*** OFFICIAL New Orleans Saints Thread *** (3 Viewers)

[Faust]

Jon Gruden: Saints draft will be 'fun to watch'

 

[Faust]

My best bets for Saints at No. 13

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Interesting links, Faust, thanks.

My hopes for a WR in the 1st at 13 might be dashed as it's looking more and more likely that Parker will be gone by then and I'm not sure anyone else at WR will be worthy of the 31 pick, unless Dorsett could go that high.

Otherwise I'm guessing Dupree, though the Saints haven't taken a LB in the 1st since Mark Fields in the early 90s IIRC. There is no question they need a defining pass rusher to make the 3-4 make sense finally. And it's hard to imagine they would pass on Collins but again like Parker he might be gone by then and for whatever reason they seem to regularly ignore teh talent coming out of LSU.

 

[psychobillies]

Interesting links, Faust, thanks.

My hopes for a WR in the 1st at 13 might be dashed as it's looking more and more likely that Parker will be gone by then and I'm not sure anyone else at WR will be worthy of the 31 pick, unless Dorsett could go that high.

Otherwise I'm guessing Dupree, though the Saints haven't taken a LB in the 1st since Mark Fields in the early 90s IIRC. There is no question they need a defining pass rusher to make the 3-4 make sense finally. And it's hard to imagine they would pass on Collins but again like Parker he might be gone by then and for whatever reason they seem to regularly ignore teh talent coming out of LSU.

Dorsett might be there at 31. Maybe Perriman :legacy:, but what if DGB is there? Can't pass that up at 31 right?

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Interesting links, Faust, thanks.

My hopes for a WR in the 1st at 13 might be dashed as it's looking more and more likely that Parker will be gone by then and I'm not sure anyone else at WR will be worthy of the 31 pick, unless Dorsett could go that high.

Otherwise I'm guessing Dupree, though the Saints haven't taken a LB in the 1st since Mark Fields in the early 90s IIRC. There is no question they need a defining pass rusher to make the 3-4 make sense finally. And it's hard to imagine they would pass on Collins but again like Parker he might be gone by then and for whatever reason they seem to regularly ignore teh talent coming out of LSU.

Dorsett might be there at 31. Maybe Perriman :legacy:, but what if DGB is there? Can't pass that up at 31 right?

Yep, DGB. What's the consensus there? I'd be pretty thrilled from a talent perspective, but are there any concerns in terms of his character and how he would fit in? Maybe he's just been waiting to be a pro.

 

[psychobillies]

Interesting links, Faust, thanks.

My hopes for a WR in the 1st at 13 might be dashed as it's looking more and more likely that Parker will be gone by then and I'm not sure anyone else at WR will be worthy of the 31 pick, unless Dorsett could go that high.

Otherwise I'm guessing Dupree, though the Saints haven't taken a LB in the 1st since Mark Fields in the early 90s IIRC. There is no question they need a defining pass rusher to make the 3-4 make sense finally. And it's hard to imagine they would pass on Collins but again like Parker he might be gone by then and for whatever reason they seem to regularly ignore teh talent coming out of LSU.

Dorsett might be there at 31. Maybe Perriman :legacy:, but what if DGB is there? Can't pass that up at 31 right?

Yep, DGB. What's the consensus there? I'd be pretty thrilled from a talent perspective, but are there any concerns in terms of his character and how he would fit in? Maybe he's just been waiting to be a pro.

Sure, tons of character questions. It'd be a gamble, but talent wise, it would definitely help fill the Graham void.

Cooks, DGB, Spiller, Ingram, Colston, Hill. That's a lot of firepower.

 

[Faust]

Bryce Petty on New Orleans Saints' radar

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Fwiw this is from Mickey Loomis' presser yesterday:

When a player has an incident close to the draft, how do you all view that, as opposed to it happening a month ago where you would have a chance to bring him in and talk to him about it? Is it a thing where you all already have your information on him and it’s not that big of a deal, or is it a bigger deal because of the timing?



