The Saints FO had one good year and one terrible one under the current regime.  I mean, they have kept Fred Thomas for how long? In fact, you can pretty much cite the d-backs as a TOTAL bust, and they are all from the FO. And doing your job by looking at different trade scenarios is just...doing your job.  It's not impressive that the Saints FO have been sitting on their sofas since December and, whoa, they actually considered draft-trade scenarios?!  This is merely fulfilling minimal expectations.

Ellis is no where near as good as Dorsey, period. It doesn't matter how much you love the Pac10, Dorsey is just a better player. I think that with his leadership he should have been the top defender taken.  It's hard to find guys like him who play with heart...and the Saints need more of that.

The Shockster would have been a disaster on Bourbon Street, but he would definitely have been better than whoever else they'll pick up in his place (both of them, all three of them, whatever.)  

I hope the Saints just keep picking up defenders and maybe a running back. I'm still huge on Doucet as a replacement for Copper, etc.

Yes, I realize that a bunch of the FO's out there are terrible, but that doesn't mean that we should be happy  that ours is trade-obsessed.  

Speaking of terrible FO's, wasn't it the Vikings who forgot to pick last year?  Classic.  

My problem with Ellis is even if he doesn't perform, he holds the team hostage with his high pay.  If they'd chosen at lower positions in the draft, they could shore up the special teams more and not be held hostage by a high draft pick when they have real producers, such as Smith, waiting for a new contract. I think that Ellis is going to hang around and eat up a ton of money for the next 3-4 years.  I hope he's good, obviously, but I'm not sure this NC State guy in the 5th round is going to be any different on production.  I would have stayed put or traded down from that 11 spot, both are options which the Saints supposedly discussed.  They are really going for the now.  I mean, Brees only has so many good years so I guess that's not a bad idea.  But they are taking a lot of risk the way they work this draft board.  

Yeah, I hear you.  I think that Brees needs a legitimate threat at receiver (a Horn replacement) and a bruising running back (healthy McCallister) to carry the Saints to the SB.  They may have gotten a receiver, but he won't be a Horn-type go-to guy.  

For a while I was hoping they'd trade for Boldin or Crazy Chad (although the latter is expensive!)  

Overall, draft looks like it produced 3 possible players, at least one possible starter, and a couple hopefuls.  Not great but still pretty good.  At least the picks make more sense than last year.

You know, the only pick I don't like is this Indiana cb.  He isn't even projected to play.  And I'm not sure why the Gramatica kicker isn't good enough...is he expensive or something?

Personally, I've got to give your FO props for jumping us to get to Ellis. I'd been sitting there, hoping against hope that the inept team of Mike Brown and his extended family would get some gumption and do the trading up for Ellis themselves. However, just as they did by spurning the Redskins offer of two firsts for Chad Johnson the night before the draft, the wonder twins once again promptly stepped on their dicks- or sat on them in this case. As of last night, no offense meant to Keith Rivers or Jerome Simpson- fine players both, I was ready to storm the Brown compound with torches and pitchforks over his treatment of we villagers/season ticket holders.

After today, I'm a little calmer with Pat Sims in the fold and, provided he can control himself off the field, a NT, in Jason Shirley, that beat Ellis' 40 time by almost 3 tenths of a second, out verticaled him by 8 inches and out broadjumped him by over a foot. Not to mention he's got him by 5 inches and 30 pounds. Of course, he also likes to drive drunk into apartment buildings and finished this past season kicked off his team. Then I bolt upright in bed and remember I'm still a Bengals fan. Sigh.

You wouldn't be interested in trading Sedrick for Chad now would ya? ;)