Sizing Up the 2008 Draft and Free Agency Period
April 30, 2008
Mike Detiller Reporting
Finally
the predictions and the mock drafts are all over with for 2008. The
vast majority of upgrades, either through the draft or via free agency,
are in the books and while a few veteran additions could be added
before the summer training camp sessions, the football off-season
personnel hay is in the barn.
When the 2007 season ended it was obvious to all that the New Orleans
Saints needed to add quality starters at middle linebacker, cornerback,
and defensive tackle and also insert another pass rusher at defensive
end to rotate with veterans Will Smith and Charles Grant.
To be honest the Saints with a little good luck in the injury department may have filled many of those need spots.
If former Jonathan Vilma returns to the form we all saw a couple of
years ago as a New York Jet, he could become the Saints version of Drew
Brees on defense.
Because of a knee injury Vilma’s football stock took a similar
plunge to what happened to Brees after his serious shoulder injury, but
if he is healthy the former Jets All-Pro middle linebacker is one of
the two major acquisitions of the 2008 off-season.
The other is 2008 New Orleans Saints first round choice Sedrick Ellis(Left)
from USC. Ellis was one of the two elite defensive tackles in this
draft class and while most from the area would have loved to have seen
a trade-up for LSU’s Glenn Dorsey in this spot, the deal to move up
three spots for Ellis was reasonable and it does not put the long-term
effect of a franchise at risk by giving up a first round pick in 2009
would have on this organization had they pulled the trigger on a Dorsey
deal.
To be honest while I believe that the difference between Dorsey and
Ellis is not that much, the former Trojan 1st team All-PAC star the
past two seasons was as dominant in the PAC-10 Conference as Dorsey was
in the Southeast Conference.
While Dorsey is the better pass rusher, it does not diminish the
inside penetration skills Ellis has and his ability to push the inside
pocket.
In my mind the key to this off-season is the good health of Vilma at
middle linebacker and the Saints ability to get the very most of
Sedrick Ellis as an every down defensive lineman on this club.
Ellis has the potential to be the very best inside defensive
lineman the Saints have had since La’Roi Glover and if he is even close
to that sort of professional player it will give this defense a huge
shot of talent they have lacked since Glover departed to join the
Dallas Cowboys organization in 2002.
New Saints defensive line coach Ed Orgeron is very high on the
talents of former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Bobby McCray, who
the Saints signed in the free agency period, and if the former Ole Miss
head coach can get him to play up to his football potential the Saints
have the makings of a good “pressure” type defensive front.
Other than the defensive line spot, no other spot has gathered as
much attention as the Saints’ cornerback group. Veteran Mike McKenzie
is coming off maybe his best season ever in the NFL in 2007, but he is
also trying to rehab from a serious knee injury he suffered late in the
year and his certainty to hit the field again this coming September is
still in doubt.
I like the acquisition of former LSU Tiger and New England Patriot
nickel/dime cornerback Randall Gay, but this team needed another young
and talented body to add to the lineup.
In Round 2 the Saints selected former Port Allen High School and Indiana University standout cover-man Tracy Porter. Porter(right)
is a difference-maker in the secondary and his 16 pass interceptions
tell you that he is in indeed a ballhawk and someone with very good
ball reaction skills.
Porter is not a real strong run-support cornerback, but he possesses
excellent man-to-man coverage skills, outstanding recovery speed and
the ability to successfully mirror a receiver downfield.
While everyone would love for Porter to earn a starting post, his
best spot as a rookie would be to aid the club in nickel and dime
schemes. The nickel cornerback plays 35 to 40 % of the time due to so
many three-wide receiver sets and this is where I expect Porter to see
most of his time as a rookie and also aiding the club as a return man.
If Porter plays like he did as a senior at Indiana and we continue
to see the improvement of Usama Young in his second season, the Saints
may have the ingredients of a good starting young tandem at cornerback
for the future.
And then the Saints can jettison the non-fit cornerback Jason David sometime next off-season.
Saints 2008 fifth round draft choice, defensive tackle DeMario
Pressley is also an interesting add to the lineup. As a prepster
Pressley was regarded by two of the top recruiting services in the
country as the best defensive tackle in the nation and in his first two
seasons at North Carolina State Pressley flashed those type skills, but
injuries and a semi-warm motor dipped his draft stock.
Pressley(below)
is strong, he has excellent athletic ability and he can run the field
very well from side to side, but he seemed to lack the intensity he
flashed as an underclassmen when injuries started to take their toll in
2006 and 2007.
Now it is up to head coach Sean Payton, defensive coordination Gary
Gibbs and defensive line coach Ed Orgeron to pry those 1st rate
physical gifts out of him.
Not a bad off-season right? Vilma, Ellis, McCray, Porter, Pressley
and maybe even an added bonus if former Carolina Panther All-Pro
linebacker Dan Morgan can recover from an Achilles tear he sustained
last season and he can stay from the concussion problems that plagued
him in Carolina. Not to mention maybe being able to stir up another
solid season out of former Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Aaron Glenn,
who will turn 35 years old in mid-July.
Most of the offense we saw in 2007 seems to be in place for 2008. No
one knows just how effective halfback Deuce McAllister will be after
undergoing his second major knee surgery over the past three seasons
and if McAllister can not return to form the Saints don’t have a
heavy-duty inside runner they needed in so many critical times last
season.
Without being able to consummate a deal for New York Giants tight
end Jeremy Shockey, the short and intermediate passing efforts of Drew
Brees will have to be placed in the hands of Eric Johnson and Billy
Miller again at tight end.
Those are two areas I still have major concerns about.
On
the two days of the draft most of the efforts of the Saints were made
to upgrade the defense, but the Saints may have come up with a gem of a
player in Nebraska offensive tackle Carl Nicks.
