Black and Gold X's and O's | My 2009 NFL Draft Board

Here's how I hope the New Orleans Saints draft board looks.

To understand the grades I gave each player, think of it this way.

6.4 and higher means first round, and expected to be a guy who can start right away or at least provide meaningful contributions.

6.2 and 6.3 are 2nd Rounders who should become good players and can start soon.

6.0 and 6.1 are considered third rounders and guys who can play and contribute in the very near future.

Fourth round and later, are guys under 6.0 and are not expected to start right away.

Finally, rules for using this board go something like this.

Teams should not draft a player above where they have him graded. A team can trade up in later rounds if there is a player they have rated higher who maybe hasn't been drafted.

And if someone goes undrafted that a team has rated high, they should do everything in their power to pick that player up through free agency. This courtship really begins even before the draft is over. 

One final rule, is that this board can be altered somewhat based on team needs, although the best drafting teams tend to either draft best player available, or trade down to get the best value for their pick.

So without further ado, here is my 2009 NFL Draft Board:

2009 NFL Draft Big Board

Italicized=Injury concerns

Bold=Character concerns

First Round

1. Jason Smith OT Baylor 7.1

2. Knowshon Moreno RB Georgia 7.1

3. Mark Sanchez QB Southern California 7.0

4. Aaron Curry OLB Wake Forest 7.0

5. BJ Raji DT Boston College 7.0

6. Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech 6.9

7. Eugene Monroe OT Virginia 6.9

8. Peria Jerry DT Ole Miss 6.9

9. Andre Smith OT Alabama 6.8

10. D.J. Moore CB/S Vanderbilt 6.7

11. LeSean McCoy RB Pittsburgh 6.7

12. Everette Brown DE Florida State 6.6

13. Tyson Jackson DE LSU 6.6

14. Malcolm Jenkins CB Ohio State 6.6

15. Aaron Maybin OLB Penn State 6.6

16. Shonn Greene RB Iowa 6.6

17. Alex Mack C Cal 6.6

18. Clay Matthews OLB Southern Cal 6.5

19. Darius Butler CB UCONN 6.5

20. Percy Harvin Flex RB Florida 6.5

21. Darrius Heyward-Bey WR Maryland 6.5

22. Michael Oher OT Ole Miss 6.5

23. Vontae Davis CB Illinois 6.5

24. Josh Freeman QB Kansas State 6.4

25. Rey Maualuga ILB Southern Cal 6.4

26. Eric Wood C Louisville 6.4

27. Connor Barwin OLB/DE/TE Cincinnati 6.4

28. Evander “Ziggy” Hood DT Missouri 6.4

29. Jarron Gilbert DT/DE SJSU 6.4

30. Jared Cook TE South Carolina 6.4

First Round Total: 30

Second Round

1. Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma State 6.3

2. Hakeem Nicks WR UNC 6.3

3. Alphonso Smith CB Wake Forest 6.3

4. Brian Robiskie WR Ohio State 6.3

5. Darcel McBath S Texas Tech 6.3

6. Robert Ayers DE/DT Tennessee 6.3

7. Paul Kruger DE/OLB Utah 6.3

