Jack Vegas

Now I am thinking receiver in the first. Beckham would be amazing if he falls that far. Then best OL available in the second, CB in the third. Then maybe a big strong-side LB/DE type and look for OL and WR the rest of the draft.

brees84

Highly unlikely but if Zack Martin falls we have to take him.

lee909

Interesting piece on a Sproles replacement and other draft bits

Twitter is a wonderful tool to follow along with all the NFL news going on this week. It's even becoming a resource players around the league are using to find out about ... themselves.

NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday night that while the Saints originally had intended to release running back Darren Sproles in a salary cap-related move, the team had changed its mind and believed it would be able to trade him instead.

That was a bit of a surprise to Sproles, who tweeted the news was something he was unaware of until seeing it on Twitter.

While we'll avoid discussing how the Saints discuss personnel moves with their players, it does highlight what the team might have to do in the draft to address its needs. After signing free agent Jairus Byrd, franchising tight end Jimmy Graham and re-signing running back Pierre Thomas, there's not a ton of cap room left for New Orleans to make an impact in free agency, so the draft might be the only way to fill some holes on the roster.

Count NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah as somebody who thinks that could mean the team goes after a running back at some point in the draft.

"I look at Devonta Freeman out of Florida State. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, you can plug him into some middle routes and put him in that role," Jeremiah said Wednesday on NFL Network.
If the Saints decide to address their defense, Jeremiah sees a prospect that could align with their needs on that side of the ball, as well.

" Demarcus Lawrence from Boise State is a name that people are going to start to learn," Jeremiah said. "He's a perfect fit in this Rob Ryan defense as an edge pass rusher."
New Orleans holds the 27th pick in the first round and mock drafts from NFL Media analysts have them opting for either a defensive lineman or offensive tackle. While they might not be able to do a ton of maneuvering in free agency anymore, they still have plenty of options in a deep draft despite picking late.

"Where they're picking, (Notre Dame offensive tackle) Zack Martin is a great pick down there. There's a couple of other guys, (Virginia tackle Morgan) Moses is a possibility," NFL Network analyst Charley Casserly added. "They do have some options and Davonta Freeman has three votes (among the analysts) at this table."

Freeman, projected to be drafted in the second or third round, might just be a target for the Saints to fill in for the soon-to-be-departed Sproles.

"Two receivers to the left, Garcon to the right. Manning in the shotgun, puts Collie in motion. Looks in his direction...it's picked off! It's picked off! It's Tracy Porter again! He's runnin' free! He's gonna go all the way!

lee909

DEDEMARCUS LAWRENCEBOISE ST. MOUNTAIN WEST
Photo of Demarcus Lawrence

COMBINE RESULTS



6'3" HEIGHT
33 3/4" ARM LENGTH
251LBS. WEIGHT
11" HANDS

OVERVIEW
Two-time first-team All-Mountain West Conference pick (2012-13). Was suspended three different times for violations of team rules. 2013: Played and started in 12 games. Was a two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week pick. 2012: Played in and started 11 games. 2011: Played at Butler Community College, where his 27 tackles for loss and 10 sacks led the team. 2010: Redshirted.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Highly athletic. Fluid, flexible and rangy. Terrific balance and body control. Has quick, coordinated hands and feet to slingshot off blocks. Has natural pass-rush ability -- shows burst, bend and closing speed to hunt down quarterbacks. Dips inside suddenly. Terrific knee and ankle flexion -- flattens efficiently and redirects and accelerates smoothly. Explosive tackler. Made an instant impact at BSU and was productive behind the line of scrimmage -- 34 TFL and 20 sacks from 2012-13. Carries a swagger and plays with attitude.

WEAKNESSES Could stand to get stronger and play with more pop and power in his hands. Lacks ideal bulk to play with his hand in the dirt. Gets knocked around when he exposes his frame. Doesn’t control tight ends. Is weak at the point of attack and gets wiped out by double teams. Can be overaggressive and lose contain or fly by tackles. Can do a better job protecting his legs. Lacks experience playing in reverse. Character and stability need to be looked into.