Nicks(right) has only started one year
at Nebraska after attending both New Mexico State and Hartnell Junior
College, but the 6-4 ½ and 341 pound left tackle was just not a good
player last season at Nebraska, but he was at times a dominating one.
The powerful run blocker and very improved pass protector who seems
best suited to play right tackle in the pros looked like a first day
selection before being involved in a fraternity party that got a bit
out of hand and he was arrested for suspicion of being an inmate of a
disorderly home and failure to disperse when ordered to at the party.
That incident saw his draft stock plummet and he ended up dropping
into the latter part of Round 5. While the incident does raise some
eyebrows on why he would put his future draft stock at risk, I also
believe that while Nicks is a bit rough around the edges as a
technician he also has the ability to give this team an impact player
along the offensive line like starting offensive guard Jahri Evans did
in 2006.
This is a young man to keep a close eye on during training camp and
during the pre-season and watch and see if he doesn’t make a play for a
starting spot somewhere across the offensive line in the very near
future.
The Saints also traded back up into the draft in Round 7 to draft Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington(Left).
The 6-2 ½, 200 pound end caught 67 passes for 882 yards and 8
touchdowns as a junior in 2007 and he was named the Wolverines’ Desmond
Howard Award winner, which is given to the team’s top wide receiver.
That is pretty strong for a team that had Mario Manningham, a 2007
Fred Biletnikoff Award finalist on the club last season. Arrington also
has had a scrape or two with some off-the-field issues, but he has
caught passes in 26 straight games for the Wolverines and he adds a
tall wide-out, with deceptive speed and excellent eye-hand coordination
to the Saints lineup.
While I thought it best served for Arrington to return to Michigan for
another season, he has shown the skills to be a very solid possession
type end in the pros, if he works hard enough.
The Saints also used their sixth round choice to upgrade their
kicking game in selecting Wisconsin place-kicker Taylor Mehlhaff.
Mehlhaff, a left-footed kicker, has been a very consistent kicker at
Wisconsin and he has shown the leg strength, accuracy and athleticism
to succeed in the NFL.
Playing for Wisconsin, Taylor has kicked in bad weather and windy
conditions, so kicking in the SuperDome should make him even a more
accurate kicker, but how he handles the pressure kicks of the NFL won’t
be found out until given a chance to kick to kick in those type of
settings.
There are still concerns for me about the tight end and halfback
spots, and even the talent level at safety, other than Roman Harper,
but give the Saints management team of Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton
full credit for making trades, free agent acquisitions and draft
choices that seem to have this team back into being at least a solid
team on the defensive side of the ball.
As long as quarterback Drew Brees stays healthy the Saints are in
the playoff hunt, but what could aid him more than any other offensive
acquisition is to build a defense that can slow down an opponent’s
passing attack and create some defensive turnovers.
Give the Saints a solid B+ grade in the off-season combination of trades, draft and free agency.
Just remember that the team does have the elite quarterback in the
division, a few good young cogs on defense, finally, and history on
their side.
Since the NFC South Division was formed no team that has won the
division has repeated as champions the following season or have they
posted a winning season after capturing the division.
The grade for the off-season is a strong B+ and if this team can get a
good dose of medical good luck thrown their way, they are back in the
hunt to return to the playoffs.
Coach Sean Payton on the Draft
April 30, 2008
Opening Statement:
just finishing up. This next period of time for us is important. Each
of the last couple of years, we’ve been able to a find a player through
free agency. Our message to those guys is no different than to any
draft pick once they’re on board; it doesn’t really matter to us how
they got here, they have an opportunity to make the team. That’s what
we’re going to be going through in the next two or three hours. It’s
interesting when you look at it, there have been a number of free
agents that not only have made teams, but have been Pro Bowl players.
There’s still a fair amount of work to do; we’re looking to find a
Pierre Thomas, a Steve Weatherford, a Tyler Palko – these are all guys
that have made our team. Tony Romo made our team in Dallas when I was
there. We’ve been busy today.”
Carl
Nicks has had some issues off of the field, but you talked with him
before you made the pick. What did you talk with him about?
had a long talk with him, and if it weren’t for some of those issues,
he’s probably a player that would have been drafted earlier. We felt
comfortable with what those issues are. That being said, he understands
that he’s coming here to the environment that we have where we have
little tolerance. But it’s really just about getting him ready and
getting him going. He’s a big, athletic player that grades out well
when you watch him. He has some inconsistencies that concern you, but
he played well at the Senior Bowl. We didn’t feel in his case that it
was as much of real bad character as it was maybe some maturity issues
that we were willing to look at and go with. We’ll see, but he does
have some real good physical skills. I had a good visit with him –
probably about a half-an-hour long a round-and-a-half before we
selected him just so he could reference that phone call. I think it’s
important to him and it’s going to have to be because it’s a
competitive group on our team. We have some flexibility at his position
where he could play tackle or possibly go inside and play guard.”
He said those issues hurt his draft stock. Do you think he can use that as motivation?
“We’ll
find out. I think the players understand what we’re looking for and
they need to understand what we’re looking for. In the last five years,
for the most part, you’ve seen teams gravitate in that direction. I’m
excited about our locker room right now and excited about our current
roster. Any time you can bring in some new players, it’s on them to
understand what’s expected here and what we expect as coaches and what
their peers expect of them. Hopefully our environment is conducive to
learning and bringing out the best in a player. I think that if it is,
this guy has a chance to compete and bring something to the table.”
When you’re talking to potential free agents, do you tell them about guys like Pierre Thomas?
think it’s important they can reference that. You can say that a free
agent has a chance of making our team, but I think their next question
is to give some examples. All you can do is to point to what has
happened. We sell that, we sell the opportunity, and we point to
examples because we think that it’s important to do that.”
