This is how I feel. Leading up to the pick I was thinking Floyd should be the pick, but there is a reason he slid so far. Maybe his interviews reminded Loomis too much of Jonathan Sullivan? The other thing to keep in mind is that Rob Ryan apparently prefers the more athletic DT's (meaning 300 lbs or below) that most scouts project as a "4-3" type DT. I wonder if Sheldon Richardson was still available that the Saints might have taken him over Vaccaro. As far as Vaccaro goes, I felt Elam and Reid were better safeties. I think it is interesting that the 49ers traded several picks up to grab Reid and when the Ravens were on the board they handed in the pick for Elam immediately.
detailed breakdown of Vaccaro by Matt Waldman of Football Outsiders: Studying football players is a solitary pursuit. So it feels good when a performance catches your attention and months later you learn that it did the same for another writer, scout, or talent evaluator. Everyone enjoys that kind of validation. One of those moments occurred last spring when I was watching Keenan Allen (one of the best WRs in the current draft). As fun as it was to watch the Cal receiver, I couldn’t keep my eyes off Texas’ Kenny Vaccaro. ...his potential leaped off the screen -– and in one case, over running back Iso Sofele (see below) -– as a versatile prospect capable of starting at either safety position as well as being a force on special teams. ...There’s a lot to like about his game. ...I love Vaccaro’s ability to play with abandon. ...As good of a tackler as he is and will become, the most impressive thing about Vacarro’s game is his pass defense. He can cover elite college receivers as disparate as the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Keenan Allen and the 5-foot-9, 174-pound Tavon Austin. While he’ll lose a battle or two, he’s shown that he can win these matchups when examining the overall scope of the game. Size. Speed. Skill. Intensity. Vaccaro has it all. ... Vaccaro did a strong job of limiting Keenan Allen when assigned to Cal’s big-play weapon in last year’s Holiday Bowl, but there was a first-and-10 post pattern with 3:40 in the first quarter where Allen got the best of the Longhorns safety.... Although Allen got the best of Vaccaro on this post pattern, Cal rarely targeted Allen when (Vaccaro) was matched against its star receiver. Allen caught nine passes for 82 yards and Allen was only targeted twice more against Vaccaro. What should make several NFL teams take notice is Vaccaro’s ability to limit a bigger receiver like Allen and then shut down a slot man like West Virginia’s Austin. Quarterback Geno Smith had 35 attempts in the contest with Austin catching 10 of them for 102 yards and a score. It was a good day for (Tavon) Austin –- when he didn’t have to deal with Vaccaro. Vaccaro had responsibility in some form of coverage on Austin on 26 of Smith’s throws, but Austin’s production on those plays was minimal. --Six of these plays were attempts with Vaccaro in shallow zone coverage. On those plays Austin had 21 yards on two catches –- and the longest came after he left the free safety’s zone. --What’s far more impressive is the number of times Vaccaro faced Austin in single coverage. The safety had Austin one-on-one on 18 pass plays; only three times did Vaccaro receive help from an additional defender in bracket coverage. The other 15 times Vaccaro covered Austin heads-up. On those snaps in man coverage, I only saw Austin come open once; catching an out in the fourth quarter on third-and-11 for eight yards. Vaccaro made the tackle to prevent the first down. The remaining 14 times Vaccaro covered the slot receiver, Austin was only targeted three times. One of these plays was a crossing route where Vaccaro didn’t bite on Austin’s double move and forced Smith to throw the ball wide of the target. (WV QB Geno) Smith was sacked five times and lost two fumbles on plays where Vaccaro had man coverage on Austin. ... Vaccaro neutralized one of the most dangerous slot receivers in the college game. ... this quarterback of the defense is going to make an NFL team happy come April. in addition to all the extra sacks the Saints will get because Vaccaro shuts down their #1 WR, don't be surprised when the Saints basically line Vaccaro up as a 3-4 OLB and send him after the QB.... here he is lined up like a 3-4 OLB on 3rd-and-8 going after the QB... and yet again...here he is lined up like a 3-4 OLB on 2nd-and-3 and here, "Vaccaro’s speed and short-range acceleration is something that the Cal special teams unit fears to the extent that, with 11:08 in the half, the punt team’s execution of a kick is tailored to defend the free safety’s prowess."
