draft pick explanations
 

Robert Meachem--was one of the top 15 guys on the board overall for the Saints and the Saints jumped on him. Henderson and Copper will be a FA after this year, Patton has not been healthy in 3 years, Lewis is 35, and Jones and Moore are still developmental guys at best.

Usama Young--he was the highest rated corner on their board...tons of physical potential and a 4 year starter. Wont be counted on much this year but the Saints have faith in Tom Hayes to teach this guy the technique to be a star.

Andy Alleman--He may have the best chance of all rookies to come in and start right away. Nesbit will be an UFA after this year and the Saints had no backup G on the roster with the loss of Holland to Denver. Great Pick.

Jermon Bushrod--The Saints really believe that he has a ton of potential to develop into a really dominant RT. Stinch is only here for 2 more years and the coaching staff was looking for a replacement for Pettiti.

Antonio Pittman--Was rated as a top 50 prospect on the board and will be a cheaper replacement for the aging, inconsistent Aaron Stecker. This pick by no means affects McAllister in any way, just a guy the Saints thought had great value at that point in the draft.

David Jones--Much like Young in the fact that he has all the physical tools and has played a lot of football, albeit at a smaller level. Also has some return skills...he is just another guy who has all the intangibles to be a solid corner down the road.

Marvin Mitchell--Here is a guy that is on the fringe of being on the 53 man roster and the practice squad. The main knock on him is speed but he may develop into a good backup for the team. May signal the end of the road for Fincher.

While the draft didnt produce many guys from big schools, or big name guys that we were all hoping for, the Saints really believe that they got guys that provide excellent depth at CB, OL, and RB. Meachem and Alleman should play key roles this year and Young and Jones have all the tools to succeed in the NFL.

One last thing, the Saints may have ignored the DT position because the coaches are extremely high on McKinley Boykin. He left the team in preseason last year and they allowed him to come back only because they think he has all the tools to be dominant. Coach Hobby is a big fan of his and they believe that if he can get his head straight, he will be a key factor in the DT rotation this year.

my problem isnt with who we picked...we got good players...it was where we picked them. we reached often when we could have gotten more highly rated players...then plucked these guys later or out of FA.

Boykin eh? Never heard of him. Anyone has some info on this kid? Size, 40 time, scouting report?

Great post.

Bobaganoosh, where did you get that info? It sounds great.

Does it matter where a guy is picked if he helps the team? If he is a good fit as a starter or a backup and helps the team get better that waqy I don't care if he's a reach or not.

It most definitely does matter. If you can pick high rated players early and save some of the guy we drafted for the end of free agency it allows you to get more player of a high quality.

???
 

I think people should go do some reasearch first. Most of the guys we drafted were rated in the top 100 players. Pittman was a steal in the 4th round no matter what pick we got him!

One more thing...i have heard a lot of people call Meachem a young Joe Horn and that is all fine. But one thing i forgot to mention is that Curtis Johnson, the WR coach for the Saints and formerly at the University of Miami, said that Meachem is very similar to Andre Johnson in terms of his size, speed, blocking and playmaking ability. Its nice to know the guy that taught Andre Johnson first hand is pleased to have another one just like him.

Thanks for bringing up UFA in the future. I believe in the big picture also.

You have to hand it to this staff. I bought 2 draft magazines to do a little research before the draft and to look up the players as they drafted them. Like last year, they picked guys that aren't even in these magazines- Lindy's and ProFootballWeekly (Say what you will about PFW but it was an entertaining $7.00 investment.)

I was disappointed with the Meachem pick at first but am now convinced that it was a good pick. I also feel that Rhema McKnight was a good signing after the draft. Two receivers that will make it a challenging training camp for all the receivers not named Colston.

I was puzzled with the Usama Young pick. Never heard of him and he's the #19 CB in PFW and not even listed in Lindy's.

It's at this point in the draft that I told myself "O.K., I'm not an expert and don't get to see what the scouts see so I've just got to drink some more and believe that this staff knows what they're doing. They did an excellent job last year so I'll stop taking it so seriously."

