Presser is over My take on Payton today: he seemed way more confident than usual, i think he is very happy with this draft
You know what I think he's happiest about is adding Ben Watson. Both he and Graham are matchup nightmares. I truly believe that our offense with 2 TE is going to be unstoppable. If Graham can stay healthy and we work out our O-line issues, look out. Defense can't get any worse. We went 7-9 with worse D in league history. If we can just improve to, say, a Top 20 D, we'll be right there at the end of the year.
Saints sign Tulane QB Ryan Griffin to a FA contract. Good move; he could be a developmental prospect.
Here's some video of one of our undrafted free agent pickups, LB Chase Thomas of Stanford. NFL.com had him rated as the #68 prospect in the entire draft - third round material - but he somehow fell through the cracks:
Living in NC now, I know not one thing about any Tulane player. I did hear that Nick Montana signed w/them, but that's all I know about the Greenies. What's the story on this kid, Ryan Griffin? Any good? Anyone know his measureables, where he's from, etc. Thanks. Personally, I was hoping they would take a QB in the late rounds, someone to groom. DB won't be here forever, unfortunately. And w/the questionmarks at left tackle, I worry about injury.
He's 6 foot, 4 inches tall, 221 lbs At Tulane: 39 starts, completing 836- of-1396 passes (.599) for 9,026 yards, 79 touchdowns and 35 interceptions...had ten 300-yard passing games He was projected to go in the late rounds, he said pretty much every NFL team was interested in him, and starting in the 5th round, NFL teams started giving him offers to sign with them as an UDFA. He's from California, but chose the Saints. His coach at Tulane was previously the Saints WR coach and they ran an offense like the Saints offense. This what he said about him: “What he is is he’s cool about everything,” Johnson said. “He knows how to work the clock, he knows what he’s doing, he communicates with us well on the sideline. You do need a guy with experience, but I also think that you need a smart guy to do it, and that’s what we have." What others say about him: Dane Brugler of CBS sports.com: " Griffin looks the part of a prototypical NFL quarterback" Kevin Weidl of ESPN.com " he throws with accuracy and touch, and has excellent anticipation ... He also shows the ability to make accurate throws when off balance. Finally, Griffin has a strong field presence and great feel for situational football. He understands down and distance, when to take shots or check down and when to throw the ball away." Russ Lande of National Football Post " On an extremely windy day, Griffin clearly stood out as the best quarterback today. Displaying a strong arm, Griffin was able to make throws with zip through the heavy winds. Quick in his pass drops, Griffin displayed the footwork to plant and drive off back foot to get rid of ball fast. "
I like Reddick much more than Thomas. The excitement over Thomas is out of control. Many Saints delusional fans have him penciled in as a starter already. I doubt he makes the team due to his lack of athleticism. Reddick, however, is a prime candidate to excel at MILB in the 3-4 on the weakside. Rob Ryan likes to blitz from that area of the field and this guy plays violently.
In terms of our draft, I think Vaccaro will turn out better then when we drafted Jenkins at safety. But the draft won't be a total success unless Armstead and Jenkins thrive at the NFL level. They both have the ability to do that. Stills will be a bonus, and landing in New Orleans was the absolute best spot for him. He should be able to make a career here if he puts in the time and effort.
