Saints "quietly" research Laurainitis and Jenkins (1 Viewer)

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Not unexpected news...but still encouraging to read! The article also mentions that the Saints likely will not retain Simoneau:

--JOB INTERVIEW?: Two Ohio State defenders, linebacker James Laurainitis and cornerback Malcom Jenkins, are possible top-10 draft choices in April's NFL draft. The two Buckeyes are also players who the New Orleans Saints have quietly begun to research deeply. New Orleans, which completed a disappointing 7-9 season with back-to-back losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears, will pick 10th in the draft, so Laurainitis and Jenkins could have been auditioning in their future professional home Monday night.

...At linebacker, only outside linebacker Scott Fujita's job is safe. Mark Simoneau is a free agent and likely won't be retained, and the Saints are not married to Brian Simmons or Scott Shanle.
http://www.al.com/sports/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/sports/1199787364172940.xml&coll=3
 
ummmm "Quietly begun to research deeply"???? Sorry, but writing an article about who we are looking at isnt what I call being quiet....... I do think that landing Lauraintis would be nice; I seriously doubt we even have a chance..... He'll be taken before we can say "orly"....
 
They better look hard at DLine first. You'd be hard pressed to find a great DT in the NFL that wasn't a first rounder. You don't find guys that big, that fast, and that athletic in later rounds.
 
There was a pretty good article on Lariniatis in last weeks paper prior to the BCS game...from what I gather...he may NOT declare himself eligible for the draft and decide to stay his senior year at Ohio State...kinda along the same lines as what Glen Dorsey did this year with LSU...
 
I think the guy we pick will come down to 1 of these guys:

Kenny Phillips
Malcom Jenkins
Lauriniatis
Mike Jenkins
 
was actually disapointed in Laurainitis (sp)-I watched him almost every play and to be honest when LSU went up 31-17 he seemed to lose interest and his effort dropped. he may have had 18 tackles, but none were game changers and he had no big plays.

The best players on the field who id like in B&G were Hester (Mid round replacement for deuce?) and Dorsey
 
I don't want either of them... gimme Phillips at #10. We can try to trade for Vilma to be our MIKE LB for years to come (if healthy), and we can sign a CB, or take one of the many good CBs that will be available... I like that Leodis (last name?) kid... he's a true cover CB, and he can also return kicks.
 
Up until last night Laurinitis easily looked to be a top 10 draft pick. Last night, ??? Was last night the anamoly, just a bad game (he did make a bowl record 18 tackles)? Or was his poor performance against better competition a reflection of how he will fair in the pros? I don't know but what seemed to be a surefire lock that "we'll be incredibly lucky if he falls to 10" now is a gamble.

Jenkins on the other hand looked like a pretty solid pick. Not really a gamble. He's big, physical so he'd be a perfect fit for the Saints man coverage scheme. The problem with picking Jenkins at 10 is - is he the best CB in the draft? At 10 you should be able to land the best CB in the draft. Jenkins is a nice player but I'm not convinced he's the corner in this draft.

Last night the only thing that Ohio St. sold me on was the fact they were no where near as good as LSU......
 
Laurinitis had a good game tackling wise last night. Nothing about him really impressed me. Jenkins had some what of a give me int. Last night made me think more and more about upgrade the defensive line in the draft. I think I would rater Ellis than either of them. We spent far too much money on Grant for him to have the type of year he had last season. I think a better DT would help him out alot. However, I wouldnt be depressed in the Saints picked Jenkins.
 
What I noticed

about Laurainitis last night was that when LSU would spread the field and he was forced into coverage he seemed to become a liability, there were a few times when LSU's TE beat him in one on one (not refering to the trick line-up play on the goal line either)..... but of course I am not expert just an observation.
 
man just as long as we draft defense, were acting like only the first round pick can make a impact, there are 6 more rounds after that, alot of guys are gonna fall, were drafting pretty high in each round, I'll say our first 3 picks could end up being starters.
 
Does Laurainitis plan to announce he's going into the draft? I haven't heard either way. How does he compare to Dan Conner?
 
There were several plays where i saw the a memeber LSU oline drive JL back 10-15 yards on running plays. He seems like a sideline to sideline guys, not a pure run stuffer or plugger
 
They better look hard at DLine first. You'd be hard pressed to find a great DT in the NFL that wasn't a first rounder. You don't find guys that big, that fast, and that athletic in later rounds.

Take a look at the Colts defensive tackles. Their starter is an undrafted free agent -Ed Johnson out of Penn State.

And don't forget La'Roi Glover made his way up through NFL Europe to become an impact starter with the Saints.

Perhaps the best nose guard the Saints ever had was Jim Wilks, and he was drafted in the 12th round back in 1981.

You can find some gems in the later rounds... that takes great scouting and finding someone who fits in well in your scheme.

Most importantly, it takes the player to show he wants to be a great one and is willing to do the work it takes to get there.
 

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