Saints: in the Mock Drafts

with 9 days until the Draft, here's look at 12 Mock Drafts that came out over the last week, and who they have the Saints taking (in bold) and who they had getting taken before the Saints pick at 15 (in red)

4/15/13 -- Walter Football -- Charlie Campbell
4/11/13 -- Walter Football -- Walter Cherepinsky
4/10/13 -- National Football Post - Russ Lande

CBS
4/15/13 -- Pat Kirwan
4/15/13 -- Pete Prisco
4/15/13 -- Clark Judge
4/15/13 -- Will Brinson
4/15/13 -- Rob Rang
4/15/13 -- Dane Brugler

NFL.com
4/15/13 -- Charles Davis
4/10/13 -- Daniel Jeremiah
4/8/13 -- Bucky Brooks


OT
Eric Fisher 1/1/1/1/1/4/5/5/5/5/5/5
Luke Joeckel 1/1/1/1/1/1/1/3/4/4/5/7
Lane Johnson 5/6/6/6/7/7/7/7/7/7/11/11
D.J. Fluker 12/12/18/18/19/19/19/19/20/21/21/42
Menelik Watson 15/21/21/21/26/27/33/45
Justin Pugh 26/36/38/38/50
Terron Armstead 38/45/56/62
Kyle Long 37/54/59

3-4 OLB
Dion Jordan 2/2/2/2/2/3/3/4/4/6/7/9
Ezekiel Ansah 5/5/5/5/6/7/7/9/10/10/13/19
Barkevious Mingo 9/9/9/9/9/11/11/15/15/15/15/15
Jarvis Jones 9/11/15/15/15/17/17/17/17/17/24
Bjoern Werner 10/13/17/19/19/19/25/28/28/29/30/30
Cornell “Tank” Carradine 12/17/24/24/28/28/28/36
Damontre Moore 24/26/31/36/48
Alex Okafor 36/45/52/60
Corey Lemonier 31/57/60

3-4 DL
Sharrif Floyd 2/2/2/2/3/3/3/3/3/3/13/14
Star Lotulelei 3/4/4/7/9/9/9/10/13/14/14/15
Sheldon Richardson 13/13/14/14/14/14/14/15/18/18/18/19
Sylvester Williams 14/18/20/20/23/23/23/24/25/26/28/28
Datone Jones 23/24/24/24/24/28/28/44
Jesse Williams 24/25/28/31/45/61
Johnathan Hankins 24/28/29/55/55/58
Margus Hunt 24/29/29/31/40/59
Kawann Short 29/44/54/55/61
John Jenkins 55/58

S
Kenny Vaccaro 14/14/15/16/16/17/18/18/18/19/19/21
Johnthan Cyprien 21/22/22/26/26/31/31/31/32
Matt Elam 21/22/26/29/31/31/32/32/37/37/44
Eric Reid 21/22/22/22/26/47/47

CB
Dee Milliner 3/4/6/6/6/6/6/10/10/11/12/17
Xavier Rhodes 6/11/10/10/12/12/12/12/12/12/12/25
Desmond Trufant 13/13/13/20/20/29/30/30/30/30
Jamar Taylor 17/23/29/29/30/42
Johnthan Banks 30/34/43/43/43
D.J. Hayden 30/35
Sanders Commings 30


ILB
Alec Ogletree 19/20/20/20/22/22/25/27/27/28/37
Manti Te’o 23/23/23/25/25/25/25/25/49
Kevin Minter 32/32/32/48/57/58

OG
Chance Warmack 8/8/8/10/10/11/11/12/16/18/18/20
Johnathan Cooper 7/8/8/10/10/11/11/11/18/20

 

compare that to how it looked a month ago, before we signed OLB Victor Butler (during mocks that came out the week of March 13-20):

3/20/13 -- Walter Football -- Walter Cherepinsky
3/19/13 -- The Sports Network
3/14/13 -- National Football Post - Russ Lande

CBS
3/19/13 -- Dane Brugler
3/18/13 -- Rob Rang
3/18/13 -- Pat Kirwan
3/18/13 -- Pete Prisco
3/18/13 -- Clark Judge
3/18/13 -- Will Brinson

NFL.com
3/20/13 -- Daniel Jeremiah
3/18/13 -- Matt Smith
3/15/13 -- Bucky Brooks
3/13/13 -- Josh Norris



OT
Luke Joeckel -- 1/1/1/1/1/1/1/2/2/4/4/7/11
Eric Fisher -- 1/1/1/1/1/1/2/4/5/5/5/7/11
Lane Johnson -- 7/7/8/11/11/11/11/11/11/12/12/12/15
D.J. Fluker -- 18/20/20/20/21/21/21/21/21/21/22
Menelik Watson -- 21/21/24/26/35
Justin Pugh -- 32/42/45
Terron Armstead -- 38/49
Kyle Long -- 56

