hobo with a rolex

i am a long time lurker and wanted to make the most of my first post... i had previously posted this on another board and wanted to see what kind of response everyone here would have if it went down like this... so here goes

In reading around on several boards there are esentially 3 schools of thought going into the draft as far as the saints go - and I intend on poking holes in all of them....

So for your viewing pleasure - in no particular order - "the theories" .....

A. The Saints will pick a corner (because our db's suck - true). I don't entirely disagree - our db's do suck as a collective unit and that sucking sound got even louder when our best corner Mckenzie went down - and folks you just don't get faster after A. age 30 or B. tearing your ACL and he has crossed both bridges.

My main objection to picking a CB at #10???? Which one are you going to pick??? Even the "Experts" can't agree which one is the "top cb".

So in no particular order you have the following:

Leodis McKelvin, Mike Jenkins, DRC, Aqib Talib, Brandon Flowers, Reggie Smith, Tracy Porter, Patrick Lee, Chevis Jackson, and Antoine Cason

My point is that more than one of these guys will be available in the 2nd round and none of them is guaranteed to be an all pro - in fact the "top 3 corners" as the experts call them (McKelvin, Jenkins, and DRC) all played against weaker competition than the other corners on that list faced weekly, and mostly earned their rep on good senior bowls and combine numbers.

At pick #10 you need an instant starter and their are no guarantees at CB.

B. We will draft Rivers at #10. Maybe but is he really THAT much better than Mayo? And the Saints have already picked up Vilma and Morgan at the LB position. We are much thinner at other areas at this point than LB.

C. We will get Ellis or Dorsey if they slide..... yeah and I will find 12 hot naked models playing in my pool when I get home tonight... just won't happen - if it does - go buy a lottery ticket.

D. We trade up to get Ellis or Dorsey - I just don't see how we could outside of trading picks with someone ahead of us and giving up at least a 3rd and that just would be too big of a loss since we have several holes to fill

so my own theory goes something like the following:

Also: Outside of Reggie Bush name all of Sean Peyton's draft picks that you nailed? Let me guess you figured we were picking up a WR last year...

Peyton in his two drafts so far have shown that he is willing to put needs aside to pick up the best player available and that player at pick number #10 will be..........


Rashard Mendenhall - how great did our offense work with that 1-2 punch two years ago


and not because I hate Bush (I love reggie) or Deuce (one of my favorite players ever), but because you can never have enough big time RB's to tote the rock (see last year)- and he is the safest choice at #10, a corner will still be available at #40 and we can pick up a DT or LB in the later rounds.

my alternative theory is much easier on the mind

Trade down picking up a late first and a second taking the following:

CB with first (jenkins may still be around)
DT with second (Laws)
LB with recieved second (Mayo)

just the opinion of a hobo

papz

First welcome to the site... secondly there are quite of few folks that feel Mendenhall is the right pick for us. I prefer for us not to select a back so high because of the quality of depth in the draft... but I would understand why we wouldn't pass on a player of his talent.

Euphoria

I firmly believe at the 10th spot we have LOTS of options... we simply can go anywhere. Trade the pick draft any number of players. I don't see us going CB though. I see us getting them help and thats by getting a pass rush going first and foremost. That deson't rule out going offense at all.

cajunasian61

Hey Hobo, the name is hilarious by the way. I was also lurker on this site for a while. I have another school of thought for you. It has actually upset a few posters ont this site (well mostly just one person). I suggested the idea of drafting Ryan Clady the OT from Boise State with at the 10 spot. My reasoning being that we only have Stinchcomb for one more year, and he hasn't been the best OT. This would also allow us to possibly trade Stinch for some extra draft picks. I think he would at best warrant a 4th rounder, which would be better than cutting ties with him when his contract expires after the year. I don't necessarily think this would be the best pick I just have suggested it as something I could see Payton doing. And if you are worried about drafting a guarantee, 1st round offensive linemen probably have some of the best track records.

