|
Saints Draft 2008 Day One Picks
Exclusive scouting reports from NOPF on the Saints'
class of '08
posted April 26, 2008 - print
me!
neworleansprofootball.com
First Round - 7th Pick
- #7 Overall
Sedrick Ellis, defensive tackle, Southern Cal
6'0, 297 pounds, 5.02 40 yard dash, 36 reps of 225
Hear the Commissioner
announce the pick
Ellis, 22, is up there next to LSU's Glenn Dorsey
as the best defensive tackle in the draft, if not the best defensive
lineman. Ellis is not a physically overpowering tackle, but relies
on quick slashing attacks in the gaps and inside pass rush moves.
Ellis dominated the Senior Bowl and impressed at
the NFL Combine, then improved his numbers at USC's pro day. He
measured at 309 earlier but weighed in at just under 300 pounds
at the USC pro day on April 3. It was then he ran a 5.02 40 yard
dash and pressed a remarkable 36 reps of 225 pounds.
A fierce disrupter, Ellis excels at breaking into
the backfield. Of the Saints' two aging veterans at the position,
he has the attacking game of Brian Young and while he doesn't
have Hollis Thomas' bulk, he shares the same short man's leverage
technique. At just over six feet tall, Ellis beats interior offensive
lineman with a very strong initial punch, a very quick set and
good hand movement. Ellis doesn't overpower and isn't great at
getting in passing lanes because of his height. While his upper
body strength is excellent, sometimes he relied too much on it.
Saints defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, who once coached Ellis
at USC, will make sure that his technique is forged in fire.
A five year old ankle injury from his freshman year
at USC and a two year old knee injury are concerns but the Saints
checked them out thoroughly in a private visit.
Ellis was a teammate of Reggie Bush at USC, and
both were recruited by Orgeron.
Rob "Boomer" Rang of NFLDraftScout.com's
scouting report:
Strengths: Good burst off the snap. Can penetrate
the line and disrupt the play before it really has a chance to
begin. Recognizes the action and reacts accordingly. Rarely caught
out of position. Powerful frame. Uses his natural leverage advantage
to stack the line of scrimmage and is difficult to move, even
against double-teams. Uses his hands to disengage from blocks
as well as any interior senior defensive lineman in the country.
Hustles down the line and will make plays in pursuit. Has improved
throughout his career. The most dominant player on the field at
the Senior Bowl.
Weaknesses: Lacks the size preferred for the position. Considered
by some a bit of a 'tweener as he is viewed by some as neither
explosive enough to be a great fit in the one gap alignment, nor
big and stout enough to succeed in the two gap. Because of his
work ethic Ellis may be closing on his maximum potential already
and thus, have limited upside. Has had some injuries - including
missing three games in 2006 due to surgery to repair torn cartilage
in his knee and missing most of the 2003 season due to surgery
to repair a fractured left ankle. Slower than expected in drills
at the Combine, dropping him in the eyes of some teams.
Alternatives: The Saints could have stayed put and likely
landed Ellis' teammate Rivers, assuming that the Bengals would
have taken Ellis over Rivers. New England clearly wanted Tennessee
LB Jerod Mayo and Jacksonville traded up for Florida DE Derrick
Harvey. The price that the Saints paid was decent, especially
landing a fifth round pick in return, as they keep their draft
class at six players. Compared to other trades, the Saints' compensation
also appears to be favorable at first glance. The Saints and Patriots
reportedly worked out terms of the deal and applicable scenarios
on Friday night. The Saints did give up their valuable early third
round pick, one of the first picks of Sunday morning.