3-4 OLB
Dion Jordan -- 2/2/2/2/2/4/4/4/4/6/9/13/15
Ezekiel Ansah -- 2/5/5/5/5/5/5/5/6/7/9/15/15
Barkevious Mingo -- 2/2/5/5/9/10/13/15/15/15/15/17/24
Jarvis Jones -- 6/6/9/9/9/9/9/9/15/15/15/15/17
Bjoern Werner -- 2/9/12/13/15/17/18/19/19/19/19/28/30
Damontre Moore -- 17/24/24/26/28/30/32/43
Cornellius "Tank" Carradine -- 10/19/28/30/32/44
Corey Lemonier -- 30/31/71
Alex Okafor -- 30/54
Jamie Collins -- 61

3-4 DL
Sharrif Floyd -- 1/3/3/3/3/3/3/3/3/3/10/13/14
Star Lotulelei -- 3/4/9/10/11/13/13/13/13/14/14/17/18
Sheldon Richardson -- 13/14/14/14/14/14/14/14/17/18/18/18/25
Datone Jones -- 23/23/24/24/25/28/30/30/31
Sylvester Williams -- 14/24/25/25/25/25/28/34
Johnathan Hankins -- 18/25/24/28/29/31/58
Jesse Williams -- 24/28/29/31/31/31/47
Kawann Short -- 26/28/29/46/59
Margus Hunt -- 29/31/60
John Jenkins -- 48/58

S
Kenny Vaccaro -- 10/10/16/16/16/17/18/18/18/19/19/19/27
Matt Elam -- 21/21/22/22/22/22/22/27/37
Eric Reid -- 26/31/46/93
John Cyprien -- 21/28/34
D.J. Swearinger -- 26/62

 

here are some of the reasons that safety is a huge need for the Saints:


Safety:
On a defense that was historically porous this season, there’s no position group that can look back and say they played well, and this was especially true at safety, where Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper finished as our two lowest-graded at the position. After leading the team in sacks in 2011, Harper transitioned to a deeper, more traditional safety role this season under Spagnuolo, which wasn’t the smartest move considering he’s shown little ability in coverage during his career. Jenkins, in his third season at the position, didn’t show much more in coverage and particularly struggled to finish plays — his 20 missed tackles were two short of the league-high, even though he missed the final three games.
It will be interesting to see how the two fit into the plans of whomever the team hires as defensive coordinator, but don’t be surprised if Harper becomes a cap casualty. Either way, the team definitely needs to look at upgrading a position that’s supposed to be the ‘safety-net’ of the defense, but when manned by Jenkins and Harper, sure doesn’t make you feel very safe.

Safety:
Of 88 graded safeties, Roman Harper came in 87th and Malcom Jenkins came in 88th. No joke. Isa Abdul-Quddus came in a middle of the pack 40th. In coverage, Harper was dead last and Jenkins was 4th worst. Against the run, IAQ was 5th worst and Jenkins was 6th worst. Roman Harper gave up 46 receptions, no other safety gave up for than 41. Basically the play on the back end was possibly the worst ever.

Safety: In Malcolm Jenkins and Roman Harper, the Saints have approximately 11.1 Mil in Safeties. Is that good bang for the buck? I think not. Pro Football Focus ranked Jenkins and Harper as the two worst Safeties in the NFL in 2012. How can it possibly be any clearer that it is time to clean house at this position? Desperate times call for desperate measures and the Saints window with Drew Brees at the helm is not going to be open forever and even if were, it would be unfair to expect him to score 40 a game. It’s time for Loomis to clear some cap space and rebuild his secondary through the draft and use any cleared cap space to bring in players who will not be awful on a historic level.

Roman Harper, New Orleans Saints
2012 Cap Hit: $6.3m
Among the many reasons for the New Orleans Saints’ dismal season, the terrible play of their safeties ranks high on the list. Offering little in run support, and not producing the sack numbers to mask his lack of consistent pressure like he did in 2009, only one safety (teammate Malcolm Jenkins) finished the year with a lower grade than Roman Harper. Allowing an average of 1.17 yards for every snap in coverage, he was one of the worst safeties in football, despite being paid like one of the best.

 

i saw a Saints blog project that we take Vaccaro at #15:

1st Round, Pick #15
Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
I mean, come on. Vaccaro is an instant starter. I don’t know whose job he takes, but most likely it’s Roman Harper’s. Drafting Vaccaro will probably turn Malcolm Jenkins’ hair grey, too


and i was reading a Saints thread where they were asking what the gut feeling is of who do you think we will draft, and a lot of people were saying Vaccaro:

If I had to select one person on defense, it might be Kenny Vaccaro.

My gut is telling me Kenny Vacarro

With us not restructuring harpers contract I think we're going vaccarro

Vaccaro

I think we might go Kenny Vaccaro

Trade back and get Margus Hunt or stay at 15 and get Kenny Vacarro.

1. OT Lane Johnson (most likely out of the big 3 OT)
2. S Kenny Vaccaro

S Kenny Vaccarro or DT Star Lotulelei

I'm really thinking it'll be Vacarro or Ogletree.