“I think, without referencing any specific player, that with anything that happens closer to the draft you get a little more alarmed, because you’re concerned a little bit more about judgment as much as the incident itself. The problem is that you don’t have enough time to dig into it and get all of the information that you would have if it had happened a month ago or two months ago. So anything like that is concerning, but any incident for any of these players is concerning.”



For players with incidents, how do you weigh that? Do you go back, look at other players with similar situations, and see how they have turned out?



“I think we all have experience and reference points that we can tap into, but every guy is different. All of the incidents, while they may be similar, there are differences, so you’re relying on lots of different sources of information about character. There are people at the school, there are people that they’ve grown up with, there are coaches that they’ve had, academic advisors; there are a lot of people that touch these players and we talked to a lot of them. We rely on our scouts to do that, and we do a lot of that ourselves. Fortunately, for each of our teams, we have relationships in the business with coaches and possibly people at the school. There are a lot of sources of information that we tap into and collect, and at the end we just have to make a judgment.”



How much can you trust the information that you receive for all of these sources?



“It depends on the source, but we verify as much as we can, and we don’t rely on just one thing. We are collecting a lot of information, like every team is, and then eventually we just have to make a judgment.”



Is there a goal for how many players you want to come in and play right away from this draft class considering that you loaded up with five picks in the first 78 picks?



“We want to hit on all nine picks eventually. I think it’s unrealistic to expect nine players to come in and start right away their first year; it’s probably unrealistic to expect four or five as well. What we want to do is to select good players that we have a vision for that can contribute early hopefully, but that’s not the whole story. We are going to have to wait two or three years down the road before we can make a judgment on how we did.”

With the amount of nickel defense being played now, is scheme versatility just as important as it has ever been?



“I think you’re always looking for players that fit what you do, and yet, we are just looking for good players, and I think our coaches are really adept at taking what a player can do well and asking them to do that, and not asking them to do things that maybe they can’t do as well. I have a lot of faith in our coaches in being able to take a talented player and utilize his skill set. However, to answer your question, there has definitely been some discussion about that. There are definitely some players that we would classify as ‘do not fit’, but I think we are looking for ways to make them fit rather than saying that they don’t fit if that makes sense.”



A lot of these top prospects have had character issues and red flags; do you lessen your criteria for a certain pick to say that it is worth taking a gamble here, or if he’s off your board, he’s off your board?



“There will be some guys that are off our board regardless of where they might get taken.”



Someone said that if a certain player has character issues, you might try to justify them if you really like that player, is that kind of your thought process? If a guy has a red flag, do you try to figure out how he can still fit, or are you more apt to write him off because you want locker room leaders?



“We don’t subscribe to that. I wouldn’t say that’s our philosophy, but I will say this. You really have to be careful about labeling someone for a particular incident. You have to dig, find out what’s behind it, and if they have learned from it. We’ve all made mistakes in life, but have you learned from it, grown from it, and responded to it? There are a lot of factors and variables here, and someone that may be off another team’s board might be on our board, and vice versa. So, again that gets to the judgment of each team.”



You talked about being excited about bringing in some new voices to this team, and having a bit of shake up in the front office. How has that been leading up to tomorrow?



“It’s been excellent. Jeff Ireland and Terry Fontenot, our Pro Director, Dwaune Jones, and all of our scouting staff have done a fantastic job. They do a tremendous amount of work over the course of the last eight or nine months, and obviously it’s culminating tomorrow night and this weekend, but I can’t say enough good things about the work that they do and have done. Our coaches, as well, have put a lot of time and effort into evaluations and helping us determine the right decision as we get to each one of these picks, so it’s been a great process. We have gained a lot from Jeff’s perspective and his experience, and he does have some different things that he does, and we have been able to blend (those) in with the things that we do. I really like where we are at.”





