jeanpierre

Though we'd revisit the 2010 NFL Draft this week...

Saints were coming off their First SuperBowl Trophy; as such, were restricted by NFL rules in free agents that could be signed as replacements to those exiting via Free Agency...

Saints primary needs were 43 Defensive Linemen, Outside Linebackers, and Offensive Linemen...

We let Scott Fujita geaux to the Browns; who made us pay for that shortly thereafter...

R1 (32) CB Patrick Robinson, Florida State; considered a steal at the time of his selection; analysts were surprised he fell as far as he had; looks like many teams got it right in hindsight; Many expected the Saints to take TCU's OLB/DE Jerry Hughes, but he was selected by the Colts just before the Saints picked; Still on the board:

OT Rodger Saffold, Indiana (Rams)
TE Rob Gronkowski, Arizona (Patriots)
OL Zane Beadles, Utah (Broncos)
LB Daryl Washington, TCU (Cardinals)


R2 (64) OT Charles Brown, USC; considered an even bigger steal than their first round pick and meeting a need; analysts were beginning to cry that the Saints couldn't win the Superbowl and get two major steals in the draft, could they? Coming from a rich tradition of offensive linemen at USC, Brown has barely played due to his fragility and again, many teams did their homework passing on this guy; the Colts had again took a linebacker Pat Angerer just before the Saints; Still on the board:

DB Major Wright, Florida (Bears)
WR Eric Decker, Minnesota (Broncos)
LB NaVorro Bowman, Penn State (49ers)


R3 (95) TE Jimmy Graham, Univ of Miami (FL); alot of oohs and aahs with this pick; analysts jabbed the Saints for reaching and risking so much with such a high pick; well by training camp, Saints coaches and fans knew they may have gotten the best pick of the draft; if health and humility stay with him and he gets a two-way contract for he and the Saints, this guy will be a Hall of Famer; Still on the board:

TE Aaron Hernandez, Florida (Patriots, released, facing major prison lovemaking time)

R4 (125) DL Al Woods, LSU; Saints traded up with the Cardinals to get this pick that Arizona had acquired from the Ravens; local Saints fans were excited as this guy had met a need and was a local; was the first disappointment of this draft to be released; the Saints could have stayed where they were and selected from:

DB Kam Chancellor, Virginia Tech (Seahawks)


R5 (158) OL Matt Tenant, Boston College; was consider a value pick and expected to be yet another great mid-round offensive line pick by the Saints; considered slightly undersized, Tenant never gained the necessary bulk nor adapted to the Saints blocking schemes and was made expendable when the Saints acquired Eric Olsen; Still on the Board:

WR Riley Cooper, Florida (Eagles)
S Reshad Jones, Georgia (Dolphins)
OT Marshall Newhouse, TCU (Packers)


R7 (239) QB Sean Canfield, Oregon State; the last pick of the draft before the compensatory picks, he was considered a project; he floated on and off from the Practice Squad for a couple of years before finally given his release; Still available:


WR Antonio Brown, Central Michigan (Steelers)
KR Trindon Holiday, LSU (Texans, now Broncos)
RB James Starks, Buffalo (Packers)

The Saints fared well with their Rookie Free Agent Signings:

UDFA DE/LB Junior Galette, Stillman
UDFA RB Chris Ivory, Tiffin

Though Other Notable Rookie Free Agent Signings:

WR Victor Cruz, UMass (Giants)
WR Danario Alexander, Missouri (Rams, Chargers)
RB LeGarrette Blount, Oregon (Bucs, Patriots)
RB Joique Bell, Wayne State (Signed by Bills, Eagles, Colts, Eagles, then acquired by Saints, now Lions)

Well, thought this would make for some interesting online conversation, and a little bit of "what might have been..."

It's not that my way is the right way, I just make the right way my way...

homerj07

Yes you have valid points. BUT I could do with with most teams.

jeanpierre

Homer, would you expand on your latter point?

Rugby Saint II

We really do suck at the draft. We get lucky occasionally but not often.

saintfan

Crap shoot.

Budsdrinker

Really the only one I wish was different was Charles Brown for Navorro Bowman.

ScottF

more success with FA: looking at our roster, hard to believe how many starters were free agents

and we do much better in later rounds: Evans, Colston, Nicks, Bushrod, Morestead, Strief

TheOak

Somehow I knew Rodger Saffold would be at the top before I opened the thread. You say we needed O-Line

Stinchcomb 2009 Pro Bowl
Carl Nicks 2010/2011 Pro Bowl and All pro
Jermon Bushrod 2011/2012 Pro-bowl, Madden Most valuable protector 2009/2011
Jhari Evans... Don't need to get into him.. we all know
Jonathan Goodwin - 2009 pro Bowl

Those guys were backed up by Brown, Tennant, Strief

You will have to forgive me for not seeing any holes to fill at Offensive line.


Graham was drafted in 2010... Better choice than Gronk.

What we drafted, what was out there isnt necessarily the full conversation with out knowing whos contract was coming up and what we actually felt we needed.

jeanpierre

Actually liked Zane Beadles at Utah; remembered seeing him manhandle Bama linemen, which is rare and stood out to me, in the SugarBowl when Utah beat Bama...

MarchingOn

This is who I wanted.

1st: Should've taken Sean Lee (LB) who went to Dallas. Come on, Sean! Even could've traded down 23 picks to mid-2nd to do it. Or, could've taken Alabama's Cody (DT) who went 2 picks later to Ravens. Couldn't stop the run back then (not even up the gut).

2nd: Should've taken QB Colt McCoy. Again, even could've traded down 21 picks to mid 3rd to do so. Sitting behind Brees, he'd be awesome by now. We need somebody there. Maybe Griffin will be that guy.

3rd: I wanted TE Moeaki. Glad we took the correct guy instead.

4th: No need to trade up with Ravens for a DT. Could've got DT Cam Thomas anytime before the first 15 picks in the 5th.

5th: DT Cam Thomas. Together with either LB Lee or NT Cody, we would've stopped the run finally. I don't think we had a 5th in 2010, but traded for one via Patriots and then took the wrong guy.

6th: We traded #201 to Cards. Anyway, the guys I wanted were gone: RB Charles Scott (LSU) went the pick before and RB Starks went to GB 8 picks before.

7th: RB LaGarrette Blount. Our last, best hope for a RB to backup PT. Ended up needing RBs that year, didn't we?