iceshack149

Haslett said that Sullivan will play at the nose tackle. Are they going 3-4? He\'s pleased with the corner stuation. I hope that Henderson will be available in round 2.

iceshack149

This draft is cooky.

ssmitty

we move up to 37th in the second, plus a 4th, 102 overall.......if he is the savage at pass rushing, i\'ll take the deal.........smitty besides, i don\'t have a choice......

WhoDat

I\'m really confused by that move. First, why did they feel like they needed to move up that far to get Sullivan? Second, if you\'re moving up for a DT and it\'s not Robertson, wouldn\'t you expect it to be Kennedy out of Penn State? Finally, this is looking like it may end up having been a bad move, in my mind. As I write this we\'re on the 13th pick. It looks very possible that both Bailey and William Joseph will be around at 17 and 18. So will Woolfolk and Polamalu. Wouldn\'t two of those players be better than just Sullivan? I know what I think is irrelevant, BUT... Bailey and Joseph would be better in my mind than just Sullivan.

\"Excuses, excuses, excuses. That’s all anyone ever makes for the New Orleans Saints’ organization.\" - Eric Narcisse


\"Being a Saints fan is almost like being addicted to crack,\" he said.[i]\"You know you should stop, but you just can\'t.\"

ssmitty

i remember them talking about sullivan early on, as a player they had targeted. it seems the case everyone is going after d.l......the 37th overall is\'nt that bad..... with a 3rd and a 4th we still can get some of the players the fans want, or maybe not......smitty

nocloning

Trying to explain the deal ... which will be quite hard.
1. Haslett (or Loomis, whoever) apparently ONLY liked Robertson and Sullivan at DT. He didn\'t like Kennedy, Joseph or Williams AT ALL, because one of them would have dropped to #17.
2. He was afraid the Vikings would draft Sullivan. Not that unlikely, they did draft a DT.
3. They think DT is the one position that the Saints desperately needed help in.
4. No one else in the Top 12 would be willing to trade.

Still, I have a hard time liking the deal. I got a DT which I wished for, but is Sullivan worth the number 6 pick. Is he so much better than Joseph? Obviously there were more teams willing to trade. We know have to pay him #6-money although we might have gotten him at 12-14. A real hard time liking this deal.

\"What is Wal-Mart? Is it like they sell wall stuff?\"

saint5221

This was put up right before the draft, looks like there was a good bit of early intrest in sullivan.
This is a good player glad to see him as a Saint, it just feels like we paid too much for him.

Jets may trade up to snare Georgia tackle
By Darrell Trimble
NFL Insider

Send an Email to Darrell Trimble

With all the misinformation that\'s floated in the weeks leading up to the draft, the truth is difficult to pin down. For instance, New York Jets general manager Terry Bradway has repeatedly downplayed the importance of drafting an impact player and has suggested that trading up is not a viable option.


Apparently, both couldn\'t be further from the truth.

The agent for the Georgia defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan has informed the New York Times the Jets have called to tell his client they were considering moving up in the draft to select him. No one is sure how far up the Jets are willing to move to get their man, but they shouldn\'t have to give up too much to get him.


The Jets have their sights set on Teyo Johnson.The Jets have the 13th pick and would likely have to move up a few slots to ensure they\'ll be able to secure him. The Jets have been talking with the Minnesota Vikings (No. 7) about swapping picks. However, such a move could cost them their second round pick as well. But the Jets want to keep their second-rounder, because they have an interest in receiver/tight end Teyo Johnson of Stanford.


Johnson told the New York Daily News the Jets called him to let them know they were thinking about taking him in round two. Johnson is 6\'6\", 245 pounds, and has been clocked as fast as 4.53 in the 40. The Jets would love to get a downfield receiving threat at tight end, a role that Anthony Becht hasn\'t been able to provide, and Johnson could become a Shannon Sharpe-type threat. The Jets also have a history with Johnson. Offensive coordinator Paul Hackett recruited Teyo to Stanford as a quarterback.


If the Jets do have Sullivan in their crosshairs, they\'re not alone. Origianlly, Sullivan was projected to last until the 13th pick, but he has moved up the draft board to the point where that\'s not a certainty. According to Rowe, the Seahawks (No. 11), New England (14th and 19th) and New Orleans (17th and 18th) have indicated an interest in moving into position to take Sullivan.