What is the process that you all go through over these past few days leading up to the Draft?



“You are constantly gathering information; there’s always some of the ‘Hey, what about this guy back here?’ and ‘Let’s get a little more information or look at few more tapes.’ Obviously if an incident happened in the last couple of days, we have to pay attention to that. We go through these mock drafts ourselves and make estimates of who we might be looking at with each one of these picks. I would call it tweaking over anything else. Obviously we will make some calls and see what teams are interested in doing in terms of moving up and moving back, that sort of thing. We still have a lot to do over the next few hours.”



You often talk about getting the best player available and that seems like a bit of a vertical or rigid thing. Is there a horizontal aspect to that too, where fit has to meet best player available?



“When it is time for you to pick, what you are hoping for is to have two or three options of players with like grades available, and then you can decide whether to take the position that we have the most need for with these players here that we view as equal talents. That’s generally been the case, but every once in a while there’s somebody that just jumps out at a position that you don’t have need for, that you feel like you just have to take. We were talking this morning about Deuce McAllister. We had Ricky Williams here when Deuce McAllister was available to us, and he just sat so far ahead of everyone else that we had graded when we took him that we felt like, even though we don’t need a running back, we should take him anyways, and that worked out pretty well.”



You have traded up a ton in the first round. Has there ever been a major temptation to trade back?



“There have been times when we have thought about that. Yes is the answer to that question; I’m not going to expound on it. We are not opposed to doing either one of those options.”



Is there a possibility of you trading picks for players in the upcoming Draft, or possibly trading a 2016 pick?



“I suspect that that is unlikely, but I don’t know what opportunities are going to present themselves. There’s nothing on the horizon right now that I would say could happen in that direction, but you never know what could happen. As for 2016 picks, that is pretty much all speculation, but if you tell me what the trade is, I will tell you if we are interested.”



How much thought or discussion do you put into future drafts and possibly looking to gain more potential picks next year?



“We definitely put some thought into; I wouldn’t say a lot, but definitely some. Obviously, gathering up picks is a good thing, and yet, we are interested in helping our team right now, and for what makes us better right now. That’s the focus, and yet, we always have an eye on that, as well as next year and the year after that, and some of that is dictated by what salary cap you may have in the future. Some of the variables that dictate that are how many contracts do you have coming due that year, how many free agents do you have, what positions are open, etc. There are a lot of factors and variables in that, but I think most of our focus is on what are we doing right now and how can we help our football team right now.”



Do you look back at previous successful drafts?



“We do look back at prior drafts, I do that a lot actually and say ‘Hey, why was this pick successful, why was this one not?’ At the time you might have said ‘Hey, this is a sure bet,’ and it didn’t happen or ‘Boy this is a risk’ and it did. We do that a lot. We try to self-analyze. What did we see that was wrong? What did we see that was right? We talked the other day about the 2006 draft and how successful that was for us. At the time, outside of the first pick which was Reggie Bush, I don’t know that anyone else really thought that was going to be a great draft for our team. Yet there were a number of picks in that draft, Jahri Evans, Marquis Colston, and Zack Strief, those guys have played ten years now. It’s hard to believe. We do look at it, and we try to look at it with a critical eye. ”



When you have a successful draft like 2006, does it set the bar for years to follow?



“What made it so successful is that we won a Super Bowl with those guys. Let’s not kid ourselves there. All those guys had a passion for football, high character, highly intelligent. They were just good people number one, as well as being good athletes and then eventually good football players. I don’t like to get too nostalgic about that sort of thing, but we’d love to emulate that, that’s for sure.”



How important is this draft considering the team went 7-9 in two of last three seasons?



“I think what makes it critical is that we have five picks in the first three rounds. You want to be successful with that, we need to be successful and pick good players. I think it’s unrealistic to expect rookie players to come in and turn your team around. I think we always have unrealistic expectations of first year players. It takes these guys time to acclimate to the NFL. We shouldn’t judge them on what happens this season, we should judge them in their career over the next two or three years.”



