With the NFL Combine here, there's undoubtedly some of you that will sit through the boring and mind numbing exercise of watching each shuttle run, lift, and evaluation. Does any of that stuff really matter? Sure, a little bit. I think the Saints, in particular, will be looking closely at a few things. I think the interviews go a long way, but unfortunately we're not privy to any of those. What the combine doesn't show is whether these guys are true football players on the field, or not. Some guys look great in shorts and can't get it done on the field. Others measure poorly and tear it up when it matters. So attributing too much to these measurables is a mistake. This is a piece of the puzzle, one to take seriously, but it's just one part of the whole. Anyway, here's what I think the Saints need to look for:
Which receivers with lower round grades have high 40 times?
The Saints need a field stretcher. With Robert Meachem a shell of his former self, Joe Morgan coming off an ACL tear, and Devery Henderson out of the league, it would be nice to pluck a burner late to pair with Kenny Stills. That's a definite need, and 40 times for the receivers is thus something to pay attention to because it gives you an idea of how fast they get down the field. A 40 yard dash is as close to a go route as you're going to get.
How do possible targets look?
I think there's currently several players the Saints have on their radar at pick #27. Safety Calvin Pryor, corners Justin Gilbert and Jason Verrett, tackles Taylor Lewan/Cyrus Kouandjio/Zack Martin/Greg Robinson/Jake Matthews, DE Kony Ealy and a slew of receivers. How they do at the combine will dictate whether their stock rises or drops. But those are the names I'm paying closest attention to, along with the LSU players of course (Jeremy Hill, Odell Beckham Jr, Jarvis Landry and more).
How do the quarterbacks look?
I keep saying this, we want as many quarterbacks drafted as possible before 27. The league is very "quarterback desperate", so if these guy measure well there will be some reaches. That should drop the talent at other positions, so you want the passers all looking pretty good.
Who do the Saints interview?
Watch like a hawk who the Saints interview, that's usually a sign they like a guy. We already know Cairo Santos is one and thanks to twitter you'll get nuggets of information over the weekend for sure.
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