With the second pick of the 2006 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints select … nobody.
The Saints should trade down with either the New York Jets (fourth pick) or the Oakland Raiders (seventh pick) and get their first-round pick plus additional draft picks.
Maybe the Arizona Cardinals at the 10th pick would be interested in jumping ahead of the Tennessee Titans to grab USC quarterback Matt Leinart to replace an aging Kurt Warner.
But the truth is New Orleans has more holes in its offensive line than the city’s levies.
With an injured Drew Brees hopping into the saddle for next season, the Saints should be targeting University of Virginia offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson.
Although Ferguson’s 6-foot-6-inch, 313-pound frame is small for an NFL offensive lineman, he possesses outstanding athletic abilities. His 4.85 time in the 40 combined with his quickness off the ball allows him to neutralize pass rushes around his flank.
Ferguson can also be important to the running game because he is fast enough to get out in front of the play and block linebackers or cornerbacks.
Ferguson will be an Orlando Pace/Willie Roaf type of lineman who can team with last year’s first-round pick Jammal Brown to anchor the offensive line for the next decade.
Ferguson will not be there at the 10th pick, but he might be there for the seventh pick as teams in slots 1-through-6 have to fill other needs. Even if the Saints trade down and the Jets, Packers or 49ers scoop Ferguson, linebacker A.J. Hawk or defensive lineman Haloti Ngata would help an average defensive unit.
New Orleans had three huge departures on the offensive line in the offseason.
Two-time Pro Bowl center LeCharles Bentley dodged the New Orleans franchise tag and signed with the Cleveland Browns on March 11.
Basically, the Saints let one of the premier young offensive lineman walk while they got diddly-poo in return.
Oops. Better keep the paper bag handy.
Veteran tackle Wayne Gandy was shipped to division rival Atlanta Falcons for safety Bryan Scott and a late-round draft pick.
Entering his 13th year as a professional, the Saints made sure Gandy did not forget his adult diapers and all of the yellow hankies NFL officials threw on his behalf.
New Orleans led the league with 1,130 penalty yards in 2005, and it seemed like the majority of those were committed by the offensive line.
Although the NFL Web site does not list individual player penalties, Gandy acted like he suffered from short-term memory loss because most of his penalties were false starts.
Nevertheless, Gandy is vacating the all-important task of protecting the quarterback’s blind side.
The Saints also released starting offensive lineman Kendyl Jacox on March 17. Jacox started at least 11 games in each of his four seasons on the Saints’ front line.
Some experts say defensive end Mario Williams is the best player in the draft, and if the Texans pass on him, he is a steal at the second pick.
Williams might be the second coming of Julius Peppers, but even with Darren Howard bolting to Philadelphia, the Saints return ends Will Smith (8.5 sacks) and Charles Grant (2.5 sacks).
When the Saints won their only playoff game in the 2000-2001 season, they boasted a pair of dominating tackles in Roaf and bad-boy Kyle Turley, who were both first-round picks.
New Orleans selected offensive tackle Jammal Brown with last year’s first-round pick, so adding Ferguson on the other side of the line could provide a similar tandem.
If the Saints want to see the playoffs any time soon, then picking Ferguson is the logical choice.
 
 
Matt is a print journalism junior.
Contact him at [email protected]