When you did the background check on Nicks, was his recent problem the only one you found?
real familiar with this player. I’m real close with his coach (Bill
Callahan) and we felt very comfortable with who we were drafting at
that point in time. As I said at the onset, if there weren’t a few
issues with this player, he would have been drafted much higher. That
being said, he has to come in and compete and work and be in shape and
do all those things, or else it won’t work out.”
Did you have some luxury with flexibility on your roster?
had targeted a kicker, just because we wanted to give a young player a
chance to come in here and compete with Martín (Gramatica). It’s kind
of hard to predict where those guys will get drafted if you look at the
history. Last year there were a couple drafted in the second day; one
made it with Dallas and the other one didn’t. The Giants signed a free
agent kicker that wound up hitting the game-winner in the NFC
Championship game, so we wanted to pay attention to that. We found a
guy that we had worked out and really spent a lot of time on. When
Taylor (Mehlhaff) became available, (special teams coordinator) Greg
McMahon had worked him out and we had studied the tape and were excited
about him. The opportunity that they are given is to come in and
compete, as all these guys are. No one is promised a spot, and no one
will be. But we felt like that was one area when it came to it, with
that additional pick we were going to go with it and he was available
in the sixth round. But we were able to select an offensive lineman
that we maybe didn’t necessarily target in round five and we were able
to select another defensive lineman that we think can help us. We were
able to work DeMario (Pressley) out at his pro day and he gives us some
flexibility because he has played inside over the guard and he’s also
gone outside. He’s been a pretty productive player. We think he has
pretty good speed and agility. We felt like it was important for us to
move up two spots to get that pick in that we felt like the team ahead
of us was going to probably be targeting the same player. I think
what’s important is that you have to have a vision for how you see the
player in your own scheme and I think that right now with a little bit
of work to do, we’re excited about how today unfolded.”
Is
it also a sign that you’ve built a roster in your three years and
filled the locker room with your kind of guys that you able to only
need six draft picks?
would have loved to have had seven or eight. But we’re still working
and hoping to find some guys to come in and add depth. We didn’t draft
a linebacker. We acquired some linebackers this offseason, but there
are still areas that you can still look at. We didn’t draft a running
back, and you could argue whether there are needs for those positions.
When you can bring in competition and bring in the guys that you think
will fit in your system and fit in your locker room, I think you help
yourself. The next few weeks, we’re going to read all about the grades
of everyone’s draft and I understand that, but I think in three years
we’ll have a pretty good feel for how this draft unfolds. How you
acquire players, you can easily evaluate, but I think we did a pretty
good job to get up and get ourselves in a position to get Sedrick
Ellis.
player, and it was at a need. He was a guy that probably came up daily
in our discussions of how we could get into position to get him. I
thought we were off to a good start when that happened. I know he has a
great motor, he works extremely hard and he’s been extremely
productive. We’ve seen him at the Senior Bowl and you guys will have a
chance to meet him here in a couple of weeks and I think that you’ll be
impressed with him as well. I think he’s an outstanding player and that
gave us a good start and a little bit of momentum.
the corner selection (Tracy Porter), you’re sitting and waiting for
that run and when the first round ended, he became the next corner on
most people’s boards – clearly he was on ours – and we thought that he
might be taken ahead of us at our pick of number 40. When he fell to
us, we were pretty excited about it. We had had conversations with him
and his coach. He gives us return ability and he has real good ball
skills. He would clearly have been a guy that was in our second round
circle a week ago. What we try to do is draw these circles with the
idea of ranking who we think will be available, and in Porter’s case he
was a guy because there was a need, but just as importantly, we felt
his skill set ranked in that area. So our first day went smooth and we
were excited about that and giving up the three to get to where we had
to get to to get Sedrick Ellis was perfect and well worth it. After
that, today you really start trying to project to how these guys will
have a chance to make the team and with each of these selections we
made today we tried to do that and to have a vision of how they’re
going to make the team, and hopefully that vision comes to fruition.”
Was Ellis’ pro day work out the thing that really sold you on him?
think the number one thing that sells you on that player is his body of
work. I think the workouts are important, the postseason bowls and all
of that are important, but if you look at his body of work and what
he’s done and how disruptive he can be, and then having a guy that has
worked with him… Any time you’re able to hire a college coach, every
once in a while they’re able to bring some insight to other players in
their conference or players that they’ve come across in recruiting and
when it specifically happens to be a player that he’s recruited and
coached, that’s really an additional bonus that happens. In Ed
Orgeron’s case, we had a pretty good idea of what we were getting and
that’s a good thing.”
You mentioned linebacker. Do you see that as a position you’ll target with rookie free agents?
trying to find the best players now. You’re only going to have so many
magnets that you put up on that board and we’ll be on the phone with a
lot of these guys and we’ll see what happens. We’ll try to get this
thing filled out tonight and tomorrow morning and then get them ready
for the first opportunity, which is the rookie camp two weekends from
now.”
Would you have a quarterback in that group?
“We
would like to. There is a fourth spot and an opportunity for a guy to
come in and compete. I’ve spoken to a few guys already and we’ll see
how it unfolds.”
Do you have a few guys in mind?
Is Tyler Palko a guy that you feel like you hit on at this stage last year?
do. I’m excited about working with him. He was a starter at Pitt and
the guy behind him transferred to Delaware and just got taken in the
first round. He brings some intangibles that I think are maybe a little
bit harder to see unless he’s playing. I know he’s had a great
offseason. He’s been here this whole time. He’s working hard and he and
(Mark) Brunell now outnumber the righty two to one, which is a little
different. He’s done a great job with our offseason program and I’m
anxious to see him get in there because in some of the snaps he had in
the preseason last year, you saw him move the team pretty well and
he’ll get more snaps this upcoming training camp. He’s very focused;
it’s very important to him, and he has some of those intangibles that
you look for, and that excites me.”
Did he come with you to help on some workouts with cornerbacks?
