If not for the Patriots, the Saints would have had the worst grade of any draft.  It all started with 1st round pick WR Robert Meachem who essentially redshirted last season as he didn’t play at all.  3rd round pick (CB) Usama Young, was simply awful for the Saints last season.  He played in 14 games (0 starts) and he made 25 tackles and defensed 2 passes.  The Saints other third round pick was OG Andy Alleman who was also a “redshirt” last season.  The first of the 4th round picks of the Saints was RB Michael Pittman who was cut before the season started.  Pittman then signed on with the Rams and played in 11 games (0 starts).  Pittman carried the ball 38 times for 139 yards (3.7 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 15 yards (5.0 avg) last season.  OT Jermon Bushrod was the 2nd of the 4th round picks for the Saints last season.  Bushrod played in 1 game (0 starts) last season.  CB David Jones was the 5th round pick of the Saints last season and he was quickly cut loose.  Jones was then signed by the Bengals where he played in 7 games (0 starts) and made 2 tackles.  Inside linebacker Marvin Mitchell was the 7th round pick of the Saints last season.  He played in 10 games (0 starts) and he made 8 whole tackles.

GRADE FOR THE 2007 SEASON:  F

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  D

The Saints have signed 35-year old cornerback Aaron Glenn.  Glenn played in 5 games (4 starts) for the Jaguars last season and he made 15 tackles, defensed 1 pass and he intercepted a pass that he returned 28 yards for a TD.  Glenn has now played in 201 games (175 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 633 tackles, defensed 163 passes, forced 5 fumbles, has 1 sack and he has intercepted 41 passes including six that he has returned for TDs.  This was a nice depth signing for the Saints as Glenn will be able to contribute in nickel and dime packages.

The New Orleans Saints have signed offensive guard Matt Lehr.  Lehr played in 16 games for the Bucs last season but he didn’t start any of them.  Lehr has now played in 85 games (48 starts) in his 7-year NFL career.  He also has nice size at 6′2″, 304 pounds.  He will battle for a starting job at guard this season for the Saints.

The New Orleans Saints have signed 37-year old QB Mark Brunell to a 2-year contract.  He didn’t get in a game last season for the Redskins as he was third on the depth chart.  He has now played in 157 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2,738 of 4,594 passes (59.6%) for 31,826 yards with 182 TD passes and 106 interceptions (84.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 509 times for 2,433 yards (4.8 ypc) with 15 TD runs.  Brunell might not have too much left so the Saints better hope that Drew Brees stays healthy.

The Saints have signed linebacker Dan Morgan to a 1-year contract.  This is a good gamble by the Saints as Morgan is a very talented football player who has had issues with concussions in the past.  If he’s healthy the Saints have a steal on their hands.  Morgan played in 3 games last season for the Panthers and he made 22 tackles and defensed 1 pass.  He has now played in 59 games in his NFL career and he has made 390 tackles, defensed 17 passes, has 7 sacks, forced 3 fumbles and intercepted 5 passes.