How do your moves in the last few months affect what you’re going to do in the draft?



“Not much. I think our goal in free agency is to fill holes so we can get to the draft and not have to worry about filling a big hole on our team. I think for the most part we’ve done that which allows us to take the best player available. Jeff has a phrase where we draft to our strengths sometimes. We can do that.”



Would you characterize this team as rebuilding?



“No, I wouldn’t say rebuilding is the right word. Obviously 7-9, we don’t feel like that was good enough. None of our fans feel like that was good enough. We’re looking to improve off of that. We have a lot of good players, we have a lot of good players that were on our team last year. I think there’s a resolve to do better.”



How do you know it’s time to draft an understudy for Drew Brees?



“That’s a good question. I think you’re always looking for a good quarterback to get in the program. We have one in Ryan Griffin we like. If an opportunity presents itself, we’ll take another one here. I don’t see the end for Drew Brees on the short term horizon, at least I certainly hope not. It does take time for these quarterbacks to develop and we’re conscious of that. We evaluate the quarterbacks. If the opportunity presents itself to take one at the right time, we are not afraid to do that. ”



Is there an advantage to having a big rookie class?



“I don’t know that there’s an advantage. We like having five picks in the first three rounds because that gives us an opportunity to get some guys that we really like. At the end of the day, your team ends up being younger, but that’s not always good either.”



Do you set trade values beforehand?



“That’s a good question. What I will do, and what I’ve been doing the last few days, is I go over the last ten years, I look at every trade that happens on draft day so I get a pretty good sense of the history of movement in these rounds. We’ve got three or four point charts, we go through that too. I have a pretty good idea. I’ll go through every pick if we move one pick up, two picks up, three picks up, same thing going backwards. I’ll have a real good idea of what has happened, a real good idea of what the perceived value is based on the point charts. We’ve got to make a determination as to this is what we would do, and this is what we would take if we moved back. I’ll have a really good feel for that before tomorrow night.”



Does that change based on the level of talent left in the draft?



“If there’s a player there that you’re in love with, absolutely, that can affect your thinking.”



Is there a good opportunity to draft defensive players in this draft?



“Our assessment is that there are some good defensive players in this draft, yes.”



Will you follow past success of drafting offensive linemen in middle rounds?



“That’s a good point. That’s a credit to our scouts and our coaches who have been really adept at developing those players. I don’t know that we think of not taking an offensive lineman early because we will get one later. It’s just who we have graded high at the time, we’re picking. It’s nice to have that in our back pocket, that we’ve done a good job in that area, just as we’ve done a good job with free agent running backs for example. We don’t rely on that, we are going to take the guys that we have graded highly when they present themselves regardless of position.”



Do you communicate with guys you might sign after the draft?



“After the draft, that’s really an art. It’s kind of a fun part of the process, getting free agents after the draft. We’ve had some success, a lot of teams have had success getting those guys and developing them. Obviously we saw one get an interception in the Super Bowl this past year. That’s a fun part and there’s a process leading up to the draft. But you don’t ever want to tell someone they’re not getting drafted. That’s a little bit touchy.”



What is Terry Fontenot’s role?



“Terry is a top flight personnel guy for us. He’s a pro personnel director and yet we’ve got him involved in the college evaluations. Jeff has helped get him involved. I think Terry is going to be a general manager in the league someday, hopefully later rather than sooner, but I think I said that about Ryan Pace last year. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything. He’s a really good and valuable asset for us.”



Did the 2014 Draft impact the change in college scouting director?



“No, that wasn’t the reason. There were a lot of variables there. The most important variable is that Ryan Pace left. He was really the player personnel director running both departments. That was the reason for the change, that he got hired by the Chicago Bears.”



Do players with character red flags go off the board?

