The New Orleans Saints dealt the #56 overall pick (2nd round) in this year’s draft plus their first round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft to the New England Patriots for the #28 overall pick in this year’s draft.  With that pick, the Saints selected 22-year old RB Mark Ingram out of Alabama.  Ingram won the Heisman Trophy in 2009 for the Crimson Tide but last season he started late due to injury.  Ingram played in 11 games (all starts) for Alabama last season and he carried the ball 158 times for 875 yards (5.5 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  Ingram also caught 21 passes for 282 yards (13.4 avg) with 1 TD grab last year.  Ingram is 5’10″, 215 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  Ingram reminds me a lot of Emmitt Smith in his running style and if he turns out that good, this deal will be one of the all-time steals in NFL Draft history.  Ingram played in 39 games (24 starts) in his three years with Alabama and he carried the ball 572 times for 3,261 yards (5.7 ypc) with 42 TD runs.  He also has caught 60 passes for 607 yards (11.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his career.

The New Orleans were pleasantly surprised to see 22-year old DE Cameron Jordan slide to them.  So they picked him with the #24 overall pick (first round) of the NFL Draft.  Jordan is 6’4″, 287 pounds and he runs a 4.8 40, so he’s a pretty good athlete.  Jordan is at his best when finding gaps and using his speed to get through them.  He played in 12 games (all starts) at California last  year and he was 62 tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, 4 batted down passes, forced 3 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  Jordan played in 50 games (33 starts) in his four years with California and he had 175 tackles, 34 tackles for a loss, 16.5 sacks, 5 batted down balls, 4 forced fumbles and he recovered 3 fumbles.  Getting Jordan was an outstanding value pick for the Saints and he will have a bright future with them.  This was a great pick.

While most teams will be drafting for need, I see the Saints taking the best player available which has been their method of operation lately.  With that in mind, here are the players I see the Saints landing in my mock draft:

1st round (#24 overall) – Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa

2nd round (#56 overall) – DeAndre McDaniel, SS, Clemson

3rd round (#72 overall) – Ryan Williams, RB, Virginia Tech

3rd round (#88 overall) – Mason Foster, OLB, Washington

7th round (#226 overall) – Charles L. Rucker, CB, Michigan State

7th round (#243 overall) – Henry Hunoski, FB, Pittsburgh

This would be a solid draft for the Saints as they would be getting solid players in need areas.

The New Orleans Saints didn’t get much out of the rookies in 2010, but that’s because most of them didn’t get much of a chance to play because the Saints didn’t need them to.  Last year’s draft was handled with eyes on the future.  Here is a look at how the rookies on the Saints did in 2010:

Patrick Robinson:  The Saints took CB Patrick Robinson in the first round (#32 overall) out of Florida State.  He played in 11 games (4 starts) for the Saints last year and he had 28 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss.  Robinson will likely be a starting corner for the Saints in the near future, but they don’t need to rush him.

Charles Brown:  The Saints took OT Charles Brown out of USC in the second round (#64 overall).  Brown played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Saints as a rookie last year.  The Saints will likely bring Brown along slowly due to the depth they have at his position.

Jimmy Graham:  The Saints took TE Jimmy Graham in the 3rd round (#95 overall) out of Miami (Fl).  Graham played in 15 games (5 starts) for the Saints last year and he caught 31 passes for 356 yards (11.5 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Graham also carried the ball 1 time for 3 yards last year.  Graham played so well last year that the Saints decided to cut Jeremy Shockey over the winter.

Al Woods:  The Saints took DT Al Woods in the 4th round (#123 overall) out of LSU.  Woods didn’t make the team out of training camp and he was picked up by the rival Tampa Bay Bucs.  Woods played in 9 games for the Bucs last year and he had 17 tackles and 1/2 a sack.  The Saints might wish down the road that they kept Woods.

Matt Tennant:  The Saints took center Matt Tennant in the fifth round (#158 overall) out of Boston College.  Tennant played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Saints last year.  He looks like he will be a starter down the road for the Saints as this was a solid pick for the Saints.

Sean Canfield:  The Saints took QB Sean Canfield with the #239 overall pick (7th round) out of Oregon State.  He didn’t get into any games for the Saints last year but they must like him a little bit as they didn’t get rid of him.

GRADE FOR 2010:  C-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B