D24pick

Screw all that Bowe talk and WR talk. We need to be looking at positions like LB and DT in the 1st two rounds. No way we go CB so WR can be used as one of our thirds if Stall resigns. I go Brandon Myles or Jarrett Hicks, who will both be there and are excellent studs. Jarrett had durablity problems this year but he still has proven himself til this point, as for Myles he's freakin heck of a steal

Bobaganoosh

I agree that we need to address the defense first, but i also think WR needs to be upgraded just as much. Assuming Joe leaves, Copper is a free agent...what does that leave you with. Colston, Henderson, and then what??? Jamal Jones? WR is definitely a need for this offseason. Depending on what we do in free agency and depending on who falls to us in the draft, under the right circumstances, i have no problem with the saints drafting Bowe.

pakowitz

its not that i wouldnt mind having bowe but we dont have any IMPACT players on defense besides will smith. we have alot of solid players but none that i can call game changers. most of the great defenses have Impact players, players who can easily change the game, like champ bailey or urlacher. we have alot of impact players on offense but now we need some of them on defense

SaintPauly

And we are also assuming that Grant will return as a Saint as well. If he leaves, then we will have to address DE somewhere in there too. Who are the top safety prospects in the draft? I wouldn't mind picking up a ball hawk safety in the first round either, if there are no CB's, or LBs left. We also need a run stuffing DT. Dang. We need alot on the defensive side of the ball. I'm praying that Grant re-signs.

papz

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...owl/index.html

By Tony Pauline, Special to SI.com

MOBILE, Ala. -- -- The practices are finished and NFL scouts, coaches and general managers are long gone. All that's left is to play the game. Yet even before the ball is officially kicked off, the script on which players came out of the '07 Senior Bowl as winners or losers has already been written.

Ten Prospects Who Exceeded Expectations

Amobi Okoye has had a great week of practice at the Senior Bowl.
AP
1. Amobi Okoye/DL/Louisville: Okoye was the talk of the town this week. Weighing in at a chiseled 287-pounds, he displayed tremendous quickness and athleticism from the first practice. Okoye, a bright and articulate 19-year-old, also interviewed well for the teams that spent time with him.

2. Adam Carriker/DL/Nebraska: Another front four player who was tough to block, Carriker elevated his draft stock significantly. Displaying a combination of strength and intelligence, he also came across well during interviews.

3. Dwayne Bowe/WR/LSU: The big pass catcher separated himself from the rest of the group and distinguished himself as the top senior receiver in the country.

4. David Irons/CB/Auburn: Irons capitalized on a terrific senior campaign with a great showing in Mobile. He was consistently applauded by coaches for his cover skills, hard work and ability to learn new defensive systems.

5. Michael Griffin/S/Texas: Displaying an array of talent in centerfield, Griffin made an impact every day at practice. His ball skills in coverage were outstanding as was his play defending the run.

6. Brandon Mebane/DT/California: The stout defensive tackle was unblockable for most of the week. Displaying tremendous quickness, he showed pass rush moves scouts were not aware he had.

7. Ryan Kalil/C/USC: The Trojan blocker looked great on the pivot. Holding his own against bigger opponents, he showed a lot of unexpected skill blocking in motion.

8. Aundrae Allison/WR/East Carolina: Allison impressed scouts from the first day he stepped on the field. Catching everything thrown in his directions, he also got deep behind defenders with consistency.

9. Mason Crosby/PK/Colorado: Crosby regularly put his field goals through the uprights from 50-yards or longer with plenty of room to spare.

10. Antonio Johnson/DT/Mississippi State: The big tackle showed-off his athleticism all week. More impressively, he consistently made plays up the field, something that was lacking in his college career.

Five Prospects Who Failed to Meet Expectations
1. Ryan Harris/OL/Notre Dame: Continuing what was a poor senior season, Harris was beaten regularly in Mobile. At one point he was chastised by Jon Gruden for allowing a sack on Thursday.

2. Marcus McCauley/CB/Fresno State: Another who struggled in '06, McCauley was beaten with regularity all week. His performance during Thursday's no pads practice was not good.

3. Patrick Willis/MLB/Mississippi: Willis gave good effort all week and looked strong in the box. Problem was he struggled making plays out to the sidelines or in reverse. He does not resemble the first-round talent many have pinned him to be.

4. Quentin Moses/DE/Georgia: The Bulldogs pass rusher checked in much lighter than expected at 249 pounds and was handled all week by blockers. During interviews, Moses did not come off as a confident individual.

5. Troy Smith/QB/Ohio State: While Smith was accurate with his short and intermediate passes, his long throws were off. Smith did not display the ability to drive the deep pass and was rarely on the mark downfield.

Senior Bowl Notes: NFL scouts are not enamored with the overall talent of this year's senior class but they were reasonably happy with the players on hand in Mobile. This years group could match the number of first-round picks which came out of last year's game; 14. The Senior Bowl is the place where the unemployed and underclassmen come to look for job interviews. Larry Coker, the recently released coach from the Miami Hurricanes, was at practice all week hoping to catch on with an NFL team. Florida Gator defensive back Reggie Nelson, who declared for the draft soon after the national title game, interviewed with several teams right through Wednesday.

Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.

All little common sense goes a long way.

TheDeuce

That McCauley kid is falling fast. After being benched by his coach during the season, and then getting ripped a new one in the Senior Bowl practices, I wouldn't be surprised to see this guy somewhere in the late second round or early third. If he's there, and we still need CB help, I'd take a gamble on him because he does have great athletic skills; and for once we have coaches who do a good job coaching and might be able to help him.

Not good news about Willis, he's my front runner right now for the first-round pick because he was seriously a one-man wrecking crew at Ole Miss.

Brann

In the second, I'd take Ross over McCauley if both are on the board.

D24pick

Bran, truthfully I don't go CB in the 2nd I go DT.

I like the hearing of Willis having a not so good practice, leaving him able to fall to us, which will be great. No way in the world this guy would've fallen to us if he had been on his best performance. Gibbs can turn em into Ray Lewis, he's changed Shanle alot

I go MeBane or McBean in the second, and fast. We really need a run-stopping/QB's face type DT. Both can make plays on the run and pass, need to go here

I would definitely go McCauley in the 3rd if we don't get a WR here. The guy has pure talent, but just isn't using it, he can turn out to be the next Samari Rolle

hagan714

we stay with the same thing we did last year. scratch our head and find out later we drafted the best players available.

Brann

Pretty much.