“It’s hard to say that there’s a policy. Every one of these cases is different. You have to look at every one of them individually and make your judgment on what you’ll handle and deal with and what you won’t. It’s hard for me to make a blanket statement that we’ll do one thing or the other.”



With the rookie scale, is it easier to take chances on guys that maybe in the past you wouldn’t have?



“Before the rookie scale when you had the top ten picks there, it was hard to make a mistake because that has ramifications for your team for a long time. In that regard there’s less pressure about making that pick. But you still want to take the best player that has the most impact on your team. I don’t think that’s any different, it’s just the ramifications of a guy not panning out aren’t as great.”



Is it any easier to make deals and trades with teams you have relationships with?



“There’s value in that, there’s no question. If you have a good relationship with a team, there’s not as much set-up. There’s not as much give and take, you can get right to the point with someone you know or you have experience with it’s a little more difficult when you haven’t had experience with someone. It definitely makes things easier, but it’s never easy. If I was doing a deal with Ryan Pace in Chicago, he’s going to drive a hard bargain. That might be harder than it would be with someone else. But absolutely it makes it easier if you have a relationship with someone you know well.”

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Bryce Petty on New Orleans Saints' radar

I don't think I had this one pegged... not sure anyone else does either.

NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reports Baylor's Bryce Petty is under consideration for the Saints in the first round.

Is Petty really slated for the 1st round by anybody?

 

[psychobillies]

Got a good one in Peat. Can'say I saw it coming, but it's hard to complain about it. I still think that they would have taken Collins if not for all the "stuff". Strief probably on borrowed time with his knees so now we got a stud replacement. Maybe Strief plays LG.

 

[saintfool]

Got a good one in Peat. Can'say I saw it coming, but it's hard to complain about it. I still think that they would have taken Collins if not for all the "stuff". Strief probably on borrowed time with his knees so now we got a stud replacement. Maybe Strief plays LG.

i think it's a really good pick. he's an upgrade over armstead for sure. i'm happy that they went after some real talent along the o-line instead of settling. i'm interested in what they do with armstead actually, he played pretty well in spots at tackle. could he slide over to back up Strief before taking over?

 

[psychobillies]

I'm thinking Peat plays RT.

 

[saintfool]

I'm thinking Peat plays RT.

he's the next willie roaf. no way he moves around.

 

[psychobillies]

I'm thinking Peat plays RT.

he's the next willie roaf. no way he moves around.

Let's not put him in the hall of fame yet.

 

[massraider]

Love the Saints 2nd 1st rounder. Good player.

 

[saintfool]

it's a great R1 draft. we get someone to anchor the LT position for years to come. we also get a thumper ILB who can step into the starting role in short order. he can tackle and rush the QB.

 

[imjackdupp]

Both good pickups. Now I hope they go CB tom. Then we can look for some value at WR.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Anthony sounds like a freak who will be starting MLB and Peat I think goes to RT IMO because its time for Strief to cut back or kick to guard again.

I would have loved Agholor it Dorsett at WR but like everyone's been reminding me there are too many needs.

In happy overall, but I'm convinced Brees needs another primo target.

 

[imjackdupp]

I would have been happy with Dorsett there also. But I'm just tired of watching our D give up career days to every opponent

 

[psychobillies]

I'd love to get Eddie Goldman tomorrow to help Anthony out. DGB would be nice too.

 

[saintfool]

I'd love to get Eddie Goldman tomorrow to help Anthony out. DGB would be nice too.

no way we get DGB. we're angling for high character guys now. he's talented but not going to fit our program.

DT would be great. maybe OLB.

 

[Faust]

2015 NFL Draft: Saints get C- for picking Stephone Anthony at No. 31

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25169634/nfl-draft-saints-get-c--for-picking-ilb-stephone-anthony-at-no-31

 

[Faust]

2015 NFL Draft: Saints get B for picking Andrus Peat at No. 13

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25169453/nfl-draft-saints-get-b-for-picking-andrus-peat-at-no-13

 

[Shawnky]

Think Jalen Strong makesb it to us?