\"They all swear they will grab him if he\'s there when they select,\" Rowe told the Times.

A good trading partner for the Jets could be the Baltimore Ravens. They are considering moving down to draft Cal quarterback Kyle Boller, and if the Jets only moved up three spots they could keep their second round choice and still get Johnson.

SFinAustin

Great post!

WhoDat

Here\'s what I don\'t understand... there were all kinds of options discussed on this board. The two that I most advocated were staying put or doing a double move where we went up five or six spots to snag Trufant (he was taken at 11 so that was right on target) and then trading down with NYG for their first and second. Where we could have gotten Joseph it looks like (assuming something changes in the next couple of picks) or even Bailey, Henderson, Woolfolk, Mathis... etc. We also could have stayed put and grabbed Bailey at 17 and traded down and still snagged Joseph and had two second rounders. I\'m just kind of shocked by this trade. Not because I didn\'t see it coming, but b/c the Saints seem so interested in value. I have a hard time believing that you get more value out of Sullivan than you would out of two guys like Bailey AND Joseph... especially considering that you could probably sign both of those players for about the same price that we\'ll get just Sullivan for. Doesn\'t make sense to me.

\"Excuses, excuses, excuses. That’s all anyone ever makes for the New Orleans Saints’ organization.\" - Eric Narcisse


\"Being a Saints fan is almost like being addicted to crack,\" he said.[i]\"You know you should stop, but you just can\'t.\"

saint5221

I like Sullivan he is a good fit fot the Saints. I can see why the Saint took him over Kennedy. Kennedy is a great athlete but he has had weight problems and there were some who questioned his work ethic, is more of big run stuffing tackle. The Saints like Sullivan\'s high motor and constant effort. A young quick line would be a real help in dealing with Vick twice a year.
The higher pick in the second round and extra fourth rounder take some of the sting out of only one first round pick, but it still stings.

Here is Sporting News\' evaluation on Sullivan

Round 1, Pick 6


JOHNATHAN SULLIVAN MEASURABLES
Height: 6-3 Weight: 313
40-yard dash: 4.87 10-yard dash: 1.82 ÂÂÂÂ*
20-yard shuttle: 4.84 60-yard shuttle:
Broad jump: 8-3 225 lb. bench: 24
3-cone drill: Vertical jump: 29
Wonderlic: 16 20-yard dash: 2.90
Player evaluation:
Johnathan Sullivan

War Room analysis
New Orleans is expected to cut Norman Hand and defensive tackle is a pressing need as a result. Admittedly the Saints gave up a lot to draft Sullivan and he will be under much pressure to contribute early, but he has the size to stuff the interior run and his explosive burst combined with his above-average athleticism makes him an excellent fit for the Saints\' one-gap scheme. Vs. the run: Has good size, and is an above-average athlete. Plays with leverage, and controls a gap. Can play in both a two-gap and one-gap scheme. Has the size and strength to hold his ground at the point of attack. Shows above-average initial quickness and the speed/athleticism to chase down ball carriers. Grade: 8.2.

Pass rush: Shows good initial quickness. Gets consistent penetration, and rarely gives up on a play. Is a smooth athlete. Changes directions well, and has good closing speed. Must improve repertoire of pass-rush moves. Gets held up too often at the line. Shows enough power to become an effective bull rusher. Grade: 7.8.

Initial quickness: Shows quick footwork and initial burst. Comes out of stance with good pad level, and shows good short-area power. Must anticipate the snap better; too often is a quarter-count behind his teammates and the opponent -- nullifying his natural quickness. Grade: 7.8.

Run/pass recognition: Shows above-average recognition skills. Is consistent, and follows through on assignments. Has a nose for the ball when penetrating the line. Maintains responsibility when assigned to control a gap. Grade: 8.4.

Pursuit/tackling: Pursuit is one of biggest strengths. Is a fluid athlete. Chases down slow-developing running plays from the backside. Never stops hustling. Stops and starts and changes directions better than most his size. Is a powerful tackler with big-play potential, but leaves his feet too often and misses tackles in the backfield. Must be more consistent with tackling technique. Grade: 8.3.

Bottom line: Sullivan is the complete package physically. He has good height, weight, quickness and speed. Sullivan isn\'t the most explosive tackle in this class -- or the biggest -- but he probably is the most complete and consistent. He likely will be one of the top five defensive tackles drafted, somewhere in the latter half of the first round.