Texas coaches on Vaccaro Mack Brown: “Kenny Vaccaro is one of the best football players we have ever had (and Texas was two players short of #2 in the NFL with having the most players on 2012 opening day rosters). He is tough, he’s smart, he’s a playmaker and he practiced like he was in a game everyday. He is very passionate about football. He brings leadership and he brings toughness." Assistant Head Coach Duane Akina (at Texas for 12 years now, before that was coach in Pac 10 from 1987 to 2000): "I think first and foremost they’re getting an extremely passionate player that loves football. ... he just loves the game. He’s the ultimate competitor. When people ask me to compare him to someone, I always say (#14 overal pick) Earl Thomas (2x All-Pro S, 2011, 2012) and Cedric Griffin are the first ones to come to mind. Because that’s how they really approached the games and the practices. And you’re going to get a guy that is going to be a great teammate. He’s very unselfish. While at Texas [with him] still being one of our top-tier players. Still willing to play special teams and cover kickoffs. Do all the real unselfish things you ask your great players to be. I always ask them to be selfless and do what’s best for the team. And Kenny has always done that. When we’ve approached him with some tough defends, or some tough ideas, asking him if he thinks he could do this, he was always willing to take on the difficult role to maybe make things a little bit easier for a younger player that we’re trying to take care of within the scheme of things. Ultimate team player. Very flexible. He can play man-coverage, in the deep-half or deep-third. He can blitz. It’s just hard to find a guy 214-215 pounds that has those kind of skills, that runs a 4.3 documented and line up and run with them. And still be physical enough to get in the box and play the run."
So fictional situations at the combine are a better judge of ability than actual game time? Wait, I'll answer for you: no, no, NO!!
3rd round pick.....Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas-Pine Bluff. This is the Loomis/Payton bread-and-butter.....finding small college diamonds in the rough in the middle and lower rounds. Someone needs to convince them to trade out of the first and second rounds every year, and just get about 10 3rd through 5th round picks.
Saints trade back into the third round and take John Jenkins, DT, Georgia. It was apparently more than one trade that got them there, and one involved moving Chris Ivory to the Jets. Mark Ingram....its on you now.
It was Ivory to the Jets for a 4th rounder. Then they took that 4th rounder and their own, and traded to the Dolphins for the 20th pick in the third round, which they had previously acquired from the Bears.
I hate losing Ivory, but the way we rotate backs, he wasn't really getting the carries he deserves. Plus, it's our deepest position, he's always hurt, and we needed the picks. Still, I would have preferred them sending Ingram, but no way they would only want a 4 for him, since he was a 1. Time for him to step up, once and for all.
Ex-NFL scout Russ Lande, National Football Post DECEMBER 31, 2012 US PRESSWIRE Below is a look at four players that a number of NFL personnel have told me about over the last few weeks. 1. Terron Armstead , OT / OG, Arkansas- PineBluff, Senior (6044, 303 and 4.83): All fall NFL scouts were flocking to Pine Bluff to evaluate Armstead and nearly all of them have been impressed. At 6-4 with 34+ arms, Armstead has the length to stay at tackle or make the move inside to guard depending on the team that drafts him. A great athlete with rare explosiveness for an offensive lineman, Armstead makes it look easy getting outside to block in space. Blessed with the natural strength to control man once he locks on, he is able to do so despite not blocking with a nasty or aggressive attitude. In addition to being a dominant football player at Pine Bluff, Armstead has been one of the best track athletes in the SWAC and if he can continue developing that athleticism onto the football field he could become a star in the NFL.
Walterfootball.com is all over the Saints 3rd round picks: http://walterfootball.com/draft2013winnerslosers.php http://walterfootball.com/offseason2013no.php
