How do you define success ?

I define it as Super Bowl 44

All of this unreliability in the draft is precisely why I gave been saying we can't draft our way out of a bad defense.

If this defense can allow just 10% fewer yards and 5% fewer points, I'd buy the online beer for the first round of the playoffs.

Before all you jump on that bet, I want to hedge it by stipulating that Brees has to stop throwing pics at an unsustainable rate. I don't care how good your defense is, if they're only given an average of a 1:30 minute break 40% of the time, they are going to suck.

Yes, they knocked it out of the park in 2006, no doubt.

But since then have they really drafted all that well? Other than Nicks and Graham, and to a lesser extent Ingram and Jordan, it doesn't look so good.

I'm not including 2012 since its too early to judge.

2011 1 1 24 24 Cameron Jordan DE California
2011 2 1 28 28 Mark Ingram RB Alabama
2011 3 3 8 72 Martez Wilson LB Illinois
2011 4 3 24 88 Johnny Patrick DB Louisville
2011 5 7 23 226 Greg Romeus DE Pittsburgh
2011 6 7 40 243 Nate Bussey LB Illinois
2010 1 1 32 32 Patrick Robinson DB Florida State
2010 2 2 32 64 Charles Brown T USC
2010 3 3 31 95 Jimmy Graham TE Miami (FL)
2010 4 4 25 123 Al Woods DT Louisiana State
2010 5 5 27 158 Matt Tennant C Boston College
2010 6 7 32 239 Sean Canfield QB Oregon State
2009 1 1 14 14 Malcolm Jenkins DB Ohio State
2009 2 4 16 116 Chip Vaughn DB Wake Forest
2009 3 4 18 118 Stanley Arnoux LB Wake Forest
2009 4 5 28 164 Thomas Morstead P Southern Methodist
2008 1 1 7 7 Sedrick Ellis DT USC
2008 2 2 9 40 Tracy Porter DB Indiana
2008 3 5 9 144 DeMario Pressley DT North Carolina State
2008 4 5 29 164 Carl Nicks T Nebraska
2008 5 6 12 178 Taylor Mehlhaff K Wisconsin
2008 6 7 30 237 Adrian Arrington WR Michigan
2007 1 1 27 27 Robert Meachem WR Tennessee
2007 2 3 2 66 Usama Young DB Kent State
2007 3 3 25 88 Andy Alleman G Akron
2007 4 4 8 107 Antonio Pittman RB Ohio State
2007 5 4 26 125 Jermon Bushrod T Towson
2007 6 5 8 145 David Jones DB Wingate
2007 7 7 10 220 Marvin Mitchell LB Tennessee
I smell suck..

I just dont understand some things. For one Meachem wasnt a bust in the end. Neither was Bushrod or Arrington. Their not proballers but they donrt completely suck.
And if your going to take the draft into accout, you have to take the entire draft. You cant just pick and choose what you might think to be the bad side.

What about Lance Moore, P. Thomas ? I mean the undrafted are just as important as the draft. Just a thought.

True, I usually do consider UDFA as part of the draft process. I was reponding to a claim that we do much better in later rounds, so I looked and saw that we haven't.

I'm not sure I'd consider AA as a success. He never really got there.

I should have included Bushrod.

Meachem was OK. I just highlited the obvious winners we drafted.

Either way, that list looks a lot worse than I thought it would when I pulled it up.

Yeah, I think you have to look at UDFA, because we draft based on BPA, and know the undrafted that will be available, but target them quickly, call them the next day, and get them in here to try out. Most team would kill for a Moore or Thomas, and they have done a good job keeping them inhouse.

AA is ok. When hes on the field he does great. Problem is keeping him on the field, lol, but the talent is their.

We also have a couple 2011 drafts like Wilson and Romeus that are still in development. So its hard to pin them as a bust just yet. LOL, it took forever to get Meachum to catch the ball, but he eventually did.

Though, I completely admit our defensive drafts have been pretty bad or below average.

I disagree. You can draft your way out of a bad defense, as long as your time horizon is FOREVER.

Problem with defenders is that they actually have to be smart enough to read the offense, intuitive enough to know how to adjust, and have the communication skills to get the other 10 guys on the same page.

Good defenses layer in a scheme that fits the abilities of the players and a commitment to tackling.

I don't think we've had the scheme, the players, or the commitment to have any kind of quality defense. And further, we can change the scheme all we want, (and have!) but the fact of the matter is that transforming this defense will require at least 15 new players. Not happening in 3 drafts, much less 1. With our available budget, the likelihood of any quality improvement for 2013 is low.

If this defense can allow just 10% fewer yards and 5% fewer points, I'd buy the online beer for the first round of the playoffs.