DRAFT PROJECTION Rounds 1-2

BOTTOM LINE A loose, explosive, long-limbed athlete, Lawrence consistently pressurizes the edge and harasses quarterbacks. His pass-rushing ability rates among the best in this year’s class, and he holds mass appeal. Lacks ideal stoutness at the point of attack, but could thrive as a 4-3 right end or 3-4 rush linebacker, and should contribute readily on passing downs.

"Two receivers to the left, Garcon to the right. Manning in the shotgun, puts Collie in motion. Looks in his direction...it's picked off! It's picked off! It's Tracy Porter again! He's runnin' free! He's gonna go all the way!

lee909

RB DEVONTA FREEMAN FLORIDA ST. ACC

5'8" HEIGHT
29 3/8" ARM LENGTH
206LBS. WEIGHT
9 5/8" HANDS

OVERVIEW
2013: First-team All-ACC pick after becoming first FSU player with 1,000-plus yards rushing since Warrick Dunn in 1996. Started in all 14 games. Scored a touchdown in FSU's win over Auburn in the BCS National Championship. 2012: Finished second on the team wiht 660 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. 2011: Led FSU in rushing attempts (120), yards (579), average per rush (4.8), rushing touchdowns (8) and yards rushing per game (48.2). High school: Won state championship as senior, rushing for 308 yards -– 20 shy of the state championship game record.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS Well-built with a compact frame. Very good eyes and lateral agility in the hole -- shimmies through small spaces and can create yardage where there is none. Squares his shoulders to the line and runs efficiently. Good lower-body strength, surprising power and superb balance. Tough and runs hard. Catches outside his frame and can make the difficult catch. Strong and nifty after the catch. Reliable in pass protection. Terrific competitor. Extremely durable and never missed a game. Works at his craft and is a student of the game.

WEAKNESSES Lacks ideal size and power for a bellcow back and does not run heavily between the tackles. Does not possess home-run speed. Ran behind one of the most talented offensive lines in college football in an offense stacked with talent. Has been nagged by back injuries.

DRAFT PROJECTION Rounds 2-3

BOTTOM LINE Compactly built, downhill slasher with the agility and balanced skill set to emerge as a workhorse back. Earned the top assignment in a very talented backfield and has a similar build, running style and all-around utility as San Francisco 49ers 2005 third-round pick Frank Gore. Could prove to be a better pro than college player.

"Two receivers to the left, Garcon to the right. Manning in the shotgun, puts Collie in motion. Looks in his direction...it's picked off! It's picked off! It's Tracy Porter again! He's runnin' free! He's gonna go all the way!

hagan714

why do the so called experts always pick small quick defensive players for the saints? we got a ton of them now

Freeman? yeah he is solid but a 2-3? pass other issues need to be addressed. Their should be plenty of BPA ahead of him on the board when we pick.

jeanpierre

I'd like Devonta in Black and Gold; if he had the home run speed, it'd be different - but a modern-day, timeshare running back?!?

Nothing higher than a fourth (4th) round pick...

saintshrimp

I don't understand why A lot of you are thinking about drafting a RB in your mocks. IMHO RB is the last position we need to draft. How many do we need? We all ready have too many on the roster. We only have 6 picks at the moment. Call me crazy but OT,C,WR,OLB,ILB,CB in no particular order is where the picks need to be spent

I wouldn't mind a Kicker either not saying we draft one but Shayne Graham isn't the greatest. We can do better than him

lee909

Twitter

Danny Kanell**
Saints HC Sean Payton just walked all the way across practice field to give personal hello to AJ McCarron. Saints could be a good fit IMHO

hagan714

now if the saints did go for a QB in the draft i could live with it. there are more solid developmental prospects in this draft than any draft i can remember. 3 first round start out of the gate quality QBs? i am still not buying into that. Bridgewater imo is the only first round quality QB in this draft. after that it is deep. AJ? dam hell of a talent to develop

keepem coming lee