8. Brian Orakpo DE Texas 6.3

9. Eben Britton OT Arizona 6.3

10. Rashad Johnson S Alabama 6.3

11. LawrenceSidbury Richmond 6.3

13. Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri 6.3

14. Rashad Jennings RB Liberty 6.3

15. Garrett Reynolds OT North Carolina 6.2

16. Kenny Britt WR Rutgers 6.2

17. Mike Mickens CB Cincinnati 6.2

18. Max Unger C/G Oregon 6.2

19. Larry English DE/OLB Northern Illinois 6.2

20. Ron Brace DT Boston College 6.2

21. Brian Cushing OLB/MLB Southern California 6.2

22. Duke Robinson OG Oklahoma 6.2

23. Chris “Beanie” Wells RB Ohio State 6.2

24. Matthew Stafford QB Georgia 6.2

25. Michael Johnson DE Georgia Tech 6.2

26. Sen’Derrick Marks DT Auburn 6.2

27. James Laurinaitis MLB Ohio State 6.2

28. Kyle Moore 5-tech DE Southern California 6.2

29. Patrick White QB/Athlete West Virginia 6.2

30. Cody Williams DE/OLB UCONN 6.2

31. Louis Vazquez OG Texas Tech 6.2

32. Juaquin Iglesias WR Oklahoma 6.2

Second Round Total:  32

Third Round

1. Patrick Turner WR Southern California 6.1

2. Marcus Freeman OLB Ohio State 6.1

3. Jasper Brinkley ILB South Carolina 6.1

4. Graham Harrell QB Texas Tech 6.1

5. Victor “Macho” Harris CB Virginia Tech 6.1

6. DeAngelo Smith CB Cincinnati 6.1

7. Tyrone McKenzie OLB South Florida 6.1

8. Gartrell Johnson RB Colorado State 6.0

9. Gerald McRath LB Southern Mississippi 6.0

10. Jarrett Dillard WR Rice 6.0

11. Dorrell Scott DT Clemson 6.0

12. Clint Sintim OLB Uva 6.0

13. Jonathan Luigs C Arkansas 6.0

14. Travis Beckum TE Wisconsin 6.0

15. Ramses Barden WR Cal Poly 6.0

16. Asher Allen CB Georgia 6.0

17. Antoine Caldwell C Alabama 6.0

18. Nate Davis QB Ball State 6.0

19. William Beatty OT UCONN 6.0

20. James Casey TE Rice 6.0

21. Roy Miller DT Texas 6.0

22. Cornelius Ingram TE Florida 6.0

23. Derrick Williams WR Penn State 6.0

24. Danell Ellerbe OLB Georgia 6.0

25. Sherrod Martin DB Troy 6.0

26. Joe Burnett CB/Ret Central Florida 6.0

27. Coye Francies CB SJSU 6.0

28. Jairus Byrd CB Oregon 6.0

29. Brice McCain CB Utah 6.0

30. Ellis Lankster CB West Virginia 6.0

31. Darry Beckwith LB Louisiana State 6.0

32. Shawn Nelson TE Southern Mississippi 6.0

Fourth Round

Korey Sperry TE Colorado State 5.9

Mohammed Massaquoi WR Georgia 5.9

Brandon Williams DE Texas Tech 5.9

Scott McKillop Pittsburgh 5.9

Andy Levitre OG Oregon State 5.9

Chip Vaughn S Wake Forest 5.9

Kraig Urbik OG Wisconsin 5.9

Xavier Fulton OT Illinois 5.9

Quinn Johnson FB Louisiana State 5.9

AQ Shipley C Penn State 5.9

Brooks Foster WR North Carolina 5.9

Captain Munnerlyn CB South Carolina 5.9

Herman Johnson OG Louisiana State 5.9

Louis Delmas S Western Michigan 5.9

Kaluka Maiava MLB Southern California 5.9

Alex Magee DT Purdue 5.9

AustinCollie WR Brigham Young 5.9

Sebastian Vollmer OT Houston 5.9