Also Mayo is projected to be drafted in the middle of teh first round. I'm pretty sure that he won't be available in the 2nd. Xavier Adibi or Curtis Lofton will be. Dan Connor also has an oustside chance of falling.

As far as Laws goes, I think that would be a huge mistake. For one I feel there will be better DTs available than Laws who I am not very high on. Also Laws is a smaller style DT and I feel our need is more for a run stopper to replace Hollis who is not getting any younger.

pakowitz

well, i said this in another thread.. for us to pick up a second round pick without giving up anything else besides our first we would have to trade down to about 18-20... that being said..

IF that were to happen, we would probably still have a choice of one of the corners, Keith Rivers will likely be gone, and im almost certian that mendenhal will be gone, but i would rather see us try and trade down again, maybe to a team picking at the top of the 2nd and see us pick up a first rounder next year... this draft is pretty top heavy and after the elite players, the rest are all graded out about the same till about the top of the 2nd... there will be alot of good players left at the end of the first and im betting that there will be quite a few teams looking to move up...

one other thing... i doubt mayo lasts till the 2nd.. his stock is rising fast due to the lack of solid LBs and some team will be gambling that he will be as good as his workout #s.. im guessing he will go somewhere around 24-30...

I Live In Beastmode!

thesaintsfan

I agree with you hobo on corners. Alot of times corners don't start right away and we need to take a player who will start right away. Also cajunasian61 that was a great point about o-lineman. O-lineman are probably the safest picks in any draft. They're usually able to come in and start right away and they usually have longer careers. I've thought some about Clady and it would make sense. He would be a solid value pick and I think he would be an upgrade over Stinch. Clady and Brown could form the best tackle tandem in football for years. But in the end I feel like we have more pressing needs on D.

MatthewT

Even though I want the Saints to go defense, drafting Mendenhall may be a very sound decision. My personal take is to roll with the guys already on the roster, but I do realize the lack of running game killed the Saints last season. The chances of Deuce making a full comeback really look bad, the Saints will need that every down guy. The great thing about all of this is we only have about another month to wait.

Champ Kind

The idea of drafting Clady is getting to be more and more sensible to me. Like thesaintsfan said, the thought of Clady, Brown, Evans, and a guy who I think is very underrated, Goodwin, would plow a hole for any NFL running back. That way, even if Deuce doesn't make it back 100%, we'll still have a good running game.
Our OL was/is overrated if you ask me. The sack stat is disguised by the fact that Brees was getting rid of the ball way too soon to keep from getting sacked. Our running game was really horrible last year as well. Notice though, the games when money man Faine was injured, we had noticeably better rushing attacks.
All this said, at 10, there really isn't a horrible pick, unless we spent it on a QB, WR, or TE, as long as the player we pick is the best available.

lsutigerfan

Defense defense defense we draft defense in the first 3 rounds forget about Clady and Cedric Benson I mean Mendenhall. I dont get we had IMO one of the worst defenses in NFL history and everybody wants to draft offense.

hagan714

Clady is a bit of a mystery pick right now. The senior bowl, combine and pro days have not answered a lot of questions about him. Would I be upset seeing him at LT? No. Brown back to RT is what I have been preaching. But Clady does come with some reservation about him. Now Oath at RT is a safer pick but does not seem to fit the bill. He is a mauler. Maybe Brown and/or Stinch could be traded? Remember Boba said the saints are happy with OTs we have drafted.

RB? What the heck but again alot of questions here

WLB needs to be addressed. Rivers at 10? he is probably the least athletic LB to be rated #1 in the past few years. He is solid but nothing fantastic.

CB is much the same. As is WR.

I am hoping for a move with Chicago seeing CB, WR and OL is of big need.
Philli would be nice. Litto and pick 19 for 10. OL, WR and well CB also.

Heck I would not mind trading down to the bottom of the first from there and getting additional picks, 2nd or 3rd. That is how unthrilled I am with this group in round 1 of the draft.

Reggie Smith or Antoine Carson or Dan Conners and additional picks in 2 and 3 sit a lot better with me

"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins