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.
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