Poll Who was your favorite draft pick and why? (1 Viewer)

[SAINT BIGAL]

I went with McCoy here. Great pick at a position of need. Also very intrigued with this Elliss kid as others have noted!

 

[TenTwo]

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Mainly because:

#1 - My good friend owns one of his favorite local restaurants here in his home town and there is an excellent chance I will get to meet him; the only reason I was watching the draft was to see if we would draft him because we were told the Saints were interested.

#2 - I think he can compete and improve one of our weakest positions on defense.

 

[SaintKenKen]

It really is a tough call but after having Unger be the anchor of this line for the past few years, I really think it was critical that we get a young stud to replace him and I think we did that. This gives a flexible piece to use this year in a number of ways and, presumably, the Center for the next 10 years for the post-Brees era.

Another important item here is that we didn't get greedy and trade up too terribly far to get what we wanted. I was very afraid we were going to sacrifice more future picks in a power grab for this year. I think we did a great job of letting things come to us and improving this year's team while preparing for the future.

 

[Ken-Bob]

I loved the McCoy pick. Was he the best center in the draft (as some have said), only time will tell. But he certainly fits the mold and is an outstanding athlete at a position of need! I thought the entire draft represented strong value and, factoring in the players gotten through trades, could set the tone for this team for the next few years.

As for the Gardner-Johnson pick - All I have for you is this:

And if you don't know what this is, go and find a way to watch the movie Being There (showing my age, to be sure ).

 

[renegadewa]

I liked the McCoy pick because he plugs in a very important position on an offensive line that wasn't exactly hitting on all cylinders the latter half of the season last year. He will certainly soften the blow from Unger retiring.....................but I went with Gardner-Johnson.

We needed a playmaker and not necessarily a playmaker on offense and we got one in Johnson. He's a fearless tackler and has a nose for the ball and has great ball skills.

With the limited picks the Saints had I think they got two players who will contribute and play right away.

 

[sfidc3]

Erik McCoy because I really wanted a center after Unger retired and I wasn't sold on Easton being the long term replacement, not even in the short term to be honest. But whenever I mocked, I would usually get the third or fourth ranked center. I never got McCoy. I was astonished when we got him.
That said, I'm really hopeful Chauncey Garnder-Johnson can transition his game to the NFL. The Saints could really use another playmaker on the back end.

I feel the same way. McCoy (and Bradbury) were the 2 guys I really wanted. This FO with Jeff Ireland involved continues to impress the hell out of me.

I was so P'Oed back in 2014 when Payton traded up for Cooks. One of things I really like about SP though is he did finally realize he needed a real personnel guy to get our drafts back on track....we have been building one of the best young rosters in the NFL ever since....

I still feel only 3 draft picks will make the team....

 

[Swankopotomous]

I really like Mack. I think he's going to come into his own in the league.

 

[Magic_Leather_Jacket]

I'm going to go with Florida safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. I think having a slot corner is uber-critical in today's NFL. And true-slot corners are somewhat rare. I read where this is because in college, most teams don't field true slot corners, they mostly use their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd best corners, with their best two corners playing outside. On some college teams, their 3rd best corner happens to be a safety.

That being said, Florida is tit-for-tat with LSU on the claim of being DBU for a reason. To play in that secondary and to be the best of the bunch says a lot. His versatility is nice, especially early on. But looking into the future a little bit, it's easy to see Chauncey becoming a permanent fixture at SCB for us. In the here and now though, he thickens up our already young, talented, and ascending secondary.

Agreed. Also, it’s important to note that CGJ can also play both safety spots, nickel LB, and in an emergency CB at a high level (not so much CB though bc he needs technique work in deeper routes but the ability is there)

 

[Magic_Leather_Jacket]

McCoy is the easy answer as he fills a need, and he is a TOTAL stud, and proved it at TAM. We got a first round skillz in this dude!

But I will vote for Ellis.
Total darkhorse, our last pick, but the dude has skills and appears smart. We shall see.

from NFLdraftdiamonds....
Elliss seems likely to be a Day 2 or Day 3 prospect given his small-school background. Elliss certainly looks the part of an NFL linebacker. Listed at 6 feet 3 and 240 pounds, Elliss was productive at Idaho. Over 11 games in 2018, Elliss combined for 60 tackles and seven sacks.
Elliss posted a 34.5-inch vertical jump, 4.58-second 40-yard dash, and a 6.49-second 3-cone drill. Kaden Elliss is a player you better keep an eye on because there are a few teams that have fallen in love with him.

He doesn’t have LB instincts and has severe deficiencies in coverage so I don’t think a starting role at LB is in his future. Looks like his ceiling is pass rush specialist. I mean he could develop those skills down the line but he’d be a liability at LB for the foreseeable future.

 

[LoE]

I'm going to go with OLB - Kaden Ellis.

Why? Because all the other picks were somewhat surmisable. This one was not.

Here comes a kid I'd never heard of . An OLB/TE/QB that ran a sub-6.5 three cone at 240 lbs. (Not even Von Miller did that). A coaches son. The son of an NFL defensive lineman. A kid that flips blocking sleds. A kid that jumps 35 inches. A kid that runs sub 4.6 40's. A kid who's 60-yard shuttle was faster than anyone at the entire Combine. A kid that plays wherever he's put on the field and just wins.

Can't wait to see if this guy makes the team. I'm rooting for him.

 

[NatureBoy]

McCoy. An absolute need is solved for the short and long term.

 

[wnelson]

I voted for Bones

 

[NOLove]

Given the talent, the need and the position picked, I love the McCoy pick! But there is something about this Elliss kid that really has my expectations high. I voted for Elliss because I think we struck 7th round gold again.

 

[Slaw]

What's crazy is that I would be thrilled with this draft if we had all our picks and drafted McCoy in round 1 and Gardner-Johnson in round 2.

 

[bobad]

McCoy. I like to spend 1st and 2nd round choices on big linemen, both O and D. Boring I know, but they are the heart of the team. Heck, they run the team.

Men that big who are quick, fast, and athletic are rare, and will beat their man on most plays. Gotta draft them, gotta pay them, gotta keep them.