The Saints didn’t get a lot of production out of their rookies last year. Here is a look at how the rookies played during the regular season:

22-year old DE Cameron Jordan was picked in the first round by the Saints last April. He played in all 16 games for the Saints this year and he had 31 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 5 passes defensed. Jordan will likely be a starter down the road for the Saints.

The Saints dealt back into the first round to take 22-year old RB Mark Ingram. Ingram played in 10 games for the Saints this year and he carried the ball 122 times for 474 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs. He also caught 11 passes for 46 yards (4.2 ypc) this year. Ingram’s season ended early due to toe surgery.

23-year old LB Martez Wilson was picked in the 3rd round by the Saints. He played in 13 games for the Saints this year and he had 10 tackles and 1 sack. He’s likely to have a much bigger role down the road for the Saints.

23-year old CB Johnny Patrick was also a 3rd round pick. He played in 9 games for the Saints this year and he had only 5 tackles.

23-year old DE Greg Romeus was a 7th round pick. He spent his whole rookie year on I.R. with a knee injury.

22-year old LB Nate Bussey was also a 7th round pick. He didn’t play in any games for the Saints as a rookie.

GRADE FOR 2011: D

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE: C

The New Orleans Saints only added six players in the NFL Draft, but the ones they took at likely to make a huge impact.  DE Cameron Jordan slid to the Saints with the 24th overall pick of the first round.  The Saints didn’t get much of a pass rush from their DEs last year but that problem should be solved with Jordan on board.  The Saints then dealt their 2nd round pick and a 1st round pick in 2012 to the Patriots for the rite to move back into the first round and pick RB Mark Ingram.  Ingram reminds me in style and size of Emmitt Smith.  If he can play like him, he will be a starter really early in his career for the Saints.  ILB Martez Wilson was rated the best middle linebacker in this draft by many “experts”.  Wilson will likely move to an outside slot for the Saints and he was a great value pick in the 3rd round.  CB Johnny Patrick is a very solid prospect who will be brought along slowly on D.  But, he could help the Saints out immediately on special teams.  DE Greg Romeus was a steal for the Saints due to past injury problems.  They got him in the 7th round, and if he’s healthy he could be in the Saints’ starting lineup down the road.

PROJECTED GRADE:  B+

The Saints selected 22-year old outside linebacker Nate Bussey out of Illinois with the 243rd overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Bussey is 6’1″, 219 pounds so he’s a tad small.  He had 83 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss and he recovered 3 fumbles last year for the Illini.  Bussey will be a longshot to make the Saints, so he must first try to do so on special teams.

The Saints have picked 23-year old DE Greg Romeus out of Pittsburgh with the 226th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Romeus is 6’5″, 267 pounds and he runs a 4.85 40, so he’s a pretty good athlete when healthy.  Romeus had surgeries to his back and knee last year which really slowed him down and probably affected his draft status.  Romeus played in 2 games (both starts) for Pittsburgh last year and he had 7 tackles and 1 batted ball.  He played in 40 games (28 starts) in his four years with the Panthers and he had 142 tackles, 38.5 tackles for a loss, 19.5 sacks, he batted down 12 balls and he forced 4 fumbles.  This could wind up being an awesome pick for the Saints if Romeus can just stay healthy, because he shouldn’t have been available this late in the draft, period!

The New Orleans Saints picked 23-year old cornerback Johnny Patrick out of Louisville with the 88th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Patrick is on the small side at 5’10″, 185 pounds but he’s really fast as he runs a 4.43 40.  Patrick plays the game really fast and he’s no afraid of sticking a running back either.  But, he could have issues with taller WRs in the pros.  Patrick played in 13 games (all starts) for Louisville last year and he had 49 tackles, he broke up 12 passes, had 5 interceptions and he forced 1 fumble.  Patrick played in 46 games (40 starts) in his four years at Louisville and he has 171 tackles, he broke up 22 passes, had 9 interceptions, forced 1 fumble and he recovered 1 fumble.  This was an outstanding pick for the Saints as Patrick could be a starter pretty early in his career.

The New Orleans Saints picked 22-year old ILB/OLB Martez Wilson out of Illinois with the 72nd pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Wilson is 6’3″, 250 pounds and he runs a 4.7 40, so he’s a pretty good athlete.  Wilson is much better if used at inside linebacker where his toughness makes a big difference.  He played in 13 games (all starts) for Illinois last season and he had 112 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, he broke up 4 passes and had 1 interception.  Wilson played in 38 games (21 starts) in his four years with the Illini and he had 223 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, 9 sacks, he broke up 8 passes and he had 1 interception.  Wilson missed his whole third year due to a neck injury, but he proved to be 100% healthy last year.  This was another solid pick for the Saints as Wilson will be a starter in the near future for them.

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