I really do believe the Saints pulled of the coup of the draft last night. Let’s face it, the NFC South in general had some massive movement with the Carolina Panthers taking Cam Newton, and the Atlanta Falcons trading all the way up to #6 to land Julio Jones. And yet somehow, picking 24th, the Saints were able to one up both of them. Not only did we land Cameron Jordan at 24, which was tremendous value and majorly helped a position of need, but we traded to get Mark Ingram at 28th overall which again represented ridiculous value that low in the draft.
The last time the Saints selected two players in the 1st round…
they were Donte’ Stallworth and Charles Grant who came to the Saints in tandem back in 2002. Both had decent careers with the Saints but are no longer on the team. In fact, Grant is out of the NFL and Stallworth is barely hanging on. Still, both had their moments. I believe Jordan and Ingram will both have much more productive careers as Who Dats, but time will tell.
The Saints turned a lot of heads with their trade to get Ingram. The damage was their 2nd round pick this year and a 1st round pick in 2012. That did not come cheap, but in turn the Saints did get the best running back in the draft by far. Most notable, again, is the value the Saints got at #24 and #28 overall. Both of these guys were rated as top 20 prospects by almost all the experts, and some experts had them both in the top 15. I really do believe the Saints came out of the first round ahead of any team in the league, especially all the ones that reached for quarterbacks throughout the round.
So how do these picks factor into the roster? Well, Jordan is an immediate help. He could easily start over Alex Brown, and either way he’s in the mix as a rotation player at defensive end. He could also move inside on pass rushing down thanks to his size. Remember that Will Smith is out for the first 4 games of the season with the StarCaps suspension finally happening, so that increases reps and starting potential for Jordan. We’ll be seeing a lot of this kid early, and his addition was desperately needed. Ingram will be eased into his role a bit more. Remember the Saints have Pierre Thomas, Chris Ivory and Reggie Bush. That said, Thomas and Ivory are both rehabbing serious injuries and they will be on a short leash early as they attempt to help and rehab. There’s also no telling if Bush will be back or not. Still, Ingram is in the mix as we know Sean Payton will use all of his backs. This also means we’re less likely to see guys like Ladell Betts and Julius Jones getting reps next year (thank God). I could see Ingram as the opening day starter, or as the 4th string back depending on how things play out. Either way, he’ll get his reps and an opportunity to play. You know Payton will want to keep his backs fresh and because all four of these guys have injury history, the best way to avoid them getting hurt is by continually rotating them to avoid wear and tear to any single one of them.
With the 2nd round pick now gone, that leaves two 3rd round choices and two 7th round choices. Based on this regime’s history I think it’s safe to say the Saints will continue to move up if they find a player they like, so don’t be shocked if the Saints target a guy and sacrifice more to get him, or if they trade down in the 3rd round to add more picks later in the draft. They are liable and capable of anything. I may be getting ahead of myself but some players I know the Saints like that could be available for them come the 3rd round are: Kentucky WR Randall Cobb, LSU DT Drake Nevis, and Washington LB Mason Foster. If those guys fall to the Saints, we will consider them for sure.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