David Buehler K Southern California

Aaron Kelly WR Clemson 5.9

Fili Moala DT Southern California 5.9

William Moore DS/OLB Missouri 5.9

Jeremy Childs WR Boise State 5.9

John Phillips TE Virginia 5.9

Kevin Ogletree WR Virginia 5.9

David Bruton S Notre Dame 5.9

Donald Brown RB UCONN 5.8

Lydon Murtha OT Nebraska 5.8

Patrick Chung S Oregon 5.8

Mike Wallace WR Mississippi 5.8

Phil Loadholt OT Oklahoma 5.8

Gerald Cadogan OT Penn State 5.8

Chris Owens CB SJSU 5.8

Sammie Lee Hill DT Stillman 5.8

Jackie Bates CB Hampton 5.8

Chase Coffman TE Missouri 5.8

Ricky Jean-Francois DT Louisiana State 5.8

Tony Fiametta FB Syracuse 5.8

Will Davis DE Illinois 5.8

Nic Harris S/OLB Oklahoma 5.8

Greg Isdaner WVa 5.8

Kevin Huber P Cincinnati

Fifth Round

Jason Phillips ILB TCU 5.8

Corvey Irvin DT Georgia 5.8

Glen Coffee RB Alabama 5.8

Randy Phillips CB Miami 5.8

Mike Thomas WR Arizona 5.8

Thomas Morstead P Southern Methodist 5.8

Wopamo Osaisai CB Stanford 5.8

Cedric Peerman RB Virginia 5.8

Terrance Knighton DT Temple 5.8

Augustus Parrish OT Kent State 5.8

Michael Hamlin S Clemson 5.8

Matt Slauson OG Nebraska 5.8

Frantz Joseph ILB Fla Atlantic 5.8

Kevin Ellison S Southern California 5.8

Ryan Purvis TE Boston College 5.8

Londen Fryar CB Western Michigan 5.8

Korey Sheets RB Purdue 5.8

Jordan Norwood WR Penn State 5.8

Lendy Holmes CB Oklahoma 5.8

Andre Brown RB North Carolina State 5.8

Jason Williams LB Western Illinois 5.8

Brian Hartline WR Ohio State 5.8

Javon Ringer RB Michigan State 5.8

Brennan Marion WR Tulsa 5.8

Reshard Langford S Vanderbilt 5.8

Joel Bell OT Furman 5.8

Demetrius Byrd WR LSU 5.8

Brandon Underwood S/CB Cincinnati 5.8

Ashlee Palmer LB Mississippi 5.8

Zach Follet LB California 5.8

Terrance Taylor DT Michigan 5.8

Kenny McKinley WR South Carolina 5.8

Louis Murphy WR Florida 5.8

Panel Egboh DE Stanford 5.8

Vance Walker DT Georgia Tech 5.8

Nader Abdallah DT Ohio State 5.8

Louie Sakoda K Utah

John Parker Wilson QB Alabama 5.8

Sixth Round

Trevor Canfield Cincinnati 5.7

Spencer Adkins LB Miami 5.7

Ryan Stancheck OT West Virginia 5.7

Jamarca Sanford S Mississippi 5.7

Ra’shon Harris DT Oregon 5.7

Matt Shaunessy DE Wisconsin 5.7

Cedric Dockery OG Texas 5.7

Ian Johnson Boise State 5.7

Curtis Taylor S Louisiana State 5.7

Tyrell Sutton Northwestern 5.7

P.J. Hill RB Wisconsin 5.7

Jake Ratliff DE Texas Tech 5.7

Brandon Gibson WR Washington State 5.7

James Davis RB Clemson 5.7

Bear Pascoe TE Fresno State 5.7

Mitch King DT Iowa 5.7

Jamarco Simmons WR Western Michigan 5.7

Sean Smith CB Utah 5.7

Josh Leonard DT Hawaii 5.7

Antonio Appleby ILB Virginia 5.7

Emanuel Cook S South Carolina 5.7

Stephen McGee QB Texas A &M 5.7

Alex Boone OL Ohio State 5.7

Arian Foster RB Tennessee 5.7

Michael Jones WR Arizona State 5.7

