Saints can afford to be flexible on draft day

By Darrell Laurant  |   Friday, April 27, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

New Orleans Saints
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The New Orleans Saints didn't wait around for the draft to fill gaps in their two-deep lineup -- they got a head start during free agency.

The Saints needed a linebacker who could play in the middle, so they signed Brian Simmons. They needed a safety to go along with Jay Bellamy and Roman Harper, and got Kevin Kaesviharn. Their corners are getting old, so in came Jason David from Indianapolis. And if all that wasn't enough, New Orleans added a veteran possession receiver (David Patten), a solid tight end (Eric Johnson) and even a kicker (Olindo Mare).

So what's left to worry about this Saturday? Not that much -- a good thing, since the Saints' remarkable 2006 season dropped them to No. 27 in the picking order.

Several of the more high-profile mock drafts have New Orleans taking Arkansas cornerback Chris Houston, a workout warrior whose stock has elevated considerably since the end of the 2006 season, with its opening pick. That may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Wide receiver is also an area of need, since Joe Horn moved within the division to Atlanta. Marques Colston was quite possibly the steal of last year's draft in the seventh round, but teams know about him now, and he'll need someone else on the outside to deflect and double coverage attention from him. Tennessee's Robert Meachem -- long and fast -- would fit the bill there, or any one of a number of other solid receivers -- Dwayne Bowe of nearby LSU, Sidney Rice of South Carolina, the USC tandem of Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith.

Other mocks in national magazines have New Orleans winding up with Fresno State corner Marcus McCauley and even with Arkansas DE Jamaal Anderson, although it's unlikely Anderson would fall that far. Plus the Saints just re-signed Charles Grant for major money.

It's a tribute to what the New Orleans front office has done that the Saints can be flexible on Saturday. Because of their low (or is it high?) pick, they won't get a lot of the players they'd like to get, but it isn't the end of the world.

After Katrina, they already know what that might look like.

Get original New Orleans Saints draft coverage at RealFootball365.com
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