“He
was with us on one trip, but it was 160 throws at three different stops
and he did a good job. We took a little group of guys and we went to
work out the corner at Tennessee State, Cromartie, the corner at Troy
State, McKelvin, and then the corner at South Florida, Jenkins, and he
did a real good job. He’s doing well.”
In Mehlhaff’s case, are his kickoffs one way that he might be able to make the roster?
“I
think still there has to be the confidence level. Last year, it took
place with Gramatica where we felt like he began to hit important kicks
for us. I think the job description is to be accurate and to be able to
convert drives, be it on long field goals or short field goals, and
then also as a kickoff guy. I think you take the combination. We
thought at the beginning of the year a year ago, that Olindo (Mare)
gave us that and it didn’t work out. This is an opportunity for us to
look at a young kicker that we’ve done a lot more research on that
maybe some kickers that we would bring in in free agency and we think
he can come in and compete.”
Does he have to options – to compete to win the main job or also as a kickoff specialist?
now, I look at it as two kickers that are competing for that spot.
Whether we create another spot, I think that becomes something down the
line. I really look at two guys that will come in here and it’s
probably not unlike most camps where you have competition. In this
case, you have the young player coming in with the veteran already
here. I was pleased with the way Gramatica came in here and in a short
period of time was consistent and did a good job for us. With any of
these picks, it’s never an indictment of any of your current guys;
we’re trying to improve the New Orleans Saints. When the player was
available in the sixth round, we felt like it was a good match. We had
just worked him out a week ago and really liked his leg strength. But
they’re going to have to be able to kick field goals.”
At
the end of last season, five of your draft class were on the roster but
Usama Young was really the only who that saw a lot of playing time. Do
you almost see yourselves as having two draft classes this year?
have some young players. Of course, Robert Meachem is a guy that has
had a lot written about him. I’m excited about where he’s at from a
health standpoint; he’s progressed tremendously. You don’t see the knee
being an issue at all. We’re going to find out a lot about him this
coming spring and fall. Jermon Bushrod is another guy that we’re really
excited about. He’s a young lineman that went through that first year.
He’s healthy and he’s been doing a great job with the offseason
program. The timeframe on when they play is sometimes something that
they can’t control, but again, I think a couple of years from now we’re
going to be able to look back and say if these were good selections or
they weren’t, and I like the guys that we have. I think Usama Young is
going to be a guy that competes for playing time this year; just as he
played last year, I think he’ll compete for more playing time. Again,
we’re trying to get younger and improve the roster, and that being
said, still be mindful of the chemistry that we have in that locker
room and what we think gives us the best chance to win and win in this
upcoming season.”
With Ellis and Porter both filling needs on the team, did each of them have the highest grade of any player on the board?
question. There was no discussion at all with Ellis. When you make a
trade to go up to get a player, you make the trade knowing that you’re
getting that player. In other words, you’re not going up hoping that
that player comes to you. You only go up if that player is there, and
then you go up, get it and take that player. Clearly, that was our
target when we moved up and that’s why the trade took place immediately
when Ellis fell to the spot of New England’s pick. With Porter, when he
became available, there wasn’t discussion or debate – and often times
there is, sometimes there might be three players – but in his case
there wasn’t. It isn’t always that smooth or that easy, but we were
happy about yesterday. There are 31 other head coaches that are sitting
before their media today saying that they got just who they wanted and
they had a great day and are happy about it, and I understand that, but
in the end, the proof will be in the pudding and we’ll find out sooner
than later. We’re excited about these players. They do fill needs for
us; they fit what we’re looking for and we’ll keep going here.
Hopefully we can find a few free agents that can come in and compete as
well
New Orleans Saints 2008 NFL Draft Review
April 30, 2008
By Tony Moss, NFL Editor
(Sports Network) -
1 – Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC (6-0, 309); 2 – Tracy Porter, CB, Indiana
(5-11, 188); 5 – DeMario Presley, DT, North Carolina State (6-3, 299);
5 – Carl Nicks, T, Nebraska (6-5, 341); 6 – Taylor Mehlhaff, K,
Wisconsin (5-10, 183); 7 – Adrian Arrington, WR, Michigan (6-3, 202)
Analysis: The Saints weren’t able to move up to draft Glenn Dorsey, but
got a pretty solid consolation prize when they traded up into the No. 7
spot to draft Ellis. Ellis is a versatile interior presence who will
start right away for New Orleans. The athletic Porter will also be
needed immediately for a team that is thin at corner, but there is some
question about his toughness. The Saints took some big chances on the
second day. Nicks and Arrington both have character issues, there are
questions about Presley’s desire and work ethic, and New Orleans made
Mehlhaff the first kicker taken in the Draft despite the fact that many
scouts regard him as purely a kickoff specialist. The Saints came out
of the Draft still in need of another pass rushing threat and offensive
line depth.
Bottom Line: Ellis was a great selection, but there isn’t a whole lot to get excited about thereafter.
Grade: C
GM Mickey Loomis on the Draft
April 30, 2008
WWL – AM870 ” FM105.3 | News ” Talk ” Sports | OnDemand@1350 – GM Mickey Loomis on the Draft
Opening Statement: Obviously
the draft’s not over, but it’s over for us. We don’t have a seventh
round pick. We traded that a little earlier today. I can say we’re
excited about the guys we got like every team. I think we’ve helped
ourselves especially on defense.
Q: It
seems like you guys went with a couple of risk/reward guys on day two
along with the luxury of being able to draft a kicker? Do you feel like
you had filled up so many needs on the roster you could do this?
A: Yes.
I think part of it, when you look at our roster; there are a lot of
positions that are going to be hard for a rookie to make our team. One
of the first things you look at is can a guy at this position make our
team? The thing is you look at the upside. Can you envision a
particular player developing into a starter? Obviously you don’t think
they’re ready now, otherwise they’d be drafted higher, but we had a
vision for the players that we took today that they can develop and
maybe help us down the road. I think that was a consideration for us.
