DWD's *UPDATED* Full Offseason Mock, and projected starters for 2011... (1 Viewer)

DownWithDisease

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I've updated my full offseason mock just before the NFL Combine gets rolling. Hopefully a new CBA gets worked out sooner rather than later, but anyways... here goes. Let me know what you think.

Saints Free-Agents

Roman Harper, The Seattle game aside, Roman played his best season as a pro. I think we’ll re-sign him and he’ll be back next year and for years to come. I think Roman will still get better.

Lance Moore, Lance has definitely proven his worth within our offense, and he deserves a multi-year contract. Very important piece of our offense.

David Thomas, Thomas is a very versatile, hard working player that the Saints will make every effort to keep around.

Jonathan Goodwin, Goody has been a solid C for us, but his replacement is already on the roster. I’d love to keep him around because he can play both C and G, but the price would have to be right.

Zach Strief. Zach will be back. He won’t demand a big salary, and he knows the system.

Jermon Bushrod, Decent, but by no means is he worth “real” LT money. I think we’ll want him back, but if wants too much moola, he’s gone.

Pierre Thomas, I’m getting the feeling that Pierre will not be back. He seems angry at the Saints for not paying him last offseason, and then mishandling his ankle injury. My gut says he’s gone.

Jason Kyle, makes a decent salary for a LS, and the guy that replaced him was solid. We’ll see, but I think he’s a goner.

Anthony Hargrove, I think Tony stays. We gave him a chance when nobody else would, and he got a ring out of it. I think he’ll stay.

Remi Ayodele, solid, but unspectacular NT. I think we’ll keep him, but he also needs to be upgraded.

Jeff Charleston, The “Vanilla Gorilla” will be back.

Marvin Mitchell, not starter quality, but a decent STer and reserve LB. I think he’ll be back.

Usama Young, seems to have regressed, and I don’t think we’ll keep him.

Leigh Torrence, he’ll back as a cheap 4th CB and STer.

Ladell Betts, GONE

Julius Jones, GONE

Darren Sharper, age finally caught up to the future HOFer.. I think he retires.

Pierson Prioleau, re-signed (as an asst. secondary coach)

Matt Giordano, re-signed for a cheap contract as a reserve FS and STer

Scott Shanle, I think we’ll try to bring him back and he’ll want to come back. If he’s starting again next year, I’ll kick my dog. The new Mark Simoneau.

Kawika Mitchell, GONE

Danny Clark, GONE

Jimmy Wilkerson, decent rotational DL with some versatility. May get re-signed, but not make the final cut.

Courtney Roby, solid STer, but worthless as a WR, and seems to have lost “it” as a KR. GONE

DeShawn Wynn, GONE

Tory Humphrey, He’ll be back and have a chance to make it as our 3rd TE.

Heath Evans, Great guy, but his skills have diminished due to age and injury. GONE

Chris Reis, GONE

Anthony Waters (RFA), tendered at the lowest level. Maybe just GONE

Carl Nicks (RFA), Tendered with a 1st and a 3rd. One of the best young G’s in the league.

Garrett Hartley (RFA), tendered and re-signed with little-to-no effort.

Jo-Lonn Dunbar (RFA), tendered at the lowest level, but may have a chance to start next season!

Possible Cuts

Reggie Bush, Reggie isn’t (and shouldn’t) get anything close to the salary he’s due next season. He’ll be asked to re-structure for A LOT less, and I don’t think he’ll do it when all is said and done. I think we cut him.

