FdL's 2013 Saints Mock Draft Board (1 Viewer)

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I've seen a lot of other posters here on SR and elsewhere typing up their mock drafts for our team and often doing an excellent job. So I've decided to chime in with my own mock for how I hope our 2013 draft turns out. One difference from how I've done this mock compared to others is that it's a draft board for the Saints, featuring multiple selection options per round to account for the unpredictable nature of the thing.

Before I get to the mock itself, I'll describe the scenario the Saints are drafting in:
-Spagnuolo is retained as Defensive Coordinator, and handles the primary scouting and individual coaching responsibilities for defensive personnel. Joe Vitt is promoted strictly to the Assistant Head Coach spot, with Jim Leavitt from the 49ers coming over to become the Linebackers Coach.
-Players not retained or resigned include Jermon Bushrod, Will Smith, Sedrick Ellis, Roman Harper, Will Herring, Devery Henderson, Turk McBride, Chase Daniel, and Scott Shanle.
-Players with restructured contracts include Jonathan Vilma, Jahri Evans, and Jabari Greer. The franchise tag is not used.
-Chris Ivory is traded to the Detroit Lions for their Sixth Round Draft Pick.
-Malcolm Jenkins is moved to Nickel Cornerback and David Hawthorne is moved to WILL Linebacker while Jonathan Vilma is moved to SAM Linebacker.
-The only free agent signed by the Saints is Jake Long.

That done, let's start with the actual mock draft board. Our needs are, in order, as such: RDE, SS/FS, CB, K, QB, DT, C.

First Round
1. Alex Okafer, DE Texas. Okafer is the most complete of this trio, but can be inconsistent and has been manhandled by larger opponents. He has the distinction of making a splash play (forced fumble, sack for a loss, etc) in every game he was in for the Longhorns in 2012.
2. Ezekiel Ansah, DE BYU. Ziggy may be a safer pick than Jordan, especially considering the latter's injury. That said, he is inexperienced and isn't a great run-stopper. He could go before our pick, but that's every player.
3. Dion Jordan, DE Oregon. Even with the labrum injury he's worth our first pick if the other two options are taken. Get the guy in the weight room and have Spags coach him up, and we could see great things from this young man.
Third Round
1. Bacarri Rambo, FS Geogria. Besides having the best name in the draft, Rambo is a proven ballhawk and hard-hitter with First Round talent, but has had disciplinary problems that have hurt his stock and earned him a four-game suspension in 2012. I think surrounding him with high character guys like our team has a bounty of will iron out that issue.
2. Shawn Williams, SS Georgia. Rambo's teammate at Georgia is not as much of a force in the passing game as he is, but is rangier and more versatile. He has great tackling technique (leading the team) but was transparent on the big stage against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
3. T.J. McDonald, FS USC. A big, tough free safety, McDonald led USC in tackles a year ago but saw his numbers plummet in 2012. He doesn't cover as well as his teammates and doesn't have the speed of other safeties, but he tackles well and has a nose for the ball. He carries the danger of coming from USC, and could easily be drafted before our time if he has a good combine.
Fourth Round
1. Sanders Commings, CB Georgia. At 6'2", 216 pounds, and running a 4.4 40-yard time, Commings can be that big physical corner that the Saints have been wanting. He didn't shy away from the spotlight in the 2012 SEC Championship game, coming down with an endzone interception. His tackling technique leaves something to be desired, but there's not a receiver he can't keep up and go up with.
2. Rod Sweeting, CB Georgia Tech. Sweeting is slightly smaller and slower than Commings, but is still a good defensive back in his own right. For a mid-round selection he has the potential to be a difference-maker in the secondary, especially if paired with another young corner in Corey White or Patrick Robinson.
3. Tyrann Mathieu, CB/S LSU. The Honey Badger has fallen on hard times, getting dismissed from LSU and entering rehab earlier in 2011. He's gotten better now and is entering the draft, but hasn't played football in some time and remains undersized. He'll do best as a slot corner and punt returner, and has great playmaking ability. His character will get tested after entering the NFL, but joining a team filled with positive-thinking guys like the Saints could bode well for him.

I'll do the last three rounds later, have to meet with family now. Feel free to discuss away, I'd love to hear what others think.
 
Are you from Georgia? Maybe a Georgia fan? You have a lot of players from Georgia on that list. I like the Okafor pick.
 
I'm not sure I totally agree with your pre-draft scenario but I like the picks.
 
I think you have to add offensive tackles, defensive tackles and safeties to your draft board in the first round.

We may have a need at defensive end, but you just cannot bet the farm that we are going to take one there.

It will all depends on who is available and the value of the pick.
 
IMO Harper is retained, I can't see why he wouldn't be. Vilma is too small for SAM. I expect most players with big contracts to restructure including Evans, Brees, Harper and Greer. Maybe Hawthorne too. I believe we hold on to Bushrod as well. No matter which direction we go with Galette (whether or not we give him the starting role) I fully expect us to draft a DE to compete with him. I also see us drafting an OT and CB.
 
I like the pics, but more than that I like the draft board format you used. I would prefer to take Jordan in the first if he is there, Rambo would be great in 3rd and Mathieu in the 4th. I don't think will go after Long, we will keep Bushrod.
 
