New Orleans 2006 Draft: A Seventh Round Gem

(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

It's time to grade the Saints on their 2006 draft. For grading criteria, if the player made it to the Pro Bowl, he gets an A. If he has started at least 24 games (1.5 seasons) he gets a B. C's are still on the team. D's are still in the NFL. F's are no longer in the NFL. Plus and minuses are subjective.

Round One, Pick two: Reggie Bush, RB, USC

Reggie has accumulated 3,149 yards of total offense, and scored 20 Touchdowns. However, He is only averaging 3.7 yards per carry, and 7.5 yards per reception. More would be desired of a second overall choice. I'm giving a little bump for his return skills here. Grade:B+

Round Two, Pick 43: Roman Harper, SS, Alabama

Roman has started every game in which he has played. He has amassed 205 tackles, 5 sacks, and 3 interceptions. He may be traded before the season starts, as he may be the fourth or fifth best safety on the roster. Grade B

Round Four, Pick 108: Jahri Evans, G, Bloomsburg

Evans has played and started in all 48 possible games. This is a great find in the fourth. He may even have a pro bowl ahead of him if he keeps developing. Grade B+

Round Five, pick 135: Rob Ninkovich, DE, Purdue

Played with the Saints his first year, totaling four tackles in three games. Spent 2007 and most of 2008 with the Dolphins appearing in five games. He ended the 2008 season back on the Saints roster. Grade: C-

Round Six, Pick 171: Mike Hass, WR, Oregon State

Played in one game in 2007 for the Bears after making their roster as a rookie. He has been released by the Bears three times, He signed a future contract with the Seahawks. Grade: D

Round Six, Pick 174: Josh Lay, CB, Pittsburgh

Made the Rams roster as a rookie, didn't play, and is now out of the NFL. Grade: F

Round Seven, Pick 210: Zach Strief, G, Northwestern

Zach has played in 41 games, starting three. He is a good find in Round 7. Grade: C+

Round Seven, Pick 252: Marques Colston, WR, Hofstra

Marques is the most productive player in this Saints class, gaining 3,000 yards receiving on 215 catches with 24 TDs. I could go on and on here, but it's all been said, so I'm giving some major extra credit here. Grade: A+

So adding up all of the grade points, just like you would in college (grade x credits). And we'll pretend that the first round is a seven credit class, the second round is six and so forth. The Saints have 26 credits, with 69.3 grade points. That gives them a GPA of  2.66.

What really brings this draft down is an almost no show at round five, and two complete whiffs in round six. With Bush not really performing like a high pick yet, there is definitely room for improvement.

Stacking up the NFC South, the Saints had the second best draft behind Carolina (2.78). They were narrowly ahead of Atlanta (2.56), and smoked the Bucs lowly 1.84.

Watch for all my updates, as I am grading all of the 2006 drafts

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