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Rang: Saints Draft Review
Exclusive content to NOPF
from NFL Draft Scout's Rob "Boomer" Rang
posted May 3, 2007 - print me!
by Rob "Boomer" Rang,
Senior Analyst, NFL Draft Scout.com
exclusive
to neworleansprofootball.com
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WR Robert Meachem |
Rob "Boomer" Rang, senior analyst
for NFLDraftScout.com, joins the NOPF NFL Draft team for
the fourth year, providing his excellent analysis and draft
insight exclusively to our readers. NFLDraftScout.com is
powered by The SportsXchange, which has a network of professional
reporters who cover more than 560 professional and collegiate
teams. Their client list includes ESPN, FOXsports, USA
Today, NFL.com, CBS Sportsline, MSNBC, AOL, Yahoo, CSTV,
and numerous others. Their rankings, profiles, and mock
drafts are consistently among the industry's most accurate.
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With their biggest needs addressed through free agency,
the New Orleans Saints were in the enviable position of truly
taking the best available prospect with the each of their seven
picks in the 2007 NFL Draft.
This flexibility allowed the club to add quality depth at a
number of positions and to take a few gambles, as well.
A pick by pick analysis of the Saints 2007 draft follows.
Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee – Selected in First Round,
27 th Overall:
Meachem gives the team a big receiver with the loss in recent
years of Joe Horn and Donte Stallworth. While he isn’t
the veteran presence the club was necessarily looking for, his
upside is spectacular. Meachem only started one year while at
Tennessee – last year – but broke the school record
and led the SEC with 1,298 receiving yards, along with 11 touchdowns
among his 71 receptions.
Usama Young, CB, Kent State – Selected in Third Round,
66th Overall:
There were probably quite a few well informed Saints fans that
were left scratching their head with the Young selection with
the second pick of the third round. After all, Young was not
invited to the Combine and not listed by many draft analysts
as a prospect likely to be drafted this high. That said, the
37 game starter was among the most dominant corners in the MAC
and stunned scouts in workouts previous to the draft, running
in the high 4.3s and posting a 43” vertical jump. Numerous
teams had pegged Young as a gamble worth taking in the middle
rounds.
Andy Alleman, OG, Akron – Selected in Third Round,
88th Overall:
A former defensive tackle at Pitt, Alleman transferred to Akron
to pursue his plans to play offensive guard. Once at Akron, Alleman
started 24 of 25 games and did so at an all-conference level.
His combination of size, strength, and quickness make him an
intriguing developmental prospect along the offensive line.
Antonio Pittman, RB, Ohio State – Selected in Fourth
Round, 107th Overall:
At first glance Pittman may not seem like a logical choice
for the Saints considering the presence of Deuce McAllister and
Reggie Bush. However, in the 4 th round, Pittman was a spectacular
value given his production while at Ohio State. In two seasons
as the starter Pittman rushed for over 2,500 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Jermon Bushrod, OL, Towson – Selected in Fourth Round,
125th Overall:
Last year the Saints hit gold in D-II standout Jahri Evans,
a supposed developmental talent, that instead won the starting
position in training camp and started every game of the 2006
season. Bushrod, 6-5, 325 pounds is thought by most scouts to
lack the quickness and balance to remain at tackle, but with
the Saints’ depth along the line, they’re planning
to keep Bushrod at tackle until he proves incapable of handling
the change in speed. If he struggles outside, Bushrod’s
size and athleticism make him a natural fit inside at guard.
David Jones, CB, Wingate – Selected in Fifth Round,
145th Overall:
In both Young and Jones, the Saints were the only team in the
league to take two cornerbacks not invited to the Combine. Like
Young, however, scouts were intrigued with Jones and viewed him
as a value at this point in the draft. A D-II All-American, Jones
posted 15 interceptions in his final three seasons and has good
size (6-0, 195) and reasonable speed (4.55). The Saints are hoping
he’ll become more physical in run support at this level.
Marvin Mitchell, ILB, Tennessee – Selected in Seventh
Round, 220th Overall:
Mitchell signed with Tennessee as one of the top prep talents
in the country, but was unable to wrestle away a starting position
until his senior season. In 2006, Mitchell proved to be one of
the more effective inside linebackers in the SEC, racking up
104 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. He lacks agility
and speed to the flanks, but is a stout interior run defender
and has the upside to warrant selecting at this point in the
draft.
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