“With the No. 14 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints select …”Please, God, not a running back.With the draft looming this weekend, rumors abound about who the ‘Aints will select with their first-round pick.One of the most popular rumors has New Orleans taking former The Ohio State University running back Chris “Beanie” Wells or former bane of LSU’s existence Knowshon Moreno of Georgia in the first round, and both would be terrible choices.It’s not because these guys are bad players, because they aren’t, but because New Orleans has more pressing needs if they want to have a successful 2009-2010 campaign.The Saints only have four picks this draft thanks to deals made with other teams in 2008, and they don’t need to spend the best one on a running back.In February 2008, the Jets traded linebacker Jonathan Vilma to New Orleans for a conditional fourth-round pick, which has now become a third-round pick because Vilma reached incentives in his contract.So far, so good on Vilma.The former Miami Hurricane played in all 16 games for New Orleans and led the team in total tackles with 132.  Last summer, New Orleans traded the second- and fifth-round picks in this year’s draft to the New York Giants for tight end Jeremy Shockey.The jury is still out on whether or not this was a good pick.Shockey only played in 12 games because of a sports hernia and grabbed only 50 passes for 483 yards and no scores — both career lows.The Saints also traded away this year’s sixth-round pick to the Packers last year for a seventh-round pick they used to draft former Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington.Oops on that Arrington pick — he spent the season on injured reserve after severely spraining his toe in the team’s first preseason game.The Saints have a need at running back after cutting my favorite Saint, Deuce McAllister, in the offseason, but they should not be lured into the trap of drafting a bruising running back instead of their greatest need – defensive back.New Orleans still has Reggie Bush in the backfield – for better or for worse – and Pierre Thomas, too.Both of these guys can shoulder the load for the Saints if they stay healthy.Another serviceable running back can also be snagged as an undrafted free agent. There’s always a ton of those guys out there. Guys like Priest Holmes and Willie Parker went undrafted and have made themselves household names.
Defense is the pressing need.The New Orleans defense was awful last year. There’s no other way to say it.The unit finished No. 23 in total defense and passing defense last season above such great teams as the Lions, Seahawks and Raiders.At least the coaches realize how bad the defense was and have already made moves to correct this.In January, the Saints fired former defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs and hired Gregg Williams to take the reins of one of the worst defensive units in the league.They also signed former Vikings safety Darren Sharper and former Bills cornerback Jabari Greer through free agency, which can only help the squad.New Orleans can build on the moves they’ve made by drafting another player to help in the secondary.Most mock drafts still have Wells’ former teammate Malcolm Jenkins still on the board at the No. 14 pick.Jenkins is a good cornerback who excelled in the Big 10 and is now considered the best defensive back in this year’s draft class.If for some reason New Orleans doesn’t want Jenkins, then perhaps they could trade down to a lower pick and save some money by selecting another defensive back.But the Saints have been known to disappoint, so why should this be any different?All I know is that if the Saints pass up picking a DB they’ll likely still improve but won’t be a contender once late December rolls around.—-Contact Johanathan Brooks at [email protected]