Ever since that last play against Carolina, I've been thinking about the Draft.  I'm pretty knowledgeable, as college football fans go; mainly my experience is with the SEC, but I get around, so to speak.  Unlike most college fans in the South, however, I give a damn about the NFL, and I give a very special damn about the Saints.  Naturally then I feel morally obligated to start a discussion on the Draft for CSC that doesn't involve known mental midget Todd McShay or known appletini drinker Mel Kiper.  Here are some thoughts on defensive prospects who have declared for the upcoming Draft:

Safeties:

Rashad Johnson, S, Alabama:  Johnson was the leader of a very good Alabama defense this past season, and had a number of solid games, including his three-pick performance that sealed the deal against LSU.  Johnson is not a physical specimen by the NFL's current standards, but neither were Mike Singletary or Marshall Faulk; and like them, Johnson studies film religiously and plays smart, smart football.  Johnson is excellent in both deep and shallow zones, he can win jumping contests, and he excels at the "robber" coverage that is the hallmark of Nick Saban's defenses; roving zone coverage in the middle of the field.  Johnson disguises his coverages well and caused a number of interceptions off of pass deflections.  In addition, he's as solid a tackler as you'll find at free safety and diagnoses run blocking schemes well, as far as I can tell.  Unlike most safeties, he's not an opportunist; instead, he plays the position more in the traditional sense of trying to limit big plays, not make them, sort of a reverse Taylor Mays.  He's the safest pick I can think of the position, and I believe that he could instantly improve the Saints' D by corralling the secondary.  On the other hand, keep in mind the last stud safety with a cool name to come out of Alabama:  Roman Harper.

Louis Delmas, S, WMU:  Delmas has long been considered one of those diamond-in-the-rough-type players who, like Jerry Rice of the immortal Mississippi Valley State, are better than their pedigrees.  Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to see him play, although all you ever hear about him are good things, kind of like Eric Chung of Oregon.  If anyone has seen him play, please let me know what you think.

Derek Pegues, S, Mississippi State:  Pegues had the misfortune to play on a bad, bad Mississippi State team this year, but I have many memories of him single-handedly beating better teams in the SEC last year.  He's the quintessential opportunist, jumping routes and, due to his blinding speed, returning picks with considerable frequency.  He's had a down year, but that's due both to his team lacking even the pretense of an offense or a pass rush.  He's still a very good player who, like Ed Reed, can make plays where they don't seem possible to make.  Kind of a dangerous pick (like, in my opinion, Taylor Mays), but I have immense respect for his talent.  It's worth noting that he's a great returner as well, possibly taking away some more opportunities for Reggie to get injured.

William Moore, S, Missouri:  Like seemingly everyone else at CSC, I'm down on William Moore, and have been for some time.  This past year he was the captain of a defense that let up 400 yards to the least accurate quarterback in the Big Ten, Juice Williams.  Mizzou's defense was absolutely porous this year; they were diced up by Big 12 offensive juggernauts and Big 10 cupcakes alike, and Moore didn't help matters.  He plays safety like I do in Madden; he just kind of waits for the ball to land in his arms, and seems much more concerned with stopping the run, which Mizzou wasn't good at. 

Corners:

DJ Moore, CB, Vanderbilt:  Moore was what I think of as a shutdown corner, a guy who you don't throw to even without pressure being put on the QB.  Moore played in a very complex zone blitz system at Vandy, and did so intelligently.  He's a physical guy and has the ability to blitz if necessary.  He fits in very well with the image of a Philadelphia Eagles corner, a versatile, hard-hitting guy who can cover well in a zone.  Probably the safest pick at corner in a Gregg Williams defense.

Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest/Mike Mickens, CB, Cincinnati:  Two very effective man-to-man cover corners.  I have more experience with Mickens, who's quite the ball hawk when given the opportunity, but Smith is, by all accounts, the best corner in the Draft.

Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois/Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State:  Two Big 10 CB's who we won't/shouldn't get.  I haven't seen anything too impressive from either corner, whose smallish numbers are supposed to be the result of opposing QBs' unwillingness to throw to them.  All I know is that two guys who have played on teams with a pass rush will probably have trouble on a team without one.  But hey, what do I know?  They could both be Pro Bowlers.  All I know is that Davis got lit up by Chase Daniel (who, as you may know, was revealed as a fraud later in the season) and Jenkins was a no-show in his bowl games (like his team, natch), including getting burned by "Wrath of" Quan Cosby on the final touchdown in the Fiesta Bowl.

D-Line

Brian Orakpo, DE, Texas:  Probably the most widely-recognized pass rusher in college football this past season, Orakpo is probably a top-ten guy, meaning he's not going to be a Saint, most likely, because of how little we have to trade with (Would anyone like colorful Pro Bowler Jeremy Shockey?  Anybody?).  Should we get him, however, I think he could instantly improve our pass rush.  He probably single-handedly cost Phil Loadholt a few million dollars in the Red River Shootout, and his absence was immediately felt by the Texas defense in their loss to Texas Tech.  If Big 12 refs ever called holding, Orakpo could've had even more ridiculous stats.  A dominant player, but probably not a Saint.

Michael Johnson, DE, Georgia Tech:  Johnson has the size to be a hybrid DE/OLB-type guy in the Julius Peppers mold, and has appeared very athletic in the games I've seen him in.  He's not an unstoppable force, but he was the best player on a good line.

Aaron Maybin, DE/OLB, Penn State/Clint Sintim DE/OLB, Virginia/Everette Brown DE/OLB, Florida State:  Apparently all these guys are monsters, but I've never gotten to see any of them play beyond individual games.  Brown's stats are enough to have him projected as a top-ten pick, so I assume he's out of our reach.  Maybin had a serious motor at the beginning of the Rose Bowl, but was invisible after USC started to pull away.  Sintim I'm totally in the dark on.

Sen'Derrick Marks, DT/DE, Auburn/Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU:  Marks underachieved this past season at Auburn, mainly, I think, due to being on the field 45 minutes a game and due to being switched from end to tackle.  Jackson also underachieved; why, exactly, I do not know, but taking the guaranteed triple-team that is Glenn Dorsey out of the picture had to have something to do with it.  Both are big ends and smallish tackles, who specialize in blowing up running plays (they can both rush the passer effectively, however).  Jackson's more of a 3-4 guy, but, if given the chance, could do well in a 4-3 as an all-purpose end.  Marks I have less faith in because of his immaturity, but he had a few moments in the 2007 season where he was the best player on the field.

By the way, I'll just state for the record that I don't think the Saints need another linebacker, certainly not with our first pick, like WalterFootball does.  Vilma's great, Fujita can cover and plays the run well (he can't blitz, but oh well), and Shanle's underrated.

So, comments?  Any other ideas, guys?