Jeremy Shockey, Shockey still has skills, but he gets hurt way too often, and with Jimmy Graham now on his way to stardom, Shockey’s just not worth the money he’s due. GONE. (*Already cut)

Devery Henderson, Devery appears to have lost a step, and his role in the offense got smaller and smaller as this past season progressed. He could have helped his case by flashing some skills as a KR, but that weak, scared cr@p he brought was embarrassing. Arrington takes his spot… GONE

Randall Gay, Gay spent most of the season on IR after sustaining a concussion while on the sideline. He’s a decent nickel CB, but Patrick Robinson does his job for less money and a lot more potential. GONE

Draft 2011

1. Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue – Kerrigan had a very productive college career, and is known as a high motor hard working player. His lack of elite athleticism will keep him on the board until the Saints pick at #24, and he can come in and contribute immediately for our defense. Has the upside to develop into our best DE down the road.

2. Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech – Williams has elite-level talent, but a sub-par season in 2010 sees his stock take a little hit. He has the speed, quickness, and athleticism to take it to the house on any given carry. He needs some work in the receiving game and in pass-protection, but he’s talent as a runner is HUGE.

3a. Randall Cobb, WR/KR, Kentucky – Cobb would come in and serve as the new Reggie Bush in our offense. He is an explosive receiving threat, excellent return guy, and has also had some reps running the ball. He’s a mixture between Percy Harvin and Dexter McCluster IMO, and he would instantly upgrade our return game.
3b. Sione Fua, DT, Stanford – Fua would be a nice addition to the DT rotation, and has the upside to become an upper-level NT in the NFL. He’d start off as a rotational guy, and go from there.

5. (projected compensatory pick) Darius Morris, G/OT, Temple – Morris is a versatile OL, that could play OG or RT at the next level. Has nice upside, and could be a steal here. Could eventually take over at RT.

7. Brian Lainhart, FS, Kent St. – Saints brass pulls another small school gem out of the 7th round in Kent State’s Lainhart. We will need depth at S, and this kid could contribute on STs from day 1.

Free-Agency 2011

Manny Lawson, OLB, 49ers – Lawson is TOPS on my “want” list. I think he would be the perfect SAM in our defense, and with his strength and athleticism, he would instantly make our entire defense better.

Shaun Rogers, DT, FA – At the end of the day, I think Rogers lands here. He wants to play for a winner, and we’re the best chance for him to get a ring before he retires. A motivated Rogers makes our entire front 7 look A LOT better. The run D would be close to dominant with him and Lawson added to the mix.

Ronnie Brown, RB, Dolphins – Ronnie Brown has tailed-off considerably over the past season. He’s had a ton of carries over his career, and has battled injuries as well. He’s no longer a feature back, but he still has enough left in the tank to contribute in a platoon system. His receiving ability, and blitz pick-up skills would be valuable for our new look backfield.

Brian Leonard, FB/HB, Bengals – Leonard is a tweener RB, but I think he would be a really good fit for our offense. He’s a willing blocker, but his strength in his versatility. He’s a very good receiving RB, can create mismatches vs. LBs in coverage, and he can contribute on ST’s. Again, not a true FB… but our offense really doesn’t need a “true” FB. Plus, Leonard would come cheap.


Projected Starting Line-Up 2011

Offense

QB – Drew Brees
RB – Ryan Williams, Chris Ivory, Ronnie Brown, Lynell Hamilton
FB – Brian Leonard
WR – Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Robert Meachem, Randall Cobb, Adrian Arrington
TE – Jimmy Graham, David Thomas, Troy Humphrey
LT – Jermon Bushrod (Charles Brown if Bushrod gets over-paid)
LG – Carl Nicks
C – Matt Tenant
RG – Jahri Evans
RT – Jonathon Stinchcomb

Defense

RDE – Will Smith
DT – Sedrick Ellis
DT – Shaun Rogers
LDE – Ryan Kerrigan
WLB – Jonathon Casillas
MLB – Jonathon Vilma
SLB – Manny Lawson
RCB – Tracy Porter
LCB – Jabari Greer
NCB – Patrick Robinson
SS – Roman Harper
FS – Malcolm Jenkins

Specialists

K – Garrett Hartley
P – Thomas Morestead
KR – Randall Cobb
PR – Randall Cobb
 
nice work, I'd be okay with all of that... except for Bush not being back, many players i've liked have come and gone, but for some reason i find the prospect of him not being a Saint very upsetting...

good job!
 
nice work, I'd be okay with all of that... except for Bush not being back, many players i've liked have come and gone, but for some reason i find the prospect of him not being a Saint very upsetting...

good job!