 

[saintfool]

Think Jalen Strong makesb it to us?

very possible. i like it actually.

 

[Shawnky]

Maybe in the 3rd now, but I doubt it. Would really like him at this point. Wouldn't mind trading up with amount of picks we have.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Someone talk me off a ledge I'm hating this draft.

 

[Shawnky]

Someone talk me off a ledge I'm hating this draft.

Really? Why?

 

[Shawnky]

Needs have been addressed.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Someone talk me off a ledge I'm hating this draft.

Really? Why?

Personally it seemed like every time I wanted a player the Saints passed and that player went in the very next pick.

Parker, Kendricks and Harold and give me a lineman where we took Grayson. That sounds like a great draft to me and they were all there.

And I don't see Grayson as necessary at all. This is not Aaron Rodgers, he may not even be Osweiler or Garoppolo.

I might like Kikaha the best. I guess I will simmer on this and just feel better after a bit.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Needs have been addressed.

WR?

The offense drives this team. Do you really buy Payton as a ground and pounder? Not me.

 

[VarsityBlues123]

Needs have been addressed.

WR and TE?

 

[Shawnky]

I agree on the WR. Was hoping to see one taken in the first 3 picks. Still, Payton has hit on later rounds picks at the position. Maybe we get lucky and find another Colston.

 

[saintfool]

i'm very bullish on this draft so far. i think they have done a good job of addressing the needs. you might not like the players - we all have our preferences after all - but they've gotten talent. i don't have one problem with this draft yet.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Chris Conley would have been great over Grayson.

 

[saintfool]

Chris Conley would have been great over Grayson.

we need to prepare for life post-Brees, which in 3-4 seasons away. Grayson fits what we're doing now. he just needs to learn. he's going to get help from brees and payton. i'm very happy with him as a developmental player.

Conley is a workout warrior and little else. i'd rather go after tre mcbride or one of the GaTech guys. mcbride has what i'm looking for.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Ok I will be happy with McBride, let's see if he's there.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Three LBs. I like them more as they go along, Tull the best, then Kikaha, then Anthony.

I think I'm more excited about Tull and Davison than the 1st rounders.

- ETA - 2 CBs? I guess they lost both Robinson and White so maybe this is necessary.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Incredibly today's TP says Payton doesn't expect Peat to start. Is he serious?

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Close with a scatback return guy.

No WR.

I guess it's Toon/Coleman/Jones/UDFA after all. And Hill at TE.

Color me worried.

 

[Shawnky]

We resigned Morgan. Maybe a Lance Moore resigning?

 

[saintfool]

if morgan sticks around, it's as the designated downfield threat. i see cooks, spiller moving around to get the ball in space. toon is going to have to learn how to catch and take a hit. he's not a speed guy at all but will be asked to find open spaces, medium depth.

 

[cstu]

Close with a scatback return guy.

No WR.

I guess it's Toon/Coleman/Jones/UDFA after all. And Hill at TE.

Color me worried.

Payton seems to think those guys are going to step up this year.

So...150 targets for Cooks?

 

[Faust]

WR void creates opportunities for Nick Toon, Seantavius Jones, Brandon Coleman

 

[SproutDaddy]

Signed 2 undrafted WRs and TEs.

