Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

Qb Ryan Griffin pushed luke Mcown all pre season an i think Mc cown out played Daniels in the 2012 camp griffin to me 2nd best ufda qb only behind delhome..RB Khiry Robinson to me now third best ufda back ever with just Pierre Thomas an Chris Ivory.OC/OG Tim Lelito out of Grand valley was kept ahead of several former drafted players.TE josh Hill at 6-5/250 with 4.6 speed after a few early drops has come on an did a good job run blocking in the play off game.DE Glen Foster to me as good as any player the saints could have picked with the 4th round pick recived from the jets for Ivory but traded to move up for NT Jenkins with the 82nd pick.At the time i thought it would have been best to keep both 4th rd picks an hope Jenkins fell that far.Well to me with Foster we have a player i think would have been a great pick with the jets early 4th pick which was traded to move up into the 3rd round.MLB Kevin Reddick was projected as a 3rd thru 5th round pick.Reddick has played well on special teams an from what i know was reported to have had a good camp an pre season.CB Rod Sweeting had a 5 thru 7 th grade.I know he was a big drop off in the playoff game when lewis was out but this was a first start an between him an wade played just well enough to get the win.Sweeting also was reported to have had a good camp.Just to me these 7 ufda players were as good as some past Saints actual draft class some past :cool::cool:years.:cool:

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

The benefit about having so many UDFA in the team will come at the tail end of this years draft.You can talk to the best talent and they csn see thst if you perform you will be kept on the team even at the expense of bigger names with more experience.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

I would love to sit down with Payton/Loomis/scouting dept. and hear their approach when it comes to the draft and signing UDFA's. Seems like we are consistently getting productive players in the lower round and free agency so that frees them up to take some chances in the earlier rounds. Vaccaro, Armstead, Jenkins this year were kind of boom-or-bust types that worked out, same with Hicks and Graham the last couple years. Martez Wilson too although he didn't work out.

Undrafted guys on this year's roster:

Bush
Cadet
Collins
De la Puente
Drescher
Foster
Galette
Greer
Griffin
Hawthorne
Hill
Humber
Johnson
Lelito
Morgan
Moore
Reddick
Robinson
Sweeting
Thomas
Walker

Not every one of those guys started here but that's 21 guys, a full third of the roster players that originally went undrafted. And it's not just a bunch of guy who ride the bench either. A lot of key contributors there some of them being among our best players.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

Part of the beauty of our running back corps is that we have more than one.
Most team's scouts are looking for one to two RBs than can sub each other. I callem "jacks of all trades".

Payton goes out and finds 1 RB that is perfect for the screen.
Finds one with vision.
Finds one with power.
Looks for one that is too short to tackle with great hands.
We end up with 4 specialists.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

Saints if you think about it from 2006 thru 2013 have had because of trades far below average total amount of draft pick compared to teams like new england.A case can be made the only way saints have kept up with teams like new england has been how good of rookie ufda players like pierre thomas the saints recruit a lot like college.Payton himself on the phone along with the kids agents telling them the saints are one of a few NFL teams who only keep the best players an have cut draft picks to keep ufda players.All nfl teams talk the talk but Saints walk the talk an the ufda players agents know this to be true.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

Not just the running backs, look at the wide receivers and tight ends. You can argue that we don't have a single one that is a true "complete" player but they all play their individual roles just right.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

Agreed. I used the obvious example. I could have gone on for a while on receivers as well.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

Cadet if you look back to the 2012 peseason looked very good payton keeps him in reserve as i think he has nightmares i think it was 2010 or 2011 when for the playoff game we were down to players signed the week of the game.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

To me knowing what at the end of 2013 season if the Saints with 5 picks 15th/vaccarro--75th/armstead--82nd/jenkins--144th/stills--183rd/ruffs johnson which were the actual picks.Ok a few NFL teams had up to 12 picks let me see if saints would have had 7 more picks starting with a mid round 4th thru 7th pick with 3 compensatory late 7th round picks=picks112thGlen Foster--145thTim Lelito--176thKevin Reddick--208thKhiry Robinson--243rdRyan Griffin--246thJosh Hill--248throd Sweeting.Along with the actual 5 picks plus 7 for a total of 12 picks an 11 were now on the 53 man roster an vaccaro was thru game 15 when he was hurt an played lights out would not you consider this the deepest saints draft ever.:cool::cool:

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

2013 looks to be the best draft and UDFA class in the Payton/Loomis era.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

If we could only draft as well as we do with udfa's.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

The draft sure is not an 100% thing Tom brady a 6th rd joe montana a3rd pick jake delhome not drafted -pierre thomas not drafted- lance moore not drafted jabri greer not drafted colston at252nd in 2006 two or three picks from being the mr irrevelent player an i could go on an on.I recall calling a saints radio show an being made fun at that delhome way better than danny woefull out of florida.every year i consider the Saints ufda class as = almost to the draft if you throw out the first two rounds.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

How good is our talent scouting when there is a thread to discuss how good our UDFA classes.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

Possible. Four starters

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

Jack Vegas you had most ufdas on roster.we need to add shayne graham-jed collins-on ir is chris givens-bryce harris-kyle knox-on ir adrian davis.also on the practice squad are andy tanner-mike higgins-austin johnson-charles hawkins-eddie whitley-vic so' oto.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

Triman yes you call it right my four starters in years to come is Foster; being like jenkins spliting snaps with bunkley i look for foster to end up spliting snaps with hicks an jordan in order to keep each fresh.Lelito; will end up at center.Reddick not next year but by 2015 season replacing hawthorne.Robinson when pierre retires moves up to 2nd or third back an splits snaps.Hill in 2015 as i think saints bring back watson for next year will end up the prime backup to jimmy.Griffin in 2015 as i think mc cown brought back in 2014 season will be drews back up in 2015.I look for Saints to use a 1st or 2nd round pick on a qb an these two will fight for starting qb in 2018 season as i think at age 38 almost 39 Drew gets ready to be with ricky jackson an willie roaf in the hall of fame.

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

It appears so. But is that also a reflection of the quality of talent already there prior to their arrival? If so, what does that say for the evaluation of that talent?

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

Our previous drafts have sucked no doubt. 2006 and 2013 are easily the best we've had.

2012 1 3 26 89 Akiem Hicks DE Regina
2012 2 4 27 122 Nick Toon WR Wisconsin
2012 3 5 27 162 Corey White DB Samford
2012 4 6 9 179 Andrew Tiller G Syracuse
2012 5 7 27 234 Marcel Jones T Nebraska

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

2006 1 1 2 2 Reggie Bush RB USC
2006 2 2 11 43 Roman Harper DB Alabama
2006 3 4 11 108 Jahri Evans T Bloomsburg (PA)
2006 4 5 2 135 Rob Ninkovich DE Purdue
2006 5 6 2 171 Mike Hass WR Oregon State
2006 6 6 5 174 Josh (Bernard) Lay DB Pittsburgh
2006 7 7 2 210 Zach Strief G Northwestern
2006 8 7 44 252 Marques Colston WR Hofstra


Ughh!!!

Re: Was Saints 2013 ufda class best ever?
 

yes looks like the ufda players have saved the team from some bad draft.Could be the scouts call the shots on which ufda players to sign.Should we let them do the draft as they have found some good ufda players.