New Orleans Saints Draft Selections:
1st Round (20th Overall): Brandin Cooks, WR – Oregon State
2nd Round (58th Overall): Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB – Nebraska
4th Round (126th Overall): Khairi Fortt, ILB – California
5th Round (167th Overall): Vinnie Sunseri, SS – Alabama
5th Round (169th Overall): Ronald Powell, OLB – Florida
6th Round (202nd Overall): Tavon Rooks, OT – Kansas State
For our full NFL Draft Coverage, please click here.
Saints Draft Grade: 7/10
The New Orleans Saints spent the majority of this year’s draft by further stocking up on defense so that they can provide their mastermind defensive coordinator, Rob Ryan, more toys to play with. Figuring that their D-line is solidified by Cameron Jordan and company, they decided to move in the directions of linebacker and the secondary. Offensively, the Saints addressed two of their greater needs, receiver and tackle.
First off, the Saints traded up to snatch Brandin Cooks. The 5’10’’, 189-pounder recorded 128 receptions for 1,730 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2013 on his way to earning the Biletnikoff Award (given to the nation’s top receiver); he even finished runner-up for the award in 2012 when he piled up 1,151 yards on 67 catches and 5 scores. Known for his world-class speed, Cooks ran a 4.33 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which was the fastest among all participants. After finishing second in the nation in receptions last season, he has also become a sure-handed target. Head Coach Sean Payton will look to use Cooks in a multitude of ways; as for Who Dat Nation, their desire is that Cooks will become Darren Sproles and Lance Moore morphed into one player.
Next, the Saints picked up Stanley Jean-Baptiste, the first of four consecutive defensive players selected by the Black and Gold over the weekend. Like several others teams, the Saints chose to follow the Seattle Seahawks blueprint of drafting big, physical cornerbacks. At 6’3’’, 218 pounds, Jean-Baptiste used his frame to his advantage by playing aggressive in both pass coverage and run support. He earned a second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection after defending 12 passes and recording 41 tackles and four interceptions. For his career, Jean-Baptiste had 74 tackles, seven picks and 25 passes defended. Another tidbit about Stanley is that he was converted into a cornerback after beginning his time with the Cornhuskers as a wide receiver. Based on these facts, the Saints may have the next Richard Sherman on their hands.
New Orleans made linebacker Khairi Fortt their third pick in the draft. Coming out of California, Fortt began his collegiate career at Penn State before transferring in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. In 2013, he started and played in 11 games and was a finalist for the Butkus Award (given to the nation’s top linebacker). In 31 games with both the Nittany Lions and Golden Bears, he tallied 114 tackles, three sacks and 10 tackles for a loss. Various injuries have hampered Fortt’s production, including missing the entire 2012 season due to a knee surgery. Hopefully the Saints will see the healthy version of Khairi in the future.
Saints’ running back Mark Ingram was ecstatic when they selected a player from his alma-mater, strong safety Vinnie Sunseri. Despite a small frame — 5’11’’ and 210 pounds to be exact — Sunseri is credited for his physicality and tackling ability; he is also known for great special teams play. Unfortunately for Sunseri, however, he may have limited time on the field since the Saints already have highly-talented safeties in Jairus Byrd, Kenny Vaccaro and Rafael Bush.
The Saints remained in the SEC by grabbing outside linebacker Ronald Powell from Florida. After missing the 2012 season with a knee injury, Powell finished with 26 tackles and a team-leading four sacks in 2013. He finished his career with 83 tackles, 11 sacks and 19 tackles and a team tackle leader in two of his three seasons with the Gators.
Finally, the Saints drafted Kansas State offensive tackle Tavon Rooks in the sixth round. Rooks played at Navarro Junior College before starting the last two seasons for the Wildcats. The Saints’ left tackle issues were well documented in 2013; Charles Brown hasn’t worked out too well and the jury is still out on Terron Armstead. With three starting o-linemen for the Saints over the age of 30, bringing in youth on the frontline will be beneficial.
Why this Grade?
Although the Saints’ draft was solid overall, their grade can’t go any higher than eight. For starters, they drafted more linebackers and safeties than they needed to. It would have been ideal for the Saints to draft another corner or two to go with Jean-Baptiste. In a division like the NFC South featuring Pro-Bowl receivers Roddy White, Julio Jones and Vincent Jackson and big-bodied rookies such as Mike Evans and Kelvin Benjamin, there is no such thing as having “too many cornerbacks.” Second, the Saints should have picked more offensive lineman, particularly at the center spot. With Brian de la Puente signing with the Chicago Bears in Free Agency, the depth chart at that position became extremely thin.
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