Impact on Saints: Ellis should compete immediately for
a starting job with DT Brian Young. At the very least, he will
enter the rotation at defensive tackle. He has two great mentors
to learn different aspects of the game from. Ellis can watch Young
for the finer points of gap penetration and how to fight double
teams. Ellis can watch Thomas for points on how to deal with taller
offensive lineman and how to plug the run. On top of that, Orgeron
coached Ellis at Southern Cal and is familiar with Ellis' motivational
buttons. Its a fine place for Ellis to enter the league on a team
that needs to get younger at his position.
|
 |
|
|
CB Tracy Porter |
Second Round - 9th Pick - #40
Overall
Tracy Porter, cornerback, Indiana
5'11, 188 pounds, 4.29 40 yard dash, 18 reps of 225
Porter, 21, is a very fast, very athletic cornerback. A former
basketball and track star, Porter didn't play football until 2003,
during his senior year of high school. He was recruited by Nick
Saban at LSU and the Indiana University, but IU offered first
and Porter stuck to his commitment.
He is a native of Port Allen, which is directly west across the
Mississippi river from Baton Rouge, only 75 miles northwest of
New Orleans.
Porter has natural man-to-man skills, though his game obviously
needs refinement. He has adequate size but a thin frame, and plays
with more finesse than physicality. He's a gambler but has quickness
to recover, and is a lousy tackler at this point.
The Saints clearly like him for his athletic ability and cover
skills, but they'll need to prod him to take his willingness and
aggressiveness to the NFL level. On the positive side, like many
college cornerbacks he doesn't rely on contact and hopefully won't
become a flag factory in New Orleans.
The reason he was drafted over other cornerbacks at #40, like
Reggie Smith, Justin King, Tyvon Branch or Antwaun Molden, was
his return ability. Porter was one of the better punt returners
in the country, and he scored collegiate touchdowns on an interception
return and punt return. He was an All Big Ten cornerback pick.
Porter is dangerous in the open field and had unteachable balance
and agility.
At IU he started all four years, 43 starts total, improving his
game some each year. Finished with 16 interceptions in college,
six as a senior.
Like Ellis, Porter was outstanding at the Senior Bowl and flashed
elite cover skills. He ran a 4.37 at the Combine and then left
smoke trails at his pro day by running a 4.29. Clearly, Porter
is an experienced, elite athlete.
Injuries are not unknown to him. A broken collarbone in 2004
was carefully checked out. He might be criticized for lack of
real physical tackling, but his toughness shouldn't be bundled
in with that. Porter led the Hoosiers defense on the field as
a team captain through various injuries including a concussion.
Rob "Boomer" Rang of NFLDraftScout.com's scouting report:
One of the few top talents to leave the state of Louisiana, Porter
quickly established himself among the Big Ten's elite athletes
while at Indiana. Scouts would like to see more toughness and
physicality out of Porter, but his legitimate speed and burst
give him the athleticism to rank as one of the better cover corner
prospects of the 2008 draft -- and a likely Top 40 pick.
Alternatives: Here at NOPF, we love the pick, as we selected
Porter to be taken by the Saints in our last three mock drafts.
Its the highest the Saints have taken a cornerback in years and
a needed one too. No cornerbacks were picked 20 picks after Porter,
which makes sense as Porter was the last of his tier of quality
at the position. Behind him are Penn State's Justin King, Oklahoma's
Reggie Smith, East Kentucky's Antwuan Molden and Connecticut's
Tyvon Branch. Defensive back Tyrell Johnson out of Arkansas State
went to Minnesota three picks later and would have made sense.
Another local product, Tulane's Matt Forte, Notre Dame DT Trevor
Laws, USC TE Fred Davis, Auburn DE Quentin Groves were other sensible
choices at 40.
We were expecting not a draft pick but a trade at 40, however.
The Saints were tightly linked to trades involving veterans TE
Jeremy Shockey and CB Lito Sheppard, but they didn't budge off
their offer. When the Saints selected at 40, both these trades
became unlikely.
Impact on the Saints: As 2007 third-round pick Usama Young
ascends, Porter fills in. Look for Porter to fill in as a dime
back as a rookie, anything more substantive than that is an pleasant
but unexpected surprise. Porter is simply not yet ready to face
the class of the NFC South yet (Steve Smith, Joey Galloway, Roddy
White), though he can likely run with any of them. As a return
man, Porter should see more face time and will challenge Reggie
Bush for every punt return and kick return in the preseason.
Home
Back
|
