New Orleans Saints - NFC South

New Orleans Saints - NFC South, 2009 Draft Selections & Prospects

New Orleans Saints

- 2009 NFL Draft Breakdown and Analysis
1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | 4th Round | 5th Round | 6th Rd | 7th Rd

- CFN 2009 Draft Central & Team-by-Team Picks and Analysis

#	Pick
18	18	1st Round   Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State  6-0, 204 He has everything but speed. With good size and toughness, he’s terrific against bigger receivers ad has no problems being physical, even though he doesn’t show great weight room strength. For his size he has phenomenal quickness, coming up with a Combine best time (for the corners) in the cone drill and one of the best in the shuttle. However, he came up with a glacier-slow 4.54 in the 40 exposing his lack of pure deep speed. While he’ll be started out at corner, and will be more than fine, he could really shine down the road with a few years of experience and a move to free safety. For now, he won’t be asked to deal with too many blazers and will likely have to try to erase the bigger targets. But for where he’s picked and the money he’ll make, he needs to be a No. 1 corner and that just might not be in him. CFN Value Rank: First Round  CFN Position Rank: 1
16	116	4th Round Chip Vaughn, FS/SS Wake Forest 6-1, 220 Very big and very fast, he’s strong enough to play strong safety, lifting 225 pounds 21 times at the Combine, and speedy enough to play free safety, running a 4.42, he has the raw skills. What he doesn’t have is good tackling ability and has gotten by mostly by outrunning everyone else. A former wide receiver, he doesn’t always play up to his athleticism and he has questionable instincts. However, he made a lot of tackles and has grown into a hot prospect who will likely be coached into his athleticism. Smart enough to learn how to improve, the upside is limitless. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 10
18	118	4th Round (from NY Jets) Stanley Arnoux, LB Wake Forest 6-0, 230 Very fast and very athletic, but undersized, Arnoux was a great running mate next to Aaron Curry and came up with a very productive career. He doesn’t always use his speed and will have to learn how to become a blitzer, but he could grow into a killer on special teams if he’s willing to put in the work. He’s a good character, high intensity player who’s always moving and always trying to make things happen, but his lack of bulk will be a limiting factor. CFN Value Rank: Seventh Round    CFN Position Rank: 13
28	164	5th Round (from New York Giants through Philadelphia) Thomas Morstead, P SMU A big kicker with a booming leg and a strong work ethic, he looks the part of an NFL punter. He gets the ball away in a hurry and hangs it up in the air for an hour. If needed, he can be used as a placekicker after nailing 24-of-35 his last two years. CFN Value Rank: Seventh Round    CFN Position Rank: 3

2008

The Draft Was ... Efficient. Moving up to get Sedrick Ellis with the seventh pick was good, and getting underachieving, while talented NC State DT DeMario Pressley in the fifth helped solidify the interior. Tracy Porter flew under the radar, but he'll be a productive corner for a long time. PK Taylor Mehlhaff should be terrific in the dome.
Best Value Pick: Adrian Arrington, WR Michigan. 7th round. Had he stayed for his senior year he would've been a first day pick. He didn't stay, and New Orleans got a ridiculous steal in the seventh round.
Biggest Reach: Taylor Mehlhaff, PK Wisconsin. 6th round. He actually isn't a reach, but there were other needs that went without. Taking a flier on a linebacker would've been helpful.
They Should've ... Gotten more help for the secondary. Beefing up the line will help the overall defense if Ellis is the interior pass rusher he was at USC, but getting more corner talent was needed for the woeful pass D.

#	Pick
7	7	1st Round (from New England)  Sedrick Ellis, DT USC Lost in the Glenn Dorsey spotlight was the tremendous 2007 season had by Ellis. A phenomenal interior pass rusher who took his game up another level in his senior season, Ellis anchored the USC line and showed the strength and toughness to handle double team after double team and still produce. He's a more creative pass rusher than most ends and it a brick wall against the run. He's not the warrior Dorsey is and he was too good at getting into the backfield for his own good sometimes, missing out on a few run stops here and there trying to get to the quarterback, but he's strong, quick, and a rock to build around. In any other year he'd be the tackle everyone would be raving about. CFN Value Rank: Top Ten Overall   CFN Position Rank: 2

9

40

2nd Round   Tracy Porter, CB Indiana Arguably the best corner in the Big Ten that no one paid any attention to, Porter was a great three-and-a-half year starter with nice 4.49 speed and good shut-down ability. He made a lot of tackles, including 83 last season, but he's not the best run stopper and he'll get shoved around by the bigger, stronger receivers. He should be a nice second corner and a tremendous third man in the mix. CFN Value Rank: Third Round   CFN Position Rank: 13

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144

5th Round (from trade)  DeMario Pressley, DT NC State A total underachiever, he has all the tools to be phenomenal. Big, fast, athletic, and a good tackler, he was a good player for NC State, but he never became an interior pass rusher and he didn't dominate like he should've. He got dinged up with a variety of problems and didn't always play through the injuries. The upside is there, but he needs to be shoved by the coaches. CFN Value Rank: Third Round       CFN Position Rank: 11

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164

5th Round (from trade)  Carl Nicks, OT Nebraska A massive former defensive tackle who at 343 pounds is surprisingly athletic. A killer run blocker, he's been fantastic whenever he's able to get his arms on someone and has enough quickness to get down field and spring big plays. He needs refinement and he need a fire lit under him. He wasn't nearly as good as he should've been for the Husker offense, but when he had a good game, he was really, really good. CFN Value Rank: Third Round       CFN Position Rank: 9

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178

6th Round  Taylor Mehlhaff, PK Wisconsin A left-footed bomber with nice range and a great leg on kickoffs, he should be a solid pro if he can speed up his approach and if he can get the ball off quicker. While he doesn't have All-Pro potential and he'll need to work on his consistency, he should be a good kickoff specialist, if nothing else. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent  CFN Position Rank: 4

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237

7th Round (from trade)  Adrian Arrington, WR Michigan At 6-2 and 202 pounds with 4.58 speed, he has a good size/speed ratio and he looks the part of an NFL receiver. Very physical, he'll block, make catches in traffic, and will beat up smaller defensive backs. However, he's not a natural receiver and he doesn't use his speed to his advantage. He also has off-the-field character issues to get past. CFN Value Rank: Fifth Round to Sixth Round  CFN Position Rank: 28