Saints 2013 Draft
Thoughts on John Jenkins?
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I think as long as Jenkins keeps his weight under control that's a great player. I honestly didn't know if they were going to go in the big, 100% pure run-stuffer direction (had my eye on Jesse Williams), but EJW hit it on the head when he said our issues have had more to do with the inability to stop the run consistently and create favorable passing situations than the presence of players capable of rushing the passer.
I think unless Jenkins shows up out of shape he's pushing for reps this season. I don't think he'll outright beat out Bunkley, but he 20-30 snaps a game sounds reasonable to me. By comparison, I see him being used more than Hicks was last season... and speaking of Hicks, you now have the depth at nose that will free the defense up to move him around.
TCU, I agree also that it sure looks like the Saints let the draft come to them and got clear value with almost every selection. I also really like the way they leveraged the Ivory trade to get a guy who could be starting for us this year in Jenkins. While I really liked Ivory, the fact was that in this offense there is not going to be that bellweather 20 plus carry a game RB, thus at best Ivory would never give us what Jenkins can on Sundays.
Time will tell, but for a team with only 5 picks and none in the 2nd round, I think Loomis did a great job.
The issue with Ivory was that we simply had too many running backs. He took advantage of his opportunities every time he had them, and fans would instantly get back up on the "Give Ivory the ball" train (hard to believe people on the SSF actually wanted to cut him during the preseason... someone dig up those old threads). But then Pierre Thomas would come back and remind us how good he was, and Ingram down the stretch looked as good as Ivory and the team has more invested in him.
Bottom line: Ivory was a UFA next year. The chances of resigning him were nonexistent. It was the right thing to do, we got something for him and he gets the chance to be 'the man' in New York. As long as he stays healthy, he's going to be a fantasy footballers dream come true.
When you say that you expect Stills to make an impact this season, does that mean you can see him breaking into the top 3 of our WR corp? Or just getting in on 5 wide sets occasionally? I'd love to hear your prediction for the WRs that make the final 52 this season.
I feel like this draft was solid and will fill needs for years to come, even though there isn't a WOW player in the bunch. If we'd kept the 2nd rounder and taken Jamie Collins I'd be over the moon. I think he will be a pro bowler.
I think Stills will be in the top 3/4 of the of the rotation. With Henderson gone--and barring a FA signing--everything behind Colston and Moore is wide open. Courtney Roby, who I thought looked great in camp last year and was on the way to becoming a next Lance Moore, was still mostly relegated to special teams last season. Nick Toon is coming off an injury and still an unknown. And Joe Morgan--who is the only other real deep threat--is not nearly as polished and well-rounded a receiver as Stills. I thought Morgan progressed tremendously last season, but he was still very much a niche player--he just improved at tracking the ball down the field and catching those deep pases.
If we were making a depth chart now, I'd have Stills as the #3. Nick Toon SHOULD push him for snaps, but he's no more of a known commodity at this point than Stills is.
Oh and I really wanted Collins, too. To the point where I was hoping we'd find a way to trade up into the 2nd and get him. I think he has a very bright future.
There's no evidence Jarvis Jones would have been a day one starter either. Like someone mentioned, a lot of the top pass rushers were question marks. Vacarro was the safe pick
I think that's what a lot of people are missing. I think it was EJW that pointed out that pass rusher is not a hole, it was addressed during the offseason with Victor Butler. I know none of the current options are bonafide stallions, but the only potential draft picks that truly separated themselves from who we had on hand were Dion Jordan and Ezekial Ansah, and that's because they are physical specimens (you could argue Mingo but I think he's risky).
Jarvis Jones' measurables and production are about the same as Victor Butler's were coming out of college. I think Jones has the intangibles to be a very good player, but I don't see how he would have separated himself from the pack there... that's really putting all your eggs in one rookie basket.
In short, Vacarro has a better shot at impacting the defense this season.