Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills
 

So Georgia is to blame... :-P

Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills
 

Well, that's not entirely fair. The saints actually did go after collins once the draft ended. But he just chose to go to Dallas. It was his decision in the end. Nothing Payton or Loomis could do about that. Payton actually had multiple conversations with him but he could tell Collins wanted to get as far away from the situation as possible.

OL La'el Collins' 'business decision' makes Saints game a homecoming - Dallas Cowboys Blog - ESPN

Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills
 

At least the Saints understand we need depth. I look for T and G to be a priority in the draft, high picks. I'm still routing for Kelemete to get better. It would ease some of the pain.They at least looked better with Evans out.

Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills
 

It's not so much the FBS but the schools. Personally defensive players from UGA are a reach they are the most offensive in the SEC and are known for that more than defense. If we drafted some LSU, Scar, Tennessee, Missouri, MSU defensive players they would be a difference. Also we have more Pac12 than ACC. ACC has better defensive players than Pac12. I tried saying this so many times. The only school to draft defense in the pac12 is UCLA. Nebraska used to be a legit school turning in defensive NFL talent but that was Suh and then they went to the crappy Big Ten. What has anyone from Wisconsin done in the NFL(aside from transfer Wilson)? Ball, Toon, and now Gordon are all busts. Penn State appears to be the best school in developing offense(Robinson), but defense from those schools is a stretch but with Meyer as HC, OSU might be doing better in that regard.

I would draft defense from
All SEC except UGA, Arkansas, and Auburn
ACC
Only UCLA from Pac 12
Only OSU from Big Ten
Nobody from Big 12(we already learned with Vacarro)

I would draft offense from
QBs
SEC but the ones that stand out except UF
ACC the ones that stand out except Clemson
Pac 12 Oregon and Stanford only
Big Ten PSU and MSU
Big 12 Baylor(this conference has lost its edge since Nebraska moved)

RBs
SEC
ACC
Pac 12 Oregon
Big Ten Nebraska, MSU
Big 12 Oklahoma

WRs
SEC
ACC
Pac 12 nobody(Cooks isn't a true number 1 yet)
Big Ten PSU, MSU
Big 12 Oklahoma, WVU

TEs
Too complicated and the product is dying in college.

Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills
 

backed up against the cap? shop at the NFL bargain and scrap heap on sales days only.

This is the effect of bad drafting back to back. Players in the 3rd through 7th rounds should make up most of a teams roster. we live with UDFA thus no name school brands only

Tony Hills is from Texas if that helps. we could have done worse. Hills might just be that veteran back up OT/OG we do not have on the roster and could use. He is a solid run blocker from all reports.

Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills
 

Armstead's injury could be worse than what they are saying.

Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills
 

It's the fact that we have drafted almost ZERO players from LSU that seems odd. Al Woods is the only player in the Sean Payton era was drafted from LSU. Akiem Hicks never made it to LSU.

I don't expect them to draft a player just because he comes from a home state school. It's the fact that there have been some really good prospects available whom this team really could have used, and the Saints always pass for some dopey project.

There aren't too many programs that put out talent like an LSU or Alabama, Florida (though they have had some ups and downs) and, before recently, Texas. There are good teams around the country that don't have near the number of high draft prospects. Urban Meyer and Jim Hardy har har bauh will be able to recruit unlike most non-SEC schools, so there's a little shift there.

Off the top of my head, I know the Lions drafted Jeff Backus from Michigan, as well as Charlie Rogers and Drew Stanton from Michigan State.

The Jaguars have drafted Blake Bortles from UCF and Dante Fowler from Florida the last two years. The Bucs of course took Jameis Winston from FSU. If the player fills a need and he happens to be from one of your home state schools that shouldn't scare you away. But the Saints have a confusing tendency to avoid LSU players.

I don't know if it is actually a conscious decision, but it's strange enough to look that way.

Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills
 

Crusader I'd Love, absolutely Love to give Vanderbilt to the ACC and/or Missouri back to the Big 12 and have Clemson in the SEC- East...

But, alas, Clemson is in the ACC...

I'd take Clemson and Georgia Tech (back) to the SEC and give Vandy and Missouri to their neighboring markets...

Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills
 

I am starting to consider Clemson DC, Brent Venablesas, a possible replacement for Rob.

The guy plays straight up defense in a conference were the spread offense does not rule.

Past few years have been impressive and the bench is something next to amazing.

keep an eye on this guy

I think a big part of the issue may just be our coaching and scouting staffs are a bit removed from their college days and kinda of out of touch? getting long in the tooth and lack that fire in their belly. well a smaller belly

Re: Saints sign Veteran Offensive Lineman Tony Hills
 

Well I just went back and looked at Payton's draft history with the Saints and there are really only a couple of years when a LSU player went right after the Saints picked. 2011 we picked Martez Wilson and Steven Ridley went a couple picks later, 2013 we picked Vaccaro and Eric Reid went a couple picks later. 2014 would be the one I would call a miss and that is where we picked SJB and could have picked Jarvis Landry. The others I would call a wash. We picked a need at the time and some didn't work out.
The other point I would like to make is most of the picks that didn't work out came from larger schools, majority of the smaller school picks have worked out. Evans, Colston, Bushrod was, Robinson and Armstead looks to be a good one.