As far as the QB situation goes, i think Payton likes the challenge of developing Tyler Palko. He's another guy with all the skills, just needs to learn to be more patient in the pocket and make better decisions. And i would feel more comfortable at the end of this season when the Saints go out and sign a veteran to come in and be the backup as opposed to a 2nd year guy with no experience.

I would also have like to have seen a quality DT added and I think there were some available at some of our picks. But as far as LB goes, this was not a deep draft and the talent and value just wasnt there for us to grab anyone. I think the point of this draft and the guys that we took is that at the time there weren't many players on the board (except maybe the first round) that would have come in and contributed as a starter immediately. So even though the lineman are developmental, as a backup, you are looking for 10 blows a game to keep your starters fresh. In the meantime, these guys are contributing and still being developed. The same with the corners. None of the guys we would have draft are going to start over McKenzie or David and probably wont outplay Thomas or Craft for nickelback. So your best bet there very well might be to get the guys with the huge upside but that need to be developed because early on all you are looking for out of them is special teams play (gunners, etc.)

Also, I have to disagree with the WR being easier than LB and DT coming out of college. There is a reason that WR usually have that "3 year" development until they reach their potential and the same reason that rookie WRs dont make huge impacts in their first seasons. The learning curve, talent gap, jump, and speed of the game is extremely difficult for WRs in transitioning from college to NFL. On the other hand, you do see LBs tend to fair better because they can be put on the field and still managed to make plays without truly understanding the nuances and complications of the game. The same with DTs. They simply need to understand gap assignments rather than recognizing coverages, blitzes, and hot routes.

Right on. D as a whole is easier than offense. Defenders are largely there to react to the game. Sure there are zone blitzes and different coverage packages, but it's nothing compared to the intricacies of an NFL offense.

I'm really pleased with drafting Usama Young. After reading his scouting reports, I think he may be the biggest pick-up of the draft. He's smart: Academic All American, He's Fast: Sub 4.4 - 40, and he started all 4 years. That (starting) is a big deal when it comes to making The Leap. That's why I'm not very high on Mr. Walt T. He's got 2 JuCo games under his belt, and this is the NFL.

During the draft, I want to say that Kiper or Mortensen spat out some stat about the success rate of players being reciprocal of their experience. That guys who have started 4 years have the highest success rate.

Missile, I wholeheartedly agree that DT is way easier to play than CB. I played NT in high school ball (cue the Springstein) and your two biggest assets are size and strength (I had neither). Smarts comes in about 42 on that list. But I'm really talking about the leap to the NFL. It's way more than just bigger, stronger and faster. It's also about money and fame and how you handle it. It's about listening to your coaches, learning and improving. How you interact with your team. Sunday night in the Dome is a long way away from NWMCC.

IMHO, we're selling Young short when he has all the measurables (speed, agility, okay size, expirience) and the non-measurables (charachter, brains) and jumping up and down for a guy who is really big and not much else.

Don't get me wrong, I hope that Mr Walt T turns out to be the stud we all know he can be, but I want the same from Alleman, Meacham, Young, Bushrod (great name), Pittman and all of the new guys.

... that we picked 27th.

Thunder Road, hold tight

I agree. As a fellow trench man myself snot nocking was the key. We danced around very little. swing to the left, swing to the right, with a stutter step thown in here and there. Left all the Travoltas moves to the glory boys.

And...
 

Let's not forget that picks from this draft were used wisely to fill needs before the draft even started. I personally like the idea that we could afford to take people with alot of upside simply because most of our needs were already filled.

The best move of the draft, 4th round pick Jason David CB, Indianapolis Colts.