Conredge Collins FB Pittsburgh 5.7

Stanley Arnoux ILB Wake Forest 5.7

Morgan Trent CB Michigan 5.7

Rashad Bobino ILB Texas 5.7

Sammie Stroughter WR Oregon State 5.7

Brian Hoyer QB Michigan State 5.7

John Falotoense DT UCD 5.7

Davon Drew TE East Carolina 5.7

Jacob Lacey CB Oklahoma State 5.7

Myron Pryor DT Kentucky 5.7

Jonathan Casillas LB Wisconsin 5.7

Ramon Foster OG Tennessee 5.7

Richard Quinn TE North Carolina 5.7

Seventh Round

Dallas Reynolds OT BYU 5.6

Kirston Pittman DE Louisiana State 5.6

Josh Mauga ILB Nevada 5.6

Derek Pegues S Mississippi State 5.6

Eric Moncur DE Miami 5.6

Darryl Richard, Georgia Tech

Chase Daniel QB/Athlete Missouri 5.6

Terrill Byrd DT/DE Cincinnati 5.6

Nick Reed DE Oregon 5.6

Corey Smith OLB/S Cincinnati 5.5

Marlon Lucky RB Nebraska 5.5

Worrell Williams LB California 5.5

Jamario O’Neal S Ohio State 5.5

Matt Fodge P Oklahoma State

Jervonte Jackson DT Fla Atlantic 5.5

Marvin Sapp ILB South Carolina 5.5

Marlon Favorite DT Louisiana State 5.5

Domonique Johnson CB Jackson State 5.5

Keith Fitzhugh S Mississippi State 5.5

Matt Kroul DT Iowa 5.5

Todd Boeckman QB Ohio State 5.5

Khalil Bell RB UCLA 5.5

Tim Jamison DE/OLB Michigan 5.5

Deon Butler WR Penn State 5.5

Tiquan Underwood WR Rutgers 5.5

Darius Hill TE Ball State 5.5

Tez Doolittle DT Auburn

Greg Carr WR Florida State 5.5

Graham Gano K Florida State

D.J. Boldin WR Wake Forest 5.5

Mike Teel QB Rutgers 5.5

Andrew Quarless TE Penn State 5.5

Robert Brewster OT Ball State 5.5

Andrew Davie TE/LS Arkansas 5.5

Sam Swank K Wake Forest

Cullen Harper QB Clemson 5.5

Demonte’ Bolden DT Tennessee 5.5

Blake Schlueter C TCU 5.5

Anthony Hill TE North Carolina State 5.5

Free Agency

Ryan Succop K South Carolina

Aaron Perez P UCLA

Jeff Wolfert K Missouri

Derek Walker DE Illinois 5.5

Stryker Sulak DE Missouri 5.5

Anthony Felder LB California 5.5

Pat McAfee K West Virginia

Marlon Lucky RB Nebraska 5.5

Andrew Hartline OT Central Michigan 5.5

Robby Felix C UTEP 5.5

Lucas Taylor WR Tennessee 5.5

David Richmond WR SJSU 5.5

Chris Kemme OT Akron 5.5

Willie Tuitama QB Arizona 5.5

Jaison Williams WR/TE Oregon 5.5

Rusty Smith QB Fla. Atl. 5.5

CJ Bacher QB Northwestern 5.5

Tyler Lorenzen QB/Athlete UCONN 5.5

Larod Stephens-Howling RB Pittsburgh 5.5

Dicky LyonsWR Kentucky 5.4

Keegan Herring RB ASU 5.4

Curtis Painter QB Purdue 5.4

Jeremy Gilchrist WR Hampton 5.3

Nate Longshore QB Cal 5.3

Brad Lester RB Auburn 5.3

Ryan Delrosal OT Dixie State 5.3

Pat Cowan QB UCLA 5.2

Tyler Grisham WR Clemson 5.2

Maurice Wells RB Ohio State 5.1

Ben Olson QB UCLA 4.9

Drew Weatherford QB Fla State 4.8

SirVincent Rogers OT Houston 4.8

Sean Sester OT Purdue 4.8

S

Chris Clemons, Clemson

Anthony Reddick, Miami

Marcus McClinton, Kentucky