Vacarro is the absolute best safety available. No other safeties even come close to being projected to go before Vaccaro. For that reason alone, I think we gotta take him. You just don't get many chances to draft the best available safety.

yesterday's visit from Jarvis Jones would put him in the lead in my mind, followed up closely by Kenny Vacarro. I think we're all getting the sense that Payton and Loomis have grown impatient with our secondary play and will look to inject some talented youth into it.

 

Kenny Vaccaro
--2012 All-American (PFW)
--2012 First Team All-Big 12 (Coaches)
--2011 First Team All-Big 12 (Coaches), Honorable Mention Defensive Player of Year

some of the scouting tidbits on Vaccaro:

National Football Post
SUMMARY - Kenny Vaccaro is a highly impressive athlete and is one of the most complete safety prospects to enter the NFL the past several years. His elite speed and explosiveness allows him to make plays all over the field vs. the run and pass, and his agility and smoothness allow him to play under control despite playing at such a high speed. His most impressive effort this season came against West Virginia, when he went man-to-man for much of the night vs. the explosive and elusive Tavon Austin and more than held his own. He is outstanding on run plays outside the box, as he takes excellent angles to the boundary and is able to stay square to his target and finish effectively in space. His ability to slide down and play nickel back only adds to his value at the next level, as coverage ability is paramount for safeties in today's NFL which is so often based on spreading the field and exposing isolated match-ups.

Pro Football Weekly
Summary: Excelled as a cover safety, Vaccaro is a smoother than fast, athletic, instinctive, physical defender with an expansive skill set which enables him to do just about anything required of the position. Has potential to be a valuable matchup defender, rangy centerfielder and aggressive box eraser

ESPN/ Scouts, Inc.
Cover Skills: Versatile and doesn't have many limitations. Quick-twitch athlete that can stay with most slot receivers in man coverage. Fluid and smooth for a safety with his size. Good balance and body control transitioning out of breaks. Stays low in backpedal for the most part. Explodes off back foot and closes well when facing the ball. Can turn and run with tight ends and most slot receivers. Has a second gear and above average recovery speed. Covers a lot of ground and has enough range/length to play a centerfielder-type role.

CBS
Compares To: Eric Weddle, San Diego Chargers (3× All-Pro S, 2010, 2011, 2012) -- Like the highly instinctive and versatile Weddle, Vaccaro has the athleticism and size to line up wherever his NFL team needs him most.

 

check out the Sport Science: Kenny Vaccaro

 

I don't think Jenkins is as bad as his grade indicates. I think his problem last year was the scheme. He flourished in Gregg Williams scheme, but was inconsistent, at best, last year under Spagnuolo. But I think he's got talent and potential and I think that RR can get him to consistently play up to it.

Harper is an entirely different story. He SUCKS against the run and is even worse against the pass. He single handedly cost us another Lombardi trophy in SF 2 years ago. (We would've beaten the Giants in the Dome and the Pats in the SB - I just know it). Bout the only thing he can do is rush the passer on a safety blitz and even that is played out. There's no way I'd pay him 6m bucks. He should have been cut yesterday, as far as I'm concerned.

 

from an article today by Grantland.com:

--UCLA’s Datone Jones figures to be an ideal fit as a 5-technique in a 3-4, a position at which New Orleans has a considerable hole on the side opposite 2011 first-round pick Cameron Jordan if it chooses to play Akiem Hicks inside.

--New Orleans’s safety play was the league’s worst a year ago, and even though the Saints added Jim Leonhard this offseason, if they think Texas star Kenny Vaccaro is the best player available, he’s another option.

--The first round of the draft this year is full of attractive pass-rush prospects, but the question is whether any of those players will be around for the 15th pick. Barkevious Mingo and Jarvis Jones might fall to the Saints at #15. Jones has a ton of experience in a 3-4 (a rarity for college players), and he could move right in as a starter across from Butler.

--the Saints will miss having a second-round pick this year more than any other. Both Georgia’s John Jenkins and Alabama’s Jesse Williams are space-eating defensive linemen who are likely to fall into the second round

--another option is trading down, adding an extra midround pick, and taking massive Ohio State defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins later in the first.

 

Matt Miller @nfldraftscout 16h
Talked to a lot of NFL contacts today
for mock draft prep. Kenny Vaccaro a
"top 15 lock."

Also Vaccaro visited the Saints this week. He posted a pic of the inside of the Saints training facility and wrote:
"Saints indoor.. Might be here in 2 weeks?"

 

Sporting News

2013 NFL Draft safety rankings: Versatile Kenny Vaccaro is a can't-miss prospect

1. Kenny Vaccaro, Texas (6-0, 214). The Longhorns recently sent a special safety to the NFL (Seattle's Earl Thomas, 2× All-Pro, 2011 , 2012), and Vaccaro is another. He has the combination of size, tackling prowess and coverage ability that teams covet in a well-rounded safety. ... He's a surefire early- to mid-first round pick.