Boondock said:
Are you from Georgia? Maybe a Georgia fan? You have a lot of players from Georgia on that list. I like the Okafor pick.
No, I was just looking at the positional rankings and where we'll be drafting seems to line up with where we're expecting to be drafting. In my opinion the SEC has the best defenses in college football, but the top talent from the Texas schools and Alabama will be gone before we draft. So I see us settling for the lower tier players like those from Georgia.

guillermo said:
I think you have to add offensive tackles, defensive tackles and safeties to your draft board in the first round.

We may have a need at defensive end, but you just cannot bet the farm that we are going to take one there.

It will all depends on who is available and the value of the pick.
Agreed, I'm just starting the basic blueprint right now. In what I have in my head (and haven't put to paper yet) we'll be taking Defensive Tackles in the later rounds or as UDFA's. I'll elaborate on that in a little while with the second half of the post.

Blessedog said:
IMO Harper is retained, I can't see why he wouldn't be. Vilma is too small for SAM. I expect most players with big contracts to restructure including Evans, Brees, Harper and Greer. Maybe Hawthorne too. I believe we hold on to Bushrod as well. No matter which direction we go with Galette (whether or not we give him the starting role) I fully expect us to draft a DE to compete with him. I also see us drafting an OT and CB.
Harper was the worst-graded safety in football. He missed more tackles than anyone else on the team and constantly missed interception opportunities - the stats are on PFT I think. I've got a big hunch that he's also the anonymous player who ripped Spags; of the vocal leaders on the defense who decried that, he didn't say a word. It's just fishy to me. After all the trouble Brees went through to get his $100 million contract I don't see him being open to renegotiating, even if he should be. There's better alternatives to Bushrod in the draft and especially free agency (see Jake Long). Anyone who can hold their spot in the line without needing a tight end or running back to help them on every down is an upgrade to me; not getting a false start penalty at least once per drive is just icing on the cake.

Brees Lee said:
I like the pics, but more than that I like the draft board format you used. I would prefer to take Jordan in the first if he is there, Rambo would be great in 3rd and Mathieu in the 4th. I don't think will go after Long, we will keep Bushrod.
I really wish we wouldn't keep Bushrod, he isn't that good. If we just focused on Long with what cap space we can get together it would immediately improve the whole line, not just offensive tackle. Thanks for the compliment, I think having a board is much better than single picks because so much can change in the draft with just a few picks.
 
treeduck said:
If we only get a 6th for Ivory I would keep him.
Why? So he can continue to not get enough carries to really effect the gameplan? He's the odd man out of our RB's - he doesn't pass protect as well as Ingram, he doesn't catch as well as Sproles, and can't do whatever else is asked of him including those things like PT. That said, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is the year that PT is taken out of the roster - Ingram and Sproles can do what he's been doing for years, and he had the smallest impact on the offense as he ever has in 2012. I hate to see it happen, but one of our RB's has to go for the good of the team, and I'd rather get something out of them than watch them go somewhere else for nothing.
 
Okafor strongly reminds me of DeMarcus Ware in every way.

...Well, except his speed.
 
Why? So he can continue to not get enough carries to really effect the gameplan? He's the odd man out of our RB's - he doesn't pass protect as well as Ingram, he doesn't catch as well as Sproles, and can't do whatever else is asked of him including those things like PT. That said, I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is the year that PT is taken out of the roster - Ingram and Sproles can do what he's been doing for years, and he had the smallest impact on the offense as he ever has in 2012. I hate to see it happen, but one of our RB's has to go for the good of the team, and I'd rather get something out of them than watch them go somewhere else for nothing.

I think we can get a 4th or at least a 5th for him.
 
Harper was the worst-graded safety in football. He missed more tackles than anyone else on the team and constantly missed interception opportunities - the stats are on PFT I think. I've got a big hunch that he's also the anonymous player who ripped Spags; of the vocal leaders on the defense who decried that, he didn't say a word. It's just fishy to me.

harper is one of the best safeties in the league and arguably our best defensive player

id bet my left one that harper isnt going anywhere.........its gettin a little droopy anyway

if you dont think we are going to re-sign bushrod, LT immediately becomes the #1 priority and you dont have us drafting or even considering one in the entire draft?
 
This is our best scenario (unless we trade down some spots in Rd 1). Can u do a Rd 2 for the heck of it?
 
CantonLegend said:
harper is one of the best safeties in the league and arguably our best defensive player

id bet my left one that harper isnt going anywhere.........its gettin a little droopy anyway

if you dont think we are going to re-sign bushrod, LT immediately becomes the #1 priority and you dont have us drafting or even considering one in the entire draft?
He doesn't play as well as his highlight reels would indicate. He came away from 2012 with only two interceptions and no sacks. Yes, he finished second on the team in tackles but too many long runs went through his zones and I can't begin to count how many tackles he missed. Yes he is a leader. Yes he is a good tackler. But there are upgrades at the position and he's eating up too much cap space for what he does. Classic cap casualty.
Prodigy said:
This is our best scenario (unless we trade down some spots in Rd 1). Can u do a Rd 2 for the heck of it?
Sure, after I get the rest done.
 

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