Q: Do you look at the drafting of Taylor Mehlhaff as competition for Martin Gramatica?
A: We
like his kickoff availability. It’s competition. We’re trying to create
competition for Martin. Martin did a great job for us at the end of
last year. We’re excited about having him on our roster and this is
competition.
Q: Did you intend to draft a kicker or were you targeting him?
A: I
think for us, he was the only kicker we would have drafted as we got to
the latter part of the draft. If we didn’t draft him, we would have
gone the route of signing a free agent. At that particular position in
the sixth round, he was a guy that we felt like it was worth using the
pick for.
Q: Was it his kickoff abilities that attracted you?
A: I think it’s his ability as a kicker. He’s got a strong leg and that’s certainly part of it.
Q: When you looked at Carl Nicks, what was his big selling point?
A: I
think for him and for us we see a big upside. He’s a big powerful man
and he has a lot of upside. He needs work, he needs to develop and he
needs to be coached hard. That’s what we need to do. We see him as
having a big upside.
Q: Can he play guard or tackle?
A: I think we’ll make that decision where we put him once he gets here. He can definitely play either.
Q: Can you discuss the character concerns that hurt his draft stock?
A: We
spent a lot of time talking about that. Our conclusion was that there
wasn’t anything major in his background, a lot of small incidents and
we’re not overlooking them. Coach Payton talked to him on the phone
before we drafted him and confronted him, talked to him about our
concerns. He said the right things. Now he needs to take the right
action when he gets here.
Q: What made you give up the seventh round draft pick for DeMario Pressley
A: We
like him as a player clearly. We felt like he had an upside. To be
honest with you, we got a little nervous that he might go in the spot
before us. The team in front of us we thought had a need at that
position and in fact took a player at that position with their pick. We
just got a little nervous that he might go. The cost to move, a seventh
round pick, we didn’t feel was very heavy, so we made the move and got
the player we wanted to get. We may have been able to take him if we
stayed at where we were, but we had a conviction on this player, so I
think it was a good move for us.
Q: Have you gotten any angry calls from the Bengals over the last couple of days?
A: No,
we haven’t. That’s just the way it happens. I’ve been in that position
a number of times over the years where you get your eye on someone and
the team right in front of you or two teams in front of you takes him.
That’s just the way it happens in this league. It happens to all of us.
Q: Do you think they were targeting both Sedrick Ellis and DeMario Pressley?
A: I
don’t know if that was their player in either case. They got good
players where they picked. I’m just glad that nobody got in front of us
to take the guys that we had targeted.
Q: What kind of player can Pressley be and what position can he play?
A: I
think we see the potential for both. Ed (Orgeron) went and worked him
out last week and came back with a real strong report on him and his
athletic ability. Frankly we’re surprised that he was available to us
in the fifth round. I’m anxious to get him here and see what we have.
We’ll find a place for him.
Q: He
told us that he thought he was available this late because scouts were
concerned about some of his injuries. Is that accurate?
A: Yes,
I think he’s had a little bit of injury history. I wouldn’t say that we
were nervous. You’re always concerned about injuries. A lot of players
have had injuries and you’re interested in how they respond to the
injuries that they’ve had, but we feel comfortable with it.
Q: In the draft were you seeking two defensive tackles after getting two cornerbacks and two linebackers in free agency?
A: I
don’t think that was the case at all. When we look at our depth chart
before the draft, we really had one spot that we were trying to fill,
but it comes down to a case of if you feel strongly about a particular
player regardless of position and you feel like you are getting really
good value then you take a chance on that and again, I think with this
particular player, he has some versatility, so we may be able to use
him in different ways and maybe take advantage of him maybe at end.
Q: What is your target number of undrafted free agents you would like to sign?
A: It
would be in the neighborhood of ten in that vicinity, maybe a couple
more. We’re just going through that process right now in terms of who
those targets are going to be and obviously that changes as the seventh
round goes on and they get drafted. We’re limited a little bit this
year because of the roster change. We can have 80 players. We’ve had
about 86 or 87 in the past because of NFL Europe and the opportunity to
get exemptions. We’ll deal with that.
Q: Did you bring Taylor Mehlhaff into the facility as one of your allotted visits?
A: No, we didn’t, but we had someone go and work him out.
Q: Was he the only kicker you worked out?
A: No,
we worked out several kickers. We spent some time looking at the
kickers that were going to come out this year and ended up deciding
he’d be the best guy for us to come in and compete with Martin’
(Gramatica)
Head Coach Sean Payton Looks At The Draft
April 29, 2008
Dave Lawrence, NewOrleansSaints.com
Monday, April 28, 2008 – 4:00 PM
“This next period of time
(acquiring undrafted rookie free agents) for us is important. Each of
the last couple of years, we’ve been able to a find a player through
free agency. Our message to those guys is no different than to any
draft pick once they’re on board; it doesn’t really matter to us how
they got here, they have an opportunity to make the team. That’s what
we’re going to be going through in the next two or three hours. It’s
interesting when you look at it, there have been a number of free
agents that not only have made teams, but have been Pro Bowl players.
There’s still a fair amount of work to do; we’re looking to find a Pierre Thomas, a Steve Weatherford, a Tyler Palko – these are all guys that have made our team. Tony Romo made our team in Dallas when I was there. We’ve been busy today.”
Q: Carl Nicks has had some issues off of the field, but you talked with him before you made the pick. What did you talk with him about?
“I
had a long talk with him, and if it weren’t for some of those issues,
he’s probably a player that would have been drafted earlier. We felt
comfortable with what those issues are. That being said, he understands
that he’s coming here to the environment that we have where we have
little tolerance. But it’s really just about getting him ready and
getting him going. He’s a big, athletic player that grades out well
when you watch him. He has some inconsistencies that concern you, but
he played well at the Senior Bowl. We didn’t feel in his case that it
was as much of real bad character as it was maybe some maturity issues
that we were willing to look at and go with. We’ll see, but he does
have some real good physical skills. I had a good visit with him –
probably about a half-an-hour long a round-and-a-half before we
selected him just so he could reference that phone call. I think it’s
important to him and it’s going to have to be because it’s a
competitive group on our team. We have some flexibility at his position
where he could play tackle or possibly go inside and play guard.”
