Adrian Arrington reminds me of a lot of overrated Michigan receivers as they tend to be slow but physical.  Arrington is 6’2″, 185 but he only runs a 4.6 40.  He can make the acrobatic catch look easy and the easy catch look impossible.  Arrington played in 34 games (18 starts) at Michigan and he caught 109 passes for 1,438 yards (13.2 avg) with 16 TD grabs.  He will be lucky to make the Saints’ roster.

The Saints are trying to rid themselves of the nightmare that was Olindo Mare last season.  Mehlhaff has a strong left leg as he can often split the goal posts on kickoffs.  He is a very good athlete for a kicker although that likely won’t come into play often.  He played in 51 games at Wisconsin and he connected on 50 of 65 FGs (76.9%) and 145 of 148 extra points.  He will be battling Martin Gramatica for the starting job and he should be able to beat him out.

Carl Nicks is a massive man at 6’4″, 343 pounds but he would be best served getting a little bit lighter to help him with his foot speed.  Nicks has the potential to start down the road for the Saints as long as he takes to the coaching.  He was only a 1 year starter in college so he has a lot to learn.  Nicks played in 27 games (13 starts) at Nebraska.  Nicks’ best skill for this season will be on special teams as he is very adept at blocking kicks.

DeMario Pressley has the potential to be a pretty good football player.  But he’s not as good as he thinks he is and Saints’ coaches will likely have to ride him a lot to keep him focused and motivated.  He is big enough at 6’3″, 300 pounds to be able to handle the rough stuff as long as he stays low.  He also is quick enough (4.9 40) to make plays outside the tackle box.  Pressley played in 43 games (32 starts) at North Carolina State and he finished with 140 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, had 4.5 sacks, batted down 5 passes, forced 2 fumbles and recovered 1.  The Saints needed some depth in the middle of the defense and they think Pressley will be able to help them there.

The Saints continued the never ending search for quality corners with the selection of Tracy Porter in the 2nd round.  Porter is only 5’10″, 184 pounds but he runs a 4.41 40 and sometimes makes up for mistakes with his speed.  But he’s as soft as a roll of Charmin and that needs to change if he wants to earn playing time for the Saints.  Porter played in 43 games (all starts) at Indiana and he made 212 tackles, broke up 30 passes, had 16 interceptions, forced 2 fumbles and recovered 4 fumbles.  Porter will likely make his paycheck playing on special teams as a rookie and he might get to play some in nickel and dime defenses.  This was a reach in the 2nd round.

The Saints traded up to get the player that they coveted all along in DT Sedrick Ellis from USC.  Ellis is a bad dude as he is equally good against both the run and the pass.  He might start the season as a backup but he will likely push Hollis Thomas to the bench at some point in the 2008 season.  Ellis stands at 6’0″, 308 pounds and he runs a 4.95 40 which is very impressive for a player his size.  Ellis played in 50 games (36 starts) in his career at USC and he made 144 tackles, had 28.5 tackles for a loss, had 17.5 sacks, batted down 13 passes, forced 2 fumbles and recovered 4 fumbles.  Ellis will be a impact player for the Saints and bring added toughness to a previously soft crew.

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 acquired linebacker Jonathan Vilma from the New York Jets for a conditional 4th round pick that could improve based on Vilma’s play.  Vilma played in 7 games last season for the Jets and he made 43 tackles, defensed 4 passes and picked one off.  Vilma has now played in 55 games in his NFL career and he has made 441 tackles, defensed 19 passes, had 2.5 sacks, forced 5 fumbles and has intercepted 6 passes including one that he returned for a TD.  This was an outstanding move for the Saints as Vilma is a impact player.

The Saints have released running back Antonio Pittman who was a 4th round pick in this year’s draft.  Pittman carried the football 55 times for 173 yards (3.1 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 6 passes for 35 yards (5.8 avg).  Pittman was beaten out for a roster spot by undrafted rookie Pierre Thomas from Illinois.  Thomas was outstanding in the pre-season as he carried the football 33 times for 190 yards (5.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs and he also caught 6 passes for 95 yards (15.8 avg).

Marvin Mitchell was a good pick in the 7th round for the Saints.  Mitchell is a classic middle linebacker as he blows up inside running plays.  He’s a big guy at 6’3″, 249 pounds but he’s a tad slow as he only runs a 4.87 40.  It’s possible that the Saints could use him in short yardage situations because he’s not fast enough to make plays to the sideline or cover a running back on a pass play.  Mitchell played in 39 games (15 starts) at Tennessee and he made 154 tackles, had 1 sack, 16 tackles for a loss, forced 3 fumbles, broke up 5 passes and had 2 interceptions.