 

[imjackdupp]

UDFA Signings

DL Tavaris Barnes, Clemson
DT Kaleb Eulls, Mississippi State
OL Doniel Gambrell, Notre Dame College
WR R.J. Harris, New Hampshire
OL Sean Hickey, Syracuse
WR Malcome Kennedy, Texas A&M
G Cyril Lemon, North Texas
DT Ashaad Mabry, UTSA
DL Bobby Richardson, Indiana
LB Stephon Sanders, SMU
TE Harold Spears, New Hampshire
TE Jack Tabb, UNC

 

[imjackdupp]

Not much video on most of these without watching full games oh and turn your volume down

Jack Tabb

R.J. Harris

Tavaris Barnes

Kaleb Ellus

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

[SIZE=18pt]Saints Make Roster Moves [/SIZE]

For Immediate Release: Monday, May 4, 2015



New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Monday that 13 undrafted rookie free agents have agreed to terms on three-year contracts with the team following the conclusion of the NFL Draft. Joining the Saints will be defensive linemen Tavaris Barnes, Kaleb Eulls, Ashaad Mabry and Bobby Richardson, guards Doniel Gambrell and Cyril Lemon, wide receivers R.J. Harris and Malcolme Kennedy, tackle Sean Hickey, linebackers Marcus Pierce-Brewster and Stephon Sanders and tight ends Harold Spears and Jack Tabb. The club also released safeties Marcus Ball and Ty Zimmerman and inside linebacker Kyle Knox.



Tavaris Barnes – Defensive lineman, Clemson (6-3, 275): Barnes was a part of the Tigers defensive line rotation for four seasons. Playing in 47 career contests with four starts, he recorded 64 tackles (38 solo), 9.5 stops for loss, five sacks, two passes defensed, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. As a senior in 2014, Barnes played in 13 games with three starts and had 19 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.



Kaleb Eulls – Defensive lineman, Mississippi State (6-4, 285): The Yazoo City, Miss. native was a four-year starter on the defensive line for Mississippi State. He opened all 52 games he played in and posted 118 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed. As a senior in 2014, he started 12 games at defensive tackle and one contest at defensive end, totaling 34 tackles, three stops for a loss and three sacks.



Doniel Gambrell – Guard, Notre Dame College (6-6, 315): Gambrell, a Cleveland native, becomes to the first player from Notre Dame College in Euclid, Ohio to join an NFL club. He was a two-time first-team All-Mountain East Conference honoree and a D2Football.com All-American, starting at right tackle for the last three seasons.



R.J. Harris – Wide Receiver, New Hampshire (6-0, 194): Harris, who is a native of Ordenton, Md., played in all 14 games for the Wildcats as a senior and recorded a school-record 100 receptions for 1,551 yards (15.5 avg.) with 15 touchdowns, earning Associated Press FCS first-team All-American honors. Harris was the FCS individual leader in receiving yardage. In his four-year UNH career, Harris compiled 310 catches for 4,328 yards and 36 touchdowns as the school’s and Colonial Athletic Association all-time leader in receptions and second on both lists in receiving yardage. His 36 TDs rank second in program history and fourth in the CAA. On the NCAA FCS career leaderboard, Harris is fourth in both receptions and receiving yards.



Sean Hickey – Tackle, Syracuse (6-6, 306): Hickey was a three-year starter for Syracuse, settling in at left tackle as a junior. He was the only offensive lineman to play in every game for the Orange in 2014, starting all 12 games and was an All-ACC Coaches and Phil Steele Third Team selection.



Malcolme Kennedy – Wide Receiver, Texas A&M (6-0, 205): Kennedy was a four-year letterman for the Aggies and produced career totals of 150 receptions for 1,694 yards (11.3 avg.) and 15 touchdowns. The Cayuga, Texas native contributed 53 catches for 611 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games with 10 starts as a senior in 2014.



Cyril Lemon – Guard, North Texas (6-3, 315): Lemon spent four years on the offensive line for the Mean Green where he received several honors including Conference USA All-Conference and All-Sun Belt team selections while serving as a team captain in 2014. Playing both guard and tackle in his career, Lemon was a vital cog in the offensive front on a unit that set a school record for total yards in a season with 5,336 in 2013.



Ashaad Mabry – Defensive lineman, Texas-San Antonio (6-3, 315): A four-year contributor on the defensive line for the Roadrunners, Mabry appeared in 46 games with 12 starts. The San Antonio native recorded 49 stops as a senior in 2014 while appearing in all 12 contests.



