What are you most pleased with about this draft?

BRSaintsFan · 05-02-2007, 02:03 PM

Originally Posted by xan

I'm pleased that most everyone thinks that the draft didn't completely suck. I for one think that we could have used some draft picks on Linebackers, DT's, big school corners, hell, even move up in the draft to take a talent instead of collecting a bunch of purely developmental quality players. Not that there isn't the possibility of a Colston coming out of this group, but not likely. I think it's easier to run a route and catch a pass than it is to defend, and defense is where the team's greatest need was/is and I'm suspicious that we wasted picks on guys we could have invited in as UDFA's.

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.

05-02-2007, 02:03 PM	#9
BRSaintsFan 100th Post Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 449	Originally Posted by xan I'm pleased that most everyone thinks that the draft didn't completely suck. I for one think that we could have used some draft picks on Linebackers, DT's, big school corners, hell, even move up in the draft to take a talent instead of collecting a bunch of purely developmental quality players. Not that there isn't the possibility of a Colston coming out of this group, but not likely. I think it's easier to run a route and catch a pass than it is to defend, and defense is where the team's greatest need was/is and I'm suspicious that we wasted picks on guys we could have invited in as UDFA's. 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.