Posted by: Jarrod Breaux


Below are the Saints selections for this year’s NFL draft. Along with the name and position of each player, I have included a brief breakdown on each player along with whether or not in my opinion it appears to be a solid pick for the team. Hopefully this will provide everybody with a little bit more information on some of the new Saints and give an update to those who were not able to catch the draft and don’t keep up with much of college football.


Round 1 Right Tackle; Jammal Brown: Brown was arguably the best tackle in this years draft and has the ability to step in and play during his rookie season. This addition, while not flashy, fills a gaping hole for the Saints and gives them a very solid offensive line when you combine the move with their free agency pickup. Overall it is a very solid move by the team and one that should pay off from day one as long as he shows up to camp and doesn’t hold out.

Round 2 Free Safety; Josh Bullocks: Bullocks is a ball hawk who has good but not great speed. He is a quick study who should allow the Saints to play him early, making his addition a bonus for the Saints since they now might be able to swap Dwight Smith to cornerback if needed or if the situation calls for it. Overall Bullocks might have been selected a little earlier than expected and he needs help learning to stop the run. However, his inexperience against the run shouldn’t hurt him since the Saints usually ask their strong safety instead of their free safety to be the one who comes up in run support.

Round 3 Middle Linebacker; Alfred Fincher: This was a good selection for the Saints and adds depth. It also allows the Saints the luxury of possibly moving Courtney Watson to the outside and completing their linebacker core. Overall I had him ranked as one of the top middle linebackers and a likely 2nd round pick so the Saints lucked out by grabbing him in the 3rd. That being said, the question now is will this linebacker show the ability on the field like the Saints young linebacker pair from last years draft, or will he be another Sedrick Hodge or Cie Grant?
Round 4 Wide Receiver; Chase Lyman: An interesting project considering his size, Chase will likely be a development player for the Saints. While he does possess some quality skills, he still needs to work on his techniques and his durability is an issue.

Round 5 Quarterback; Adrian McPherson: Perhaps the biggest wild card of the draft. McPherson has all the tools that you look for in a quarterback and if not for some off the field issues early in his career, you might have seen him go in the 1st round. McPherson also has a positive going for him due to his year in the Arena League. Due to the smaller field and the speed of the game, quarterbacks in the Arena League usually have to learn to recognize openings quicker. This was the case with Kurt Warner when he came out of the Arena League. Secondly McPherson has shown great accuracy and even though he still needs to learn a lot of fundamentals, his instincts appear very impressive. While it will likely take a year, possibly two before you could see any benefit from his selection, McPherson has nothing but large upsides. If any quarterback in this draft has the tools to become the next Tom Brady, McPherson definitely has all the athletic ability needed to do so. Overall I’d have to say he was an outstanding steal in this round considering many projected him as high as round 2.

Round 6 Defensive Tackle; Jason Jefferson: Jefferson is a project defensive tackle who will need to add some muscle if he wants to be effective in the NFL. Drafted most likely as a project and as insurance in case Jonathan Sullivan doesn’t come through this year, Jefferson will likely not have much of an impact this year. However, he could turn out to be a good Norman Hand type of player if he adds 25 pounds of muscle or so to his upper body.

Round 7 Defensive Tackle; Jimmy Lee Verdon: Jimmy is my type of defensive tackle. Undersized at 280 lbs. Jimmy has a strike against him. However, it seems that some of the most effective defensive tackles for the Saints always appear to be undersized. Stamina is an issue with Verdon, but he has a knack for collapsing the pocket which could be a key for the Saints front four success. Perhaps the thing I like most about Jimmy is that he makes up for his lack of size by being a smart player. While seeing him have an impact on the Saints this year is slim, I would venture to guess that if one of the two defensive tackles the Saints selected were forced into starting roles during the course of the season, then Jimmy would likely be the one who would get the job. I like this selection in the 7th round.
While the Saints draft wasn’t flashy, it was a very interesting one. I believe their first and fifth round picks were very impressive and could turn out to both play large parts in the future of the Saints. As far as their 2nd and 4th round selections go, I have my reservations about them, but both appear to have very large upsides. However, seeing how many of the prospects Haslett drafted off athletic ability have turned out, it makes me curious to see how they do in the pre-season.

Posted by: Jarrod Breaux

Below are the Saints selections for this year’s NFL draft. Along with the name and position of each player, I have included a brief breakdown on each player along with whether or not in my opinion it appears to be a solid pick for the team. Hopefully this will provide everybody with a little bit more information on some of the new Saints and give an update to those who were not able to catch the draft and don’t keep up with much of college football.


Round 1 Right Tackle; Jammal Brown: Brown was arguably the best tackle in this years draft and has the ability to step in and play during his rookie season. This addition, while not flashy, fills a gaping hole for the Saints and gives them a very solid offensive line when you combine the move with their free agency pickup. Overall it is a very solid move by the team and one that should pay off from day one as long as he shows up to camp and doesn’t hold out.

Round 2 Free Safety; Josh Bullocks: Bullocks is a ball hawk who has good but not great speed. He is a quick study who should allow the Saints to play him early, making his addition a bonus for the Saints since they now might be able to swap Dwight Smith to cornerback if needed or if the situation calls for it. Overall Bullocks might have been selected a little earlier than expected and he needs help learning to stop the run. However, his inexperience against the run shouldn’t hurt him since the Saints usually ask their strong safety instead of their free safety to be the one who comes up in run support.

Round 3 Middle Linebacker; Alfred Fincher: This was a good selection for the Saints and adds depth. It also allows the Saints the luxury of possibly moving Courtney Watson to the outside and completing their linebacker core. Overall I had him ranked as one of the top middle linebackers and a likely 2nd round pick so the Saints lucked out by grabbing him in the 3rd. That being said, the question now is will this linebacker show the ability on the field like the Saints young linebacker pair from last years draft, or will he be another Sedrick Hodge or Cie Grant?

...
While the Saints draft wasn’t flashy, it was a very interesting one. I believe their first and fifth round picks were very impressive and could turn out to both play large parts in the future of the Saints. As far as their 2nd and 4th round selections go, I have my reservations about them, but both appear to have very large upsides. However, seeing how many of the prospects Haslett drafted off athletic ability have turned out, it makes me curious to see how they do in the pre-season.