Q: He said those issues hurt his draft stock. Do you think he can use that as motivation?
“We’ll
find out. I think the players understand what we’re looking for and
they need to understand what we’re looking for. In the last five years,
for the most part, you’ve seen teams gravitate in that direction. I’m
excited about our locker room right now and excited about our current
roster. Any time you can bring in some new players, it’s on them to
understand what’s expected here and what we expect as coaches and what
their peers expect of them. Hopefully our environment is conducive to
learning and bringing out the best in a player. I think that if it is,
this guy has a chance to compete and bring something to the table.”
Q: When you’re talking to potential free agents, do you tell them about guys like Pierre Thomas?
“I
think it’s important they can reference that. You can say that a free
agent has a chance of making our team, but I think their next question
is to give some examples. All you can do is to point to what has
happened. We sell that, we sell the opportunity, and we point to
examples because we think that it’s important to do that.”
Q: When you did the background check on Nicks, was his recent problem the only one you found?
“I’m
real familiar with this player. I’m real close with his coach (Bill
Callahan) and we felt very comfortable with who we were drafting at
that point in time. As I said at the onset, if there weren’t a few
issues with this player, he would have been drafted much higher. That
being said, he has to come in and compete and work and be in shape and
do all those things, or else it won’t work out.”
Q: Did you have some luxury with flexibility on your roster?
“We
had targeted a kicker, just because we wanted to give a young player a
chance to come in here and compete with Martín (Gramatica). It’s kind
of hard to predict where those guys will get drafted if you look at the
history. Last year there were a couple drafted in the second day; one
made it with Dallas and the other one didn’t. The Giants signed a free
agent kicker that wound up hitting the game-winner in the NFC
Championship game, so we wanted to pay attention to that. We found a
guy that we had worked out and really spent a lot of time on. When
Taylor (Mehlhaff) became available, (special teams coordinator) Greg McMahon
had worked him out and we had studied the tape and were excited about
him. The opportunity that they are given is to come in and compete, as
all these guys are. No one is promised a spot, and no one will be. But
we felt like that was one area when it came to it, with that additional
pick we were going to go with it and he was available in the sixth
round. But we were able to select an offensive lineman that we maybe
didn’t necessarily target in round five and we were able to select
another defensive lineman that we think can help us. We were able to
work DeMario (Pressley) out at his pro day and he gives us some
flexibility because he has played inside over the guard and he’s also
gone outside. He’s been a pretty productive player. We think he has
pretty good speed and agility. We felt like it was important for us to
move up two spots to get that pick in that we felt like the team ahead
of us was going to probably be targeting the same player. I think
what’s important is that you have to have a vision for how you see the
player in your own scheme and I think that right now with a little bit
of work to do, we’re excited about how today unfolded.”
Q:
Is it also a sign that you’ve built a roster in your three years and
filled the locker room with your kind of guys that you able to only
need six draft picks?
“I
would have loved to have had seven or eight. But we’re still working
and hoping to find some guys to come in and add depth. We didn’t draft
a linebacker. We acquired some linebackers this offseason, but there
are still areas that you can still look at. We didn’t draft a running
back, and you could argue whether there are needs for those positions.
When you can bring in competition and bring in the guys that you think
will fit in your system and fit in your locker room, I think you help
yourself. The next few weeks, we’re going to read all about the grades
of everyone’s draft and I understand that, but I think in three years
we’ll have a pretty good feel for how this draft unfolds. How you
acquire players, you can easily evaluate, but I think we did a pretty
good job to get up and get ourselves in a position to get Sedrick Ellis.
“When
I was driving home last night and looking at where we were going into
it with the 10th pick in the draft, I know that we got a player that we
felt was better than the 10th player, and it was at a need. He was a
guy that probably came up daily in our discussions of how we could get
into position to get him. I thought we were off to a good start when
that happened. I know he has a great motor, he works extremely hard and
he’s been extremely productive. We’ve seen him at the Senior Bowl and
you guys will have a chance to meet him here in a couple of weeks and I
think that you’ll be impressed with him as well. I think he’s an
outstanding player and that gave us a good start and a little bit of
momentum.
“With the corner selection (Tracy
Porter), you’re sitting and waiting for that run and when the first
round ended, he became the next corner on most people’s boards –
clearly he was on ours – and we thought that he might be taken ahead of
us at our pick of number 40. When he fell to us, we were pretty excited
about it. We had had conversations with him and his coach. He gives us
return ability and he has real good ball skills. He would clearly have
been a guy that was in our second round circle a week ago. What we try
to do is draw these circles with the idea of ranking who we think will
be available, and in Porter’s case he was a guy because there was a
need, but just as importantly, we felt his skill set ranked in that
area. So our first day went smooth and we were excited about that and
giving up the three to get to where we had to get to to get Sedrick Ellis
was perfect and well worth it. After that, today you really start
trying to project to how these guys will have a chance to make the team
and with each of these selections we made today we tried to do that and
to have a vision of how they’re going to make the team, and hopefully
that vision comes to fruition.”
Q: Was Sedrick Ellis’ pro day work out the thing that really sold you on him?
“I
think the number one thing that sells you on that player is his body of
work. I think the workouts are important, the postseason bowls and all
of that are important, but if you look at his body of work and what
he’s done and how disruptive he can be, and then having a guy that has
worked with him… Any time you’re able to hire a college coach, every
once in a while they’re able to bring some insight to other players in
their conference or players that they’ve come across in recruiting and
when it specifically happens to be a player that he’s recruited and
coached, that’s really an additional bonus that happens. In Ed Orgeron’s case, we had a pretty good idea of what we were getting and that’s a good thing.”