Thanks... I'm not crazy about the idea of seeing Reggie go either, but I just have the feeling it's going to happen. If he takes the pay cut we try to offer him (which will be HUGE in my opinion) then that's great... but I don't think he's gonna go for it. I think he'll go into it with an open mind, but when he sees what the Saints offer him, he'll get insulted and walk.
 
i can't disagree with anything you said......i wonder if loomis or payton ever read this board.....thanks for your hard work on this post.....i think cobb is the most interesting pick you made.
 
Gimme a little more... What did you like about it? What didn't you like? Agree/disagree?

Come on bruh.

LOL, sorry, drive by reply.

But I like the prospect of drafting Cobb. We can use someone like him.

I have us drafting Kerrigan also in one of my mock, the more I analyze it, I can just him landing in our lapse. Might not be a guy who will start immediately, but his work either and motor will help him compete for a starting job. He would be like a Jeff Charleston, except with talent.

I really like your draft, and it looks realistic.
 
I really don't think we'll land all four of those free agents. I also can't agree with the running backs you have there. I honestly can't say who I think will be there next year because I have no idea right now, but I seriously doubt we sign Brown and draft Williams. Very interesting though. Thanks for putting in the time for that. I enjoyed it.
 
I really don't think we'll land all four of those free agents. I also can't agree with the running backs you have there. I honestly can't say who I think will be there next year because I have no idea right now, but I seriously doubt we sign Brown and draft Williams. Very interesting though. Thanks for putting in the time for that. I enjoyed it.

That would be awesome, i would love that but givin the history of loomis and payton in free agency i have to agree with Socbe7
 
Loving Ryan Williams in the 2nd round. If we get him there i will be exstatic!
 
So you see us losing Reggie and PT, I think one way or another we end up finding a way to hold on to either, doubt we go after Ronnnie Brown. I pretty much agree with you for the most part on everything else, especially bringing in Shaun Rogers and Manny Lawson, those 2 could make our defense much better. We will probably lose a couple more than you expect, but that's always a given. Really like your draft board except for Cobb, I think we can hold out till next offseason to address WR issues, but I understand why you would want him.
 
I like it a lot. I'd rather go after FB/RB LeRon McClain over Leonard though, but would be quite happy with either one.

Well done.
 
I'm kind of surprised at the Ronnie Brown "hate"... Well, it's not really hate, but most don't like him in this mock.

Here's my thinking behind the Ronnie Brown signing... Like I said, I think he's pretty much a shell of his former self, and the injuries and carries on his body are really adding up... BUT... moving out of Miami's run-heavy, 2 back offense, into our pass-first RBBC offense, I think we could get 1-2 really quality seasons out of him! He would give us a veteran presence at the position, a guy that get tough yards between the tackles, pick up the blitz well, and his ability as a receiver out of the backfield would be really nice in our system. In our committee approach, we could keep him healthy... Plus, at this stage in his career, he probably wants to play for a winner, and his price-tag would be very do-able!

As far as the comment stating they would prefer LaRon McClain over Brian Leonard at FB... SO WOULD I! However, I think the pending release release of Willis McGahee in Baltimore means that the Ravens plan on retaining McClain and giving him a more prominent role in their offense and running game. Plus, McClain will command ALOT more $$$ than a guy like Leonard... Also, Leonard is a superior receiving threat to McClain.

Thanks for all of the feedback guys... I appreciate it. :9:

P.S. If you really don't like Ronnie Brown, who do you think would be a cheap, veteran, option at RB in free-agency, that we could bring into our rotation... realistically. (and NO, DeAngelo Williams is NOT realistic.)
 

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