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The one thing that hurt New Orleans is they only went into the draft with four picks. The first round selection of Malcolm Jenkins CB/S could help the D out significantly. Jenkins was the number one ranked corner in the draft and has decent size at 6'0, 204lbs. He ran a 4.51 forty at the combine and looks like a solid pickup for the Saints.
Their next selections didn't come until the fourth round where they picked SS Chip Vaughn, and LB Stanley Arnoux (both out of Wake Forest). Vaughn may be a good pick as he was projected to go in the second to third round. Vaughn is 6'1, 211lbs and ran a 4.42 forty and is good in run support.
Arnoux is 6 ft. 230 lbs and ran a 4.56 forty. Both of these look like solid pickups. The head-scratcher for the Saints was trading up to take a punter in the fifth round. No doubt the Saints had kicking woes last season but that move didn't make much sense. Thomas Morstead out of SMU was their pick. He is 6'4, and weighs 225. Although he was projected to go in the seventh round, the Saints thought he had the strongest leg of all the punters in the draft.
Other than reaching for the punter, the Saints had a solid draft by picking good players that they sorely needed on defense. The Saints didn't have enough picks and the reach on the punter drops their grade as well. GRADE: C+
Carolina Panthers
One bane this off-season for the Panthers has been the Peppers saga. They franchised him, but he is yet to sign the tender. Due to the fact that franchising Peppers took a ton of cap money, the Panthers were virtually non-existent in free agency. Also they had no first round draft pick and in a questionable move traded away their number one next year.
Carolina ended up with seven picks in the draft (2 second, third, 2 fourth, fifth, and seventh). With their first pick Carolina selected DE Everette Brown out of Florida State.
If the team trades Peppers then this pick may end up being a good one. If they don't it may not be so good for the Panthers. Brown with his high motor and work ethic seems like a solid pickup but the team has other, more gaping holes. It seems like a lot to give up for an insurance policy if Peppers leaves. Brown was projected to go in the first round and is a good player.
The other second round pick, FS Sherrod Martin out of Troy will add depth to the Panthers secondary. Evidently the Panthers are going to try him at corner. The knock on Martin is he was often injured, missing one whole season and having three major operations. If he can stay healthy he should be a solid pickup.
In the third round the Panthers reach to select DT Corey Irvin out of Georgia. He was projected to go in the later rounds of the draft. Irvin only had one season as a starter and probably will serve as a backup. He does have good size though at 6'3, 303lbs.
In the fourth they selected RB Mike Woodson (who is said to have injury and attitude problems) to replace the third running back slot vacated by Nick Goings. Woodson is a great return man and that may be where he finds his niche with the Panthers.
The other fourth round selection was FB Tony Fiammetta. A good blocker and pass protector, may be the heir apparent of FB Brad Hoover. Hoover looks like he's still the man but he is getting older. Fiammetta looks like a backup for now.
What might be a late round steal was the pick of OL Duke Robinson in the fifth round. Robinson was projected to go in day one but dropped. Robinson definitely has talent but has been known to not have a great work ethic and has weight issues. Could be a great value pick if the Panthers can motivate him.
In the seventh round the Panthers took CB Captain Munnerlyn who definitely has the coolest name of anyone in the draft. Munnerlyn is undersized at 5'9 and 185. He will probably be relegated to a backup at best.
Overall, the Panthers didn't do a bad job but they didn't do a spectacular job either. Not having a first rounder and trading away their first rounder next year hurts. Also, most of the guys they selected will be backups and may not help the team that much this season. Not sure they filled the need at defensive tackle where they were decimated last year with injuries. DRAFT GRADE: C-
The Bucs have made some moves this offseason that puzzle me. First, they hire an unproven head coach and a new general manager. They in turn do a major roster purge of veterans. Then they add the oft-injured but talented TE Kellen Winslow. That didn't seem like a bad move, until they gave him a huge contract extension before he even proves himself.
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