Q: You mentioned linebacker. Do you see that as a position you’ll target with rookie free agents?
“We’re
trying to find the best players now. You’re only going to have so many
magnets that you put up on that board and we’ll be on the phone with a
lot of these guys and we’ll see what happens. We’ll try to get this
thing filled out tonight and tomorrow morning and then get them ready
for the first opportunity, which is the rookie camp two weekends from
now.”
Q: Would you have a quarterback in that group?
“We
would like to. There is a fourth spot and an opportunity for a guy to
come in and compete. I’ve spoken to a few guys already and we’ll see
how it unfolds.”
Q: Do you have a few guys in mind?
“There are two. We’ll see what happens. Often times they get drafted in the last round, but we’ll see.”
Q: Is Tyler Palko a guy that you feel like you hit on at this stage last year?
“I
do. I’m excited about working with him. He was a starter at Pitt and
the guy behind him transferred to Delaware and just got taken in the
first round. He brings some intangibles that I think are maybe a little
bit harder to see unless he’s playing. I know he’s had a great
offseason. He’s been here this whole time. He’s working hard and he and
(Mark) Brunell now outnumber the righty two to one, which is a little
different. He’s done a great job with our offseason program and I’m
anxious to see him get in there because in some of the snaps he had in
the preseason last year, you saw him move the team pretty well and
he’ll get more snaps this upcoming training camp. He’s very focused;
it’s very important to him, and he has some of those intangibles that
you look for, and that excites me.”
Q: Did he come with you to help on some workouts with cornerbacks?
“He
was with us on one trip, but it was 160 throws at three different stops
and he did a good job. We took a little group of guys and we went to
work out the corner at Tennessee State, Cromartie, the corner at Troy
State, McKelvin, and then the corner at South Florida, Jenkins, and he
did a real good job. He’s doing well.”
Q: In Mehlhaff’s case, are his kickoffs one way that he might be able to make the roster?
“I
think still there has to be the confidence level. Last year, it took
place with Gramatica where we felt like he began to hit important kicks
for us. I think the job description is to be accurate and to be able to
convert drives, be it on long field goals or short field goals, and
then also as a kickoff guy. I think you take the combination. We
thought at the beginning of the year a year ago, that Olindo (Mare)
gave us that and it didn’t work out. This is an opportunity for us to
look at a young kicker that we’ve done a lot more research on that
maybe some kickers that we would bring in in free agency and we think
he can come in and compete.”
Q: Does he have to options – to compete to win the main job or also as a kickoff specialist?
“Right
now, I look at it as two kickers that are competing for that spot.
Whether we create another spot, I think that becomes something down the
line. I really look at two guys that will come in here and it’s
probably not unlike most camps where you have competition. In this
case, you have the young player coming in with the veteran already
here. I was pleased with the way Gramatica came in here and in a short
period of time was consistent and did a good job for us. With any of
these picks, it’s never an indictment of any of your current guys;
we’re trying to improve the New Orleans Saints. When the player was
available in the sixth round, we felt like it was a good match. We had
just worked him out a week ago and really liked his leg strength. But
they’re going to have to be able to kick field goals.”
Q: At the end of last season, five of your draft class were on the roster but Usama Young was really the only who that saw a lot of playing time. Do you almost see yourselves as having two draft classes this year?
“We have some young players. Of course, Robert Meachem
is a guy that has had a lot written about him. I’m excited about where
he’s at from a health standpoint; he’s progressed tremendously. You
don’t see the knee being an issue at all. We’re going to find out a lot
about him this coming spring and fall. Jermon Bushrod
is another guy that we’re really excited about. He’s a young lineman
that went through that first year. He’s healthy and he’s been doing a
great job with the offseason program. The timeframe on when they play
is sometimes something that they can’t control, but again, I think a
couple of years from now we’re going to be able to look back and say if
these were good selections or they weren’t, and I like the guys that we
have. I think Usama Young
is going to be a guy that competes for playing time this year; just as
he played last year, I think he’ll compete for more playing time.
Again, we’re trying to get younger and improve the roster, and that
being said, still be mindful of the chemistry that we have in that
locker room and what we think gives us the best chance to win and win
in this upcoming season.”
Q: With Ellis and Porter both filling needs on the team, did each of them have the highest grade of any player on the board?
“No
question. There was no discussion at all with Ellis. When you make a
trade to go up to get a player, you make the trade knowing that you’re
getting that player. In other words, you’re not going up hoping that
that player comes to you. You only go up if that player is there, and
then you go up, get it and take that player. Clearly, that was our
target when we moved up and that’s why the trade took place immediately
when Ellis fell to the spot of New England’s pick. With Porter, when he
became available, there wasn’t discussion or debate – and often times
there is, sometimes there might be three players – but in his case
there wasn’t. It isn’t always that smooth or that easy, but we were
happy about yesterday. There are 31 other head coaches that are sitting
before their media today saying that they got just who they wanted and
they had a great day and are happy about it, and I understand that, but
in the end, the proof will be in the pudding and we’ll find out sooner
than later. We’re excited about these players. They do fill needs for
us; they fit what we’re looking for and we’ll keep going here.
Hopefully we can find a few free agents that can come in and compete as
well.”