Next comes Alleman. PFW's list on the downside qualities of Alleman would make you think that he did something to piss them off. The last part reads, "Very arrogant- thinks he is much better than he is and acts as if he has all the answers."
Both mags state that he is raw and strong with poor technique.

Skipping ahead to round four and I'll stop is Antonio Pittman. At least I'd heard of this guy but with Duece, Bush, Stecker, Branch and MacAfee you just knew it... MacAfee 's gone. But really, I think most of us we're intrigued by Branch last year. He sure played well in the pre-season so for the FO to trade up for yet another RB it just seemed weird. I'm sure he'll be a special teams guy but it's still cooky in my opinion.

No grade given. I'm very excited to see these kids in the pre-season and more excited for the regular season. The draft is one great big tease.

McKinley Boykin, DT 6-1 289 24 1 Mississippi
BIO: Two-starter and previous All-Conference selection who posted 40/9.5/3 as a senior after 36/8.5/2 the prior year.

POSITIVES: Explosive, penetrating one-gap tackle. Quickly gets off the snap, plays low to the ground and keeps his feet moving on contact. Effectively works his hands to get off blocks, stays with the action and is focused on by opponents. Can change direction and collapse laterally in pursuit.

NEGATIVES: Easily stymied at the point or turned off the line by opponents.

ANALYSIS: Developing his game the past three seasons, Boykin has the skills to play a three-technique position at the next level or can be used as a rotational tackle.

PROJECTION: Undrafted Free Agent
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/foo...ayers/170.html

Young drove me crazy when I did the my review of the CB in the 2007 draft. I could find nothing on him. I mean I looked all over the web. I am cheap and believe in free info.. Pilage and rape mentality...Any how. After hours searching, 4 search engines and link after link all I really got was:
" The word is out on this kid after today(Pro). He is no longer flying under the radar."
Thats it. no positives or negatives about his play. Well he definitly has no issues. Then we pick him!!!!!!!! Imagine my reaction. I threw my trusty sponge brick at the tube. Anger mangement issues. Well I knew his name thats for sure.

Bobaganoosh Got a Question for You.
 

Got any other info on the street FA or practice squad players from 06 that the Saints are high on, that we have not talked about? There has to be more than Boykin.

"highly rated players" means squat once they get on an NFL game, as does the "point system". When you pick someone or how "highly rated" he was don't count towards the playoffs or the Super Bowl.

It's not like "Oh, they picked this guy in the 5th round and he was rated to go in the 3rd round. Saints get home field advantage".

It could be that you are looking at short term needs and the FO was looking longer term. I'm not suggesting that Deuce is gone, but maybe the big picture for the FO doesn't include Stecker if Pittman can digest the playbook and perform adequately. Then there is a potential that we have someone who might be better than Stecker at a lesser pay. I'd say a 5th round pick (trade price included) for a player to come in and do that is a steal.

Ooops. Make that 4th round pick. I still feel the same about it.

Boykin is the only name that i heard from people regarding last years street FAs. Also, another thing i heard on Walter Thomas, they are having a hard time finding workout clothes big enough for him. I am not going to say the staff is banking on him to put his stuff together, but they are pulling for him to fullfill his potential. They think with a year or two of tutelage from Hollis Thomas, who also was undrafted, they think he can really turn into a dominant force in the middle.

Steal
 

Pittman in the 4th round is a steal no matter what pick in the 4th round. He should not have been there and the Saints realized it. If he becomes your guy in the 4th round you wheel and deal and get the guy.

Unlike some of you I have heard of Young before the draft, I had him on my radar. You can't go for what some mag rags are showing at BAP or who is rated higher than others. You see a guy and you want to take a chance on him... you go for it. Thats how come the Saints ended up in the NFC Championship in one year under Payton. COLSTON in round 7.

No one knows whats going to happen so you get the best available player that YOU believe, not what some publications or polls say. Most of its all guess work...

What you have to understand is that most of those magazines were printed up either before or right after the combine. Alot of the guys in the draft from smaller schools arent on there because they had no info on them. It doesnt take into account and Pro Days or personal workouts. So dont read too much into those magazines.