C.J. Spillman, Marshall

Dre’Mail Harden, Stillman

Will Dunbar, UAB

Trimane Goddard, UNC

Jason Venson, UCF

CJ Byrd, Georgia

Nate Ness, U of A

Courtney Greene, Rutgers

Troy Nolan, ASU

Lovon Ponder, Miami

Mesphin Forrester, Washington

Mike Pagnotta, Colorado State

Sha’reff Rashad, UCF

D.J. Dykes, Colorado

Stephen Hodge, TCU

Blake Ligon, UNM

CB

Jerraud Powers, Auburn

DeAndre Wright, UNM

Tony Carter, FSU

Darren Banks, West Liberty State

Lydell Sargent, Penn State

Kevin Barnes, Maryland

Mark Parsons, Ohio

Ladarius Webb, Nicholls State

Allen Langford, Wisconsin

David Hyland, Morehead State

Kevin Gerard, NAU

OLB

Anthony Heygood, Purdue

Ian Campbell, Kansas State

Solomon Elimimian, Hawaii

Maurice Crum, Notre Dame

Brian Toal, BC

Anthony Felder, Cal

Orion Martin, VaTech

Jared Brock, WTAM

Clayton Mullins, Miami of Ohio

Steve Davis, Minnesota

Tyrell Sales, Penn State

Braxton Kelley, Kentucky

Lee Robinson Alcorn State

ILB

Dave Phillistin, Maryland

Pat Maynor, Stanford

Derek Nicholson, FSU

Dan Holtzclaw, Eastern Michigan

Jon Copper, UVa

Ronnie Palmer, U of A

Greg Trent, Wazzu

Russell Allen, SDSU

Joey Hudson, Miami of Ohio

Courtney Pearson, Tri-State

Joe Henderson, UAB

Adam Vincent, UTEP

Joe Mortensen, Kansas

Austin Panter, Michigan

Ryan Phipps, Idaho State

Erique Dozier, Bowling Green

Courtney Vincent, Clemson

DT

George Hypolite, Colorado

Jason Chapman, Wisconsin

Jake Visser, Ferris State

Jon Monga, Fresno

Antonio Dixon, Miami

John Gill, Northwestern

Brandon Nicolas, Colorado

DE

Antwain Robinson, Arkansas

Lawrence Wilson, Ohio State

Jamaal Westerman, Rutgers

Brandon Swain, WTAM

Albert McClellan, Marshall

Derek Walker, Illinois

Phillip Hunt, Houston

Neefy Moffett, FSU

Willie VanDeSteeg, Minnesota

Marcus Hands, ECU

Louis Ellis, Shaw

Jameson Hartke, Ohio

OG

Jeremy Perry, Oregon State

Steve Rehring, Ohio State

Mitch Petrus, Arkansas

Anthony Parker, Tennessee

Paul Fanaika, ASU

Jim Tartt, Florida

Alex Fletcher, Stanford

J.D. Quinn, Montana

Ray Feinga, BYU

Brandon Walker, Oklahoma

Chris DeGeare, Wake Forest

Curtis Croutch, NC State

Ryan Schmidt, USF

Jonathan Compas, UCD

Calvin Darity, UNC

C

Jon Cooper, Oklahoma

David Washington, Oklahoma State

Brett Helms, LSU

Juan Garcia, Washington

Dominic Green, Nevada

Dumaka Atkins, FSU

Mike Dent, WVa

Ryan McDonald, Illinois

Ryan Cantrell, Kansas

Daniel Sanders, Colorado

OT

Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech

George Bussey, Louisville

Scott Burley, Maryland

Allen Smith, Stanford

Eric VandenHeuvel, Wisconsin

Garry Williams, Kentucky

QB

Hunter Cantwell, Louisville

Nathan Brown, Central Arkansas

Rudy Carpenter, ASU

Chase Hollbrook, NMSU

Mike Reilly, Central Washington

Joe Ganz, Nebraska

Todd Brandstater, Fresno