Saints add Undrafted Free Agents
April 29, 2008
Undrafted Free Agents according to NFLDraftBible.comNEW ORLEANS
OG Nate McManus, Georgia Tech
C Kevin Tuminello, Georgia Tech
SS Rocky Schwartz, Houston
OT Akim Millington, Illinois
WR Todd Blythe, Iowa State
OLB Luke Sanders, LSU
LS Ryan Senser, Ohio
FB Olaniyi Sobomehin, Portland State
P Waylon Prather, San Jose State
QB T.C. Ostrander, Stanford
FS David Roach, TCU
DE Jeremy Geathers, UNLV
OT Jason Boone, Utah
New Orleans Saints Draft Picks with Analysis
April 29, 2008
Round 1 Sedrick Ellis DT 6’1″ 305lb USC
Pick Analysis:The Saints traded up to boost the
interior of their front four. Ellis will be counted on to clog up the
line of scrimmage and be a disruptive force in the backfield. His best
traits are exceptional strength and great instincts.
Round 2 Tracy Porter CB 5’11″ 185lb Indiana
| Pick Analysis:The Saints continue to address their defense, as Porter projects as a third corner. He was productive at Indiana, but like many corners, is not known as a good tackler. |
||||||
Round 5 DeMario Pressley DT 6’3″ 301lb NC State
Pick Analysis:The latest in a recent tradition of
North Carolina State defensive ends like former No. 1 overall pick
Mario Williams and former first-round pick Manny Lawson. Pressley has
great athleticism, speed and quickness for his size. He is an explosive
player off the ball with good upside.
Round 5 Carl Nicks OT 6’5″ 341lb Nebraska
Pick Analysis:Nicks hasn’t played enough college
football to expect great things from him early in his career. He does
have bulk and can move better than expected at his weight. There are
some concerns that he will battle weight issues throughout his career,
but he can block a linebacker in space. This is a boom-or-bust pick.
Round 6 Taylor Mehlhaff K 5’10″ 185lb Wisconsin
Pick Analysis:Mehlhaff is a left-footed kicker with
good accuracy. Good, not great, leg strength. He’s more of a 45-yard
and in kicker, but demonstrated great accuracy while kicking in a tough
place at Wisconsin.
Round 7 Adrian Arrington WR 6’3″ 203lb Michigan
Pick Analysis:Some thought Arrington was a very good
player that was overshadowed by Manningham at Michigan. He has good
hands and caught a lot of passes. He lacks breakaway speed, but is a
good possession receiver. A hamstring injury that prevented him from
working out at the combine hurt his stock.
‘Jumpy’ Geathers’ son signs contract with Saints
April 29, 2008
‘Jumpy’ Geathers’ son signs contract with Saints- NOLA.com
UNLV end reportedly added as free agent
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
By Jimmy SmithThe Saints apparently have reached back into their past, in a way, with at least one free-agent acquisition, signing Jeremy Geathers, the son of former defensive end James “Jumpy” Geathers.
Jumpy Geathers was the Saints’ first pick in the 1984 draft, in the second round, out of Wichita State. Jeremy Geathers, who was born in New Orleans, played defensive end at Nevada-Las Vegas. His signing was reported by a South Carolina newspaper.
The Saints have not yet disclosed any free-agent signings.
Geathers, 6 feet 2, 245 pounds, played two years at UNLV
and led the team in sacks each season. Jumpy Geathers played
six seasons in New Orleans.“(New Orleans) is where my dad made his name and had
so many of his best years,” Jeremy Geathers told The
Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun News. “I was kind of praying
for that (to be drafted by the Saints). I lost out at first,
but I won ultimately. I feel like it is home. I would love
to go play for the fans for New Orleans.”The younger Geathers survived a 2005 armed robbery attack
in which he was shot twice. His mother, Debbie, was killed
in a car accident in front of the family’s South
Carolina home in 2000.The Saints are expected to announce all of their
free-agent signings once the team has finished getting
players under contract.
ESPN: Saints make Best Move
April 28, 2008
ESPN – NFC South: Panthers take uncharacteristic gamble – NFL
The Saints came into the draft knowing they had to get a dominant defensive tackle and there were only two available. They made some efforts to move up to get LSU’s Glenn Dorsey, but he went at No. 5 to Kansas City. That left the Saints holding the No. 10 pick, and Southern California’s Ellis as the only option.The Saints didn’t panic. They methodically did what had to be done. General manager Mickey Loomis worked the phones and found New England was willing to deal out of the No. 7 spot. The cost wasn’t that bad: The two teams swapped top picks, and New Orleans gave New England a third-round pick (No. 78) and the Saints added a fifth-round choice (No. 164).
Although the Saints made a bad move trading up for defensive tackle Johnathan Sullivan five years ago, this is a different situation because Ellis is pretty close to a sure thing. New Orleans, which also added Indiana cornerback Tracy Porter in the second round, has spent its offseason building up its defense. Linebackers Jonathan Vilma and Dan Morgan will be important, but Ellis will turn out to be the biggest move of the offseason.
Saints trade up, get their man
April 27, 2008
Saints trade up, get their man – David Gladow – New Orleans Sports
Saints trade up, get their man
Posted by David Gladow, NOLA.com April 26, 2008 3:02PM
Categories: College Sports, NFL, Saints
AP Photo / Kevork DjansezianSedrick Ellis is headed down to New Orleans.(Dave Gladow will be keeping a draft diary for fans of the 2008 NFL Draft, chronicling his exciting day in front of the television … and offering a couch potato’s view of every first-round pick. Exciting? No. Informative? Maybe. Silly? Definitely.)
3:01 p.m. – Again, it didn’t take long for me to be wrong about something. The Saints have traded up to get Sedrick Ellis, after not making a move for Glenn Dorsey, and there was much rejoicing (at least by some). Defensive tackle was a position of dire need for a defense that simply couldn’t hold up against either the run or the pass last year, and Ellis figures to help that immediately. This is a good pick.
Likewise, Jacksoville has traded up for a defensive player (Florida DE Darrick Harvey). A nice player, but top ten? Then again, I can’t fault the Jags too much for identifying a need and trying to aggressively address it.
Gotta love the Bungles sitting put and getting passed over by both the Saints AND the Jaguars in their pursuit of a defensive player. Some things never change.
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