After the tremendous NFL Draft New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton orchestrated last year, it is hard to second guess any selections he made this year. But let’s go ahead and do it anyway. Sitting at No. 27 with a number of options, the offensive-minded Payton went with Tennessee receiver Robert Meachem. This is the type of selection you have to convince yourself to like. These thoughts may have crossed Saints fans’ minds when Meachem’s name was announced. “Oh, OK. That could work. I mean he had a good year. He ran fast at the combine. Yeah, he’s awesome.” Meachem did have more than 1,000 receiving yards last season with 11 touchdowns – well nine because two were against a Pac-10 team, and those don’t count. But I just think the Saints needed to go cornerback with this pick. Yes, they did sign Jason David from the Colts in free agency, but the more corners the Saints can get to push Fred Thomas down the depth chart, the better. Arkansas cornerback Chris Houston seemed like the best pick here, but perhaps his resemblance to troubled and dreadlocked Titans cornerback Pacman Jones worried the Saints. Besides, the Saints already have a predator in the defensive backfield – Mike McKenzie. And you don’t want to mess with Mike McKenzie – he has heat vision. To be honest, I would like the Meachem pick a lot more if he didn’t wear Home Depot-orange and whistle Rocky Top everywhere he went. Moving on. The Saints hit home runs in last year’s draft with players from small schools like starting guard Jahri Evans and rookie sensation Marques Colston from Bloomsburg and Hofstra, respectively. The Saints decided to take the small-school approach this year too, selecting four players from second-tier football universities. I have always been a firm believer in drafting players from big-name universities, but just the like the hair on Mel Kiper’s head, the scouting reports on small-school players get bigger every year. With their second pick (No. 66 overall) the Saints went defense when they selected the Golden Flash out of Kent State, cornerback Usama Young. Even though Kent State has never exactly been a hot bed for NFL talent (Antonio Gates never played football there, just basketball), Young seems like a solid pick. The four-year starter ran a sub-four 40-yard dash at his Pro Day, and unlike the 5-foot-8-inch Jason David, Young is big at 6 feet, 200 pounds. The Saints also took two offensive linemen to add depth to an already solid front five, but offensive linemen are boring and will not be discussed for the duration of this column. My favorite small-schooler has to be Wingate University cornerback David Jones. I had never even heard of the tiny North Carolina school until he was taken in the fifth round, but Jones could’ve played flag football at Wingate and still be better than Fred Thomas. The most intriguing pick of the Saints’ draft came on day two when they went after a rare big-program player. Antonio Pittman from The Ohio State University, who was listed as high as the No. 4 running back in the draft by nfldraftcountdown.com, could end up being a steal – if he gets his mind right. Reports said Pittman left the Horseshoe after his senior year because he was losing carries to an underclassman. Behind studs Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, Pittman will be lucky to get a carry at all. Many folks believe the Saints really don’t need another running back on the roster, but with third-stringer Aaron Stecker getting up there (31 years old), Pittman could lend a helping hand. Pittman did not get much pub last season playing with high-profile guys like Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr., but he racked up over 1,000 rushing yards both seasons he was the starting tailback. I’d like to talk briefly about a young man who was not drafted by the Saints, but rather signed as a free agent. Defensive tackle Walter Thomas out of – bear with me now – Northwest Mississippi Community College is one of the most interesting physical specimens to come along in years. But I’m not talking about a physical specimen like Calvin Johnson. He’s more like Ruben Studdard. Thomas is 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 374 pounds and is known to do back flips and cartwheels when he’s not testing the limits of all-you-can-eat buffets. He bench presses 475 pounds, squats 800 pounds and reportedly ran between a 4.8 and 4.9 in the 40-yard dash. The only major concern about Thomas, other than his striking resemblance to the Superdome, is his lack of experience. After transferring from Oklahoma State in 2004, Thomas did not play in 2005 and had just 16 tackles in 2006 – in just two games! The Saints are a little shaky at DT, and Thomas would bring new meaning to “plugging up the middle.” I hope this dude makes this year’s squad – as do New Orleans restaurant owners. The Saints addressed some needs but could have done more to help out the defense in the first round. Overall, I’d give the Saints draft a B-. And with finals coming up, a B- sounds pretty good to me. Then again, any passing grade sounds good to me.
—–Contact Keith Claverie at [email protected]