Saints ink Antonio Pittman; Now have 6 of 7 Picks Under Contract

Today the Saints announced the signing of fourth-round pick Antonio Pittman, running back from Ohio State. Pittman stands 5'11", weighs 207 pounds and ran a 4.4 second forty-yard dash before the draft. He provides the team with depth at running back behind Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush.

Pittman ranks 8th on the Ohio State career rushing list with 2,495 yards, an average of 5.3 per carry. He started during the 2005 and 2006 seasons,and scored 22 touchdowns. He left OSU after his junior year.

First-round pick Robert Meachem, who recently underwent right knee surgery, remains the Saints' only unsigned pick.

I like the pick of Antonio Pittman. He represents a considerable upgrade over Aaron Stecker at the third-string running back position. If Deuce is injured, I would think that Pittman would receive the lion's share of the carries, since Reggie and Deuce essentially play different positions, and Coach Payton wouldn't want to weaken the offense in two places. Pittman may eventually become the team's primary runner should Deuce move-on.

The major knock on Pittman is that scouts don't think that he has the size to succeed as a featured back in the NFL. This works well for the Saints, whose system minimizes the need for a featured back. As long as Reggie Bush is on the team, they will need another runner to take most of the carries--though less than the average starting running back--keeping Reggie from absorbing too much of a pounding. Obviously, Reggie and Deuce is a better combination than Reggie and Pittman, but both are better than Reggie and Aaron Stecker.

Here is a short scouting video of Antonio Pittman. And by scouting video, I mean cheezy YouTube, set to the smokin' hott flow of Tech N9ne, who proves that people from Kansas City can rap. Because as they say on Diary, "You think you know, but you have no idea ...."

Can I get two stomps and a clap in this bitch?

Seriously though, Pittman shows pretty good explosion and top speed, and makes some college kids look like the punks that they truly are. Especially some kid from Illinois about 1:44 in.

Update [2007-6-21 19:46:36 by Sunil]: Who built the Pyramids? What is this thing called consciousness? How many children has Shawn Kemp fathered?

At least one of the mysteries of the universe has been solved: For the second season in a row, the Saints will hold Training Camp at Millsaps.