Your Monday Morning Draft Grade
 

You have read all the draft grades and read profiles learning about the players. Now you grade the Saints draft.

RE: Your Monday Morning Draft Grade
 

LIKE
Reggie Bush
http://2006.ontheclockdraft.com/pro...919104352853297
Mike Hass
http://2006.ontheclockdraft.com/pro...721053046102624
Zach Strief
http://2006.ontheclockdraft.com/pro...721053033159848
Marques Colston
http://2006.ontheclockdraft.com/pro...223340882538236

Reached
Roman Harper
http://2006.ontheclockdraft.com/pro...916325160455548
Jahri Evans
http://2006.ontheclockdraft.com/pro...223352272409313
Bruce Eugene
http://2006.ontheclockdraft.com/pro...223330736640144

All in all this was a fun draft. Payton kept us guessing all the way. He does like high wonderlick scores. He also likes players who like to play and love the game. I see alot of change in 2 to 3 years. This could wake up some off the players on the team already, they now see what Payton calls a New Orleans Saints TEAM player. B+

My grade is B+. To get the overall best player, and the highest rated RB in many years for nothing was a gift. They were successful in not trading for less than market value. Beyond the overal team aspect you cannot discount the immediate impact of ticket sales and media attention suddenly skyrocketing for a disarrayed team in the tragic aftermath of Katrina. As I have mentioned elsewhere besides getting Bush we were additionally blessed to not take on Mario Williams. The guy may pan out bigtime but there is certainly high risk attached to his success in the NFL.

Harper, another safety was a reach but the more I have read on him the less that reach has looked. Get used to this new FO is not going to go after players with character issues like justice, Wroten, or Jimmy Williams. He's very smart and a tough hitter. I am trusting there is some master plan at work with Smith to corner or trade, etc. Whatever you think about him the kicker is getting Faine, a former first round pick who becomes an immediate starter with a low cost contract for another three years. Whodi, we're waiting for you to get your rant on him out of your system.

Round Four I count Thomas and Evans as the pick. Yes, there were highly rated players I liked available but adding a plug like Thomas on first and second down will go a long ways to helping the porous run D. Again for only 9 spaces like at Rd2 is a minor coup. Evans is massive but a project. Did you look at all the videos of the picks? It looked like he was playing in high school stadiums against kids. LOL.

Ninkovich- high motor, overachiever, good stats for not being an every down player. I am seeing more guys in the new regime that figure as high quality special teams/situational players. He can long snap too. The biggest reach of all picks IMO.

6th- Hass is on many lists as a second day steal. He does nothing but find openings and make catches in the mold of Abramowicz or Eric Martin. You do know he won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in the nation last year I hope.

Lay- about 20th on most CB lists I checked so no surprise at the 6th rd. A big corner, I see his height listed at 6-0 but more have it as 6-2. Profiles say will do best in zone coverage same as Harper. That could be some insight into defensive scheme emphasis.

I loved the Strief pick. Projected to 4th rd by some so great value at 7. He is a wooly mammoth 6-7/335 that can engulf people. If he can get conditioned enough to move good enough for run blocking he could develop nicely.

Marques Colston- like Hass, not afraid to go across the middle. Giant target, great leaping ability

Mike Hass will be the best player to come out of the late rounds. With our pro bowl quarterback, pro bowl receiver, thunder and lightning running tandom, and a Wayne Chrebet type possesion receiver. we shall become the greaest show on turf.

more votes please

only reason people are giving us such a good draft is bush i feel we didnt get what we needed like a good quality cb and no lb

from Peter King today-

5. I think New Orleans got a no-lose deal when it swapped the 99th pick to the Eagles for the 108th pick and a very useable defensive tackle in Hollis Thomas ... and getting him for $710,000 in the last year of his contract. He'll be a valuable guy in the Saints' DT rotation.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...b.draft/2.html

I wanted to give it a B-. The way I see it, we HAD to take Reggie Bush, we really didn't have a chacne. It's a great pick because he's one of the best players to come out of the draft since I've been alive, but it wasn't a great pick for obvious reasons with Deuce and Bennett. Overall, I'm happy with the pick and happy with the way it seems to have energized all Saints fans.

Picking up Jeff Faine and turning one pick into two players was a smart move, we just took the wrong player with that 2nd round pick. I think we should have addressed LB or CB there, but if there's anything I can say for Roman Harper is that he seems to be a high character guy that isn't going to give anything less than his all. I guess in the big picture, it's a dumb pick, but it could have been worse considering the guy's character.

The trade in the 4th round also has two sides for me. We did pass up on Jean-Gilles, but we got Hollis Thomas. I hope that he's going to be an upgrade on the DLine, but he's getting kinda old. Evans in the 4th was also a reach and was probably my least favorite move in the draft. He's extremely raw, and it's going to take a long time to develop him. I also think that there were other players on the board at that time that we should have taken.

I can't believe we took another DE. Ugh. LB???

The later picks were surprisingly good even though I wanted a kicker!

Overall, good draft. We got some solid players, and we got some good character players. The only thing I can say against this draft is that we didn't really fill our biggest positions of need (LB and CB).

On the subject too I want to shout out a big thank you.

Thanks Jim Haslett for your infatuation with the super athletes, for sticking with Leon at QB (and to Bouwoman even worse), for keeping Venturi at DC, and staying the course with your style. It did all have to crumble. I wish it would have been about two years sooner than later. But the hope for another erratic undisciplined 8-8 season finally did get us to the spot where we could clean house. If we would have won one more of those games like the gem to the Lions then we would not have the excitement we have today. THANKS JIM for your part in getting Reggie into da house!

at first ....i was sceaming why......but as i thought about it he did fill holes.....the holes in the character and moral of our team....like harper and lay .....both high character guys with potential...


i also like the trades solid players.........


and BUSH nothig else needs to be said...