comes from a great program and a pro coach in Pete Carroll. He was recruited to USC by current Saints defensive line coach Ed Orgeron. The familiarity was helpful in the process and will help Ellis in his adjustment period to the NFL. His draft board rating was an eyelash behind Dorsey and all observers feel he will be a very productive NFL player. I liked the trade, giving up a third round pick to obtain Ellis.

Pressley could be a true value pick in the fifth round at number 144. At 6'3, 301 pounds, Pressley follows in the footsteps of recent North Carolina State first round picks Mario Williams and Manny Lawson. Pressley has the package, including athleticism, speed, quickness, explosion off the ball, and upside. So why does a guy like this last until the 144th pick in the draft? Quite simply, injuries. First, a wrist injury set him back and in his senior season, he missed half of the season with a knee injury, curtailing his playing time and productivity. He is a classic "three technique" tackle and will give the Saints another solid inside player, along with Ellis.

In round six, the Saints did the unconventional, drafting place kicker Taylor Mehlhaff out of Wisconsin with the 178th overall pick. At 5'10, 185 Mehlhaff is not very big and while he has a pretty strong leg, he is not a long-distance field goal kicker. His strengths lie in his accuracy from 45 yards and in and his ability to kickoff. He kicked in northern conditions outdoors in the Big Ten and being indoors in New Orleans should benefit him. He is the first kicker drafted by the Saints since another Big Ten star, Morten Andersen of Michigan State back in 1982. We can only hope this one turns out nearly as well. Like Andersen, Mehlhaff is a left-footed kicker, though he actually throws right-handed. Clearly, he will be given a shot to win the job from Martin Grammatica, who was impressive in a short stint, allowing the Saints to let Olindo Mare go.

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In round four, first-team All-American Craig Steltz of LSU and Archbishop Rummel High School went to the Bears. In round five, USC quarterback John David Booty of Shreveport and Evangel was chosen by Minnesota. In the sixth round, Nicholls State defensive back Kareem Moore was picked by Washington, and in the seventh round, Matt Flynn, who quarterbacked LSU to a national championship, was chosen by Green Bay, tackle Demetrius Bell of Northwestern State went to Buffalo, LSU tight end Keith Zinger was picked by Atlanta, and UCLA safety Chris Horton of De La Salle High School in New Orleans was chosen by the Redskins. The most notable name not drafted was LSU linebacker Ali Highsmith, whose post-season workouts clearly hurt his stock.