Lenny100

Poor choice for Anthony at #31 overall. He was the fourth if not fifth-rated ILB prospect with a nearly universal projection of the bottom half of the second round for this player. Major reach and poor choice (imo).

Eric Kendricks, Denzel Perryman and Paul Dawson all make more sense if ILB was the choice at #31. I don't think it should have been. Both Malcolm Brown of Texas and Eddie Goldman of FSU were on the table and either would have been an exceptional choice in lieu of Anthony.

Broderick Bunkley is below average at best (imo). He's overpaid (another bad Loomis contract) and underperforming. They should trade him for a 5th round or 6th round pick if they can get it. Just dump the contract as the player has little to no value as a starting NT in our system. He doesn't eat space, penetrate the backfield or sack the QB from the middle...at all.

His statistics since joining the Bayou Boyz simply do not lie. He doesn't keep OL off the second level, either. In his 38 games with the Saints, Bunkley has a total of 54 tackles, 2.5 sacks and zero forced fumbles. That's it. Behind him await John Jenkins and Lawrence Virgil. Gawd.

Peat is unnecessary. In Patyon's own words last night, and this is nearly unbelievable to phathom, Sean said, 'Zach Strief's been fantastic for us and his last two years (2013 and 2014) have been his best.' Okay, Zach was given a five-year deal for $20M with a $5.5M signing bonus. He's entering his 10th season and is under contract until 2018. If he's good enough to give a long-term deal to last year, what merits drafting a player like Peat at #13 overall? Did Loomis gave Strief a bad contract (too long and too much money) that's now a liability? It seems Mickey undermines his own choices and contracts as a general manager. Not good.

Where is Peat going to play and when? He won't play guard. That's been made obvious by SP. Strief can't play guard. And there's no reason to move Armstead from OLT where he's improving and playing quite well.

Peat's critics say he's too soft, not competitive enough and is a waist-bender getting beaten to the outside by speed rushers. Major red flags.

The Saints screwed up these assets (picks 13 and 31) because of cronyism (Payton being friends with Todd Peat, Sr. and Stanford coach David Shaw) and unfounded infatuation (too much time on Clemson defensive film reviews). Kendricks and Perryman are better MLB prospects with the latter being a Jonathan Vilma fan and protege' with whom he speaks frequently (in his own words).

The smart moves would have been to trade down with San Diego or San Francisco and take Bud DuPree in the middle of the 1st round and then take Goldman or Malcolm Brown at #31 putting Bunkley on the bench or, hopefully, some other team's roster. Of course, Loomis's 3rd round pick from 2013, John Jenkins, is shaping up to be a bust, too. Hence, adding another DT in round 3 or 4 would be wise.

With the pick acquired from trading down for DuPree in lieu of Peat may have landed La'el Collins in round 3-4 or another OL or DL candidate.

Loomis and Payton draft poorly. They trade up unnecessarily surrendering picks for players they'd get when standing pat (i.e. Cooks and Ingram). Loomis traded the 2011 #56 pick and the 2012 first-rounder to move up a few spots for Ingram. Mark is a good player but not worthy of such compensation to the Patriots to select him. Another example of a reach.

Recently, various NFL scribes and data analysis have shown the Saints to be the poorest drafting team in the NFL over the last decade or so rendering the fewest choices still in the league and/or on the Saints roster. This is a glaring red flag. Loomis and Payton do not MAXIMIZE the draft and the team's ability to identify, evaluate and select talent to play in the NFL. They more often minimize this annual event to the team's detriment.

Trading Jimmy Graham I supported. He's emotionally soft, can be taken out of his game with trash talk, and has had both shoulder and leg injuries. He was expendable (imo). However, again, the Saints did not MAXIMIZE Graham's trade value. They didn't. The got a center and an ILB rookie rated in the bottom half of the second round. If someone would have told you the Saints would trade Jimmy Graham for a good starting center and a linebacker chosen in the bottom half of the second round, would you have thought this was a good trade for the Saints and getting a "haul" for JG?

The Seahawks won this trade because Loomis and Payton are not "good" at drafting the right players for needs and making the most of the annual selection process. They underachieve in this area that is critically essential to on-field success. As a result, Loomis and Payton are left with throwing big money at UFA and eating contracts too often in an effort to make up for poor drafting. Consequently, cap problems and roster turnover result.

-END-

papz

Sounds like a bunch of butt hurt.

spkb25

OMG your post crack me up...

Seriously though, the only thing to shock me about round one was that the three team, 70 player trade Lenny predicted never manifested itself

|Mitch|

There's a real good reason why us fans are fans and don't do this for a living... I'll trust the staff that they know what they are doing...

Anthony is the smartest and one of the better inside backers in coverage, really strong character and leader to. One of the things we missed the most last year...

People complain we didn't have a good coverage speedy linebacker, we get one and everyone complains he's not a good tackling thumper style linebacker... Isn't that what we had last year in Lofton; just sayin'

burningmetal

I don't hate the Anthony pick as much as I did right at first, but I still think it was a reach. Regardless, I don't like this whole idea of we should just trust the guys who supposedly know it all. These guys have been pretty awful at drafting for a few years now. They spend more time scouting than you are I, because that's their job, but that doesn't mean they know everything. They make plenty of mistakes and some of us fans aren't as dumb as you and most coaches/GM's seem to think we are.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.

|Mitch|

What's your other option? Go figure out a way to get a job with a team and draft for them or quit being a fan...

You have to trust in the coaches or stay unhappy the whole season *****ing...

I can pretty much guarantee they know more about scouting and drafting then 99.999% of fans; I never called anyone dumb, it just confuses me how anyone can criticize picks before they actually get in the damn building...

burningmetal

How about I be a fan and have my own opinion? Why do I have to not be a fan just because I don't like a pick? That's way over dramatic, dude.

I don't care what the percentage is of how much more coaches know, or think they know. I have disagreed with plenty of picks in the past and my exact concerns were played out. I'm not always right, either.

There is only so much to analyze about a player. It really isn't rocket science. You hear a lot of coach speak about "fluid hips" or "plays with too much lean" and blah blah. This is how guys shoot up in the combine and do nothing. Guys like Byron Jones, who was not overly productive in college is suddenly a first round talent because he had all the measurables. I look for people who produce at a high level, who don't miss tackles, or drop passes or whatever the case may be depending on the position.

So if I don't agree with a pick there is a reason. Anthony is solid, but not first round material, in my own opinion. If you want to know why people don't automatically trust everything their team does, I can ask you why we are even fans? We don't play for the team, and our cheering, opinions, Saints merchandice, etc. don't help the team win in all actuality. What's in it for us? Do any of us really know? It's an impulse, and a want for entertainment and to feel a part of something that interests us.

When you stop and think about it, it's pretty useless to even care. But we do anyway. So why question people for disagreeing with a pick? I'm not saying you have to agree with my opinion, but I'm puzzled how anyone is confused of why a person would have a dissenting opinion.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard that, the NFL would fine and suspend me.

|Mitch|

All I can say is then disagree until Anthony starts doing his thing and then crawfish and start cheering him on?!

spkb25

Every year some teams win the draft super bowl....not the real one

|Mitch|

That is the total opposite of what we did this year; drafted smart, good character, solid players...