Markus Pierce-Brewster – Linebacker, West Texas A&M (6-3, 243): Pierce-Brewster is a National City, Calif. native who attended West Texas A&M after stints at City College of San Francisco and Syracuse University. He was named to the All-Lone Star Conference defensive team in 2014.



Bobby Richardson – Defensive Lineman, Indiana (6-3, 286): Richardson appeared in 45 games on the defensive line with 27 starts over four seasons for the Hoosiers, totaling 129 tackles (68 solo), 11 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, three blocked kicks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and six quarterback hurries, while leading the team’s defensive front in stops in each of his final two seasons. The Tampa, Fla. native was named a team captain in 2014 before receiving All-Big Ten honorable mention honors by coaches and media and earning Indiana’s Chris Dal Sasso Award given to outstanding linemen.



Stephon Sanders – Linebacker, SMU (6-3, 250): A three-year starter for the Mustangs, Sanders appeared in 11 games in 2014 and ranked second on the team with 70 tackles (43 solo) while also contributing a team-high eight tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and four passes defensed. He appeared in 48 games with 40 starts and finished his SMU career with 230 tackles and 10 sacks and was named to the Butkus Award watch list in 2014.



Harold Spears – Tight End, New Hampshire (6-4, 255): Spears was a Colonial Athletic Association All-Conference selection after catching 56 passes for 838 yards and five touchdowns as a senior in 2014. In his four-year career, Spears contributed 111 catches for 1,639 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a junior, he was named to the CAA Academic All-Conference Team, CAA All-Conference Third Team and received the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award.



Jack Tabb – Tight End, North Carolina (6-3, 250): Tabb appeared in 45 games with 22 starts at North Carolina, finishing with 47 receptions for 534 yards (11.4 avg.) with three touchdowns. As a senior in 2014, the Red Bank, N.J. native started all 13 games and caught 26 passes for 257 yards and three scores.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Close with a scatback return guy.

No WR.

I guess it's Toon/Coleman/Jones/UDFA after all. And Hill at TE.

Color me worried.

Payton seems to think those guys are going to step up this year.

So...150 targets for Cooks?

Apparently so, it's clear as a bell.

If we just presume (and that's what I am doing) that Colston is what he is which is good at times great, dependable, but not elite, Cooks is by far the most ready and also the most needed.

I won't bother, and you probably know the score better than me, but there are loads of targets, catches, TDs that will be hanging around to be scooped up, even if Brees gets dialed back to the 2006-07, 2009 totals. It seems to me that would start with Cooks, Cooks, Cooks. One thing that might be deceiving is ypc. He did a lot of filling in for Sproles' role last year, but he was (IMO) very effective going deep, especially just before his injury when he was coming on. That will likely be the chief complaint against him in preseason FF. I think his ypc goes up this year because Spiller comes in. I hope that is the case.

I don't know about how the rest of them will do, no one does. I was positive about Coleman as an UDFA last year but it seems like a lot to ask him to fill the targets and red zone chances that in the past have been filled by Graham, Moore, Stills, etc.. And IMO Jones was better than him last year, but they were both raw. They both had drops, they both seemed awkward out there, but they did look good in the end zone towards the end of preseason, tall and rangy, so I could see how it could happen.

Plus the list of Saints WRs with good production in the past is unimpressive on paper, and yet Payton plugged them in.

Toon, I am just tired of waiting.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Not much video on most of these without watching full games oh and turn your volume down

Jack Tabb

R.J. Harris

Tavaris Barnes

Kaleb Ellus

I like RJ Harris out of this group, actually out of the whole group.

Check out the screens at 1:19 and 2:00. That screams Saints offense. - Also note some very nice sideline receptions.

Also 100/1551/15, leading all FCS? They love production. FCS but it is what it is (like the song says). Keep an eye on this guy IMO.