Third optrion could be a team trading and older short yardage RB and a pick for our spot.

There are a couple of different value charts floating around. Depending on who we traded with we could get different compensation. The traditional chart says we can get a late first, late second, and a fith for our first.

A new chart that takes into account salaries for the top 10 has the picks 10-15 as a sweet spot. On that chart we could get a late first, late second, and an early fourth for our pick.

If we traded our first and one of our fourths, we coud get a late first, late second, and an early third, or a late first, middle second, and a late third.

There are numerous options to this, but all would benefit us more than taking 1 player in the first 116 picks.

We could get a LB w/ our first, a DB w/ our second, and a RB w/ our third. All needs get attention without a passing up a clear star player. Sintim should still be on the board late in the first, Vontae Davis could be there in the second, and there are plenty of options for a third round RB when you are looking for a power back. (Frank Gore, Brandon Jacobs, Marion Barber, Steve Slayton, La’ron McClaine – just a few example from the past few yeas of backs taken on the second day.)

This has to be the Saints #1 plan. We might not have a partner, so this might not work out, but as a fan base we should agree this would be ideal.

Four picks just doesn’t seem enough. They need at least one more. I’d like to see them trade down into the teens or early twenties of the first, which would probably gain them a third rounder. I’d feel much better about next season if they go defense with their first pick, either LB, DE, or S (Jenkins if still available). I want to see them add a RB, but in a later round like the second or third (if they trade down) or fourth. They’ve been looking at Rashad Jennings from Liberty and he’s projected to go in the 2nd or 3rd. Beanie Wells seems like too much of a question mark and definitely not worth a no. 14 pick. He could wind up being another Jonathon Sullivan.

Don’t be surprised to see Pay-Loo trade one of next year’s picks for a 2nd or 3rd rounder this year. They did that last year by trading with the Packers for a late pick in order to grab Adrian Arrington. They’ll have more to work with next year and I can totally see them doing that again this draft to get a second first day pick. Maybe we’ll see them hold on and use the no.14 pick and then suddenly reappear in the 2nd or 3rd to grab someone else. That’s what I’d most like to see.

It’s impossible to predict exactly what Pay-Loo will do, but I’d bet my bottom dollar that they will be involved in at least one or two trades.

is a better option on the defensive line, I think…but yes, we’ve already got so much invested in our ends that I can’t see us doing this.

As far as running back, you say that Mike Bell is “just not the answer.” But what’s the question? Depth? Bell and Hamilton give us depth that’s probably as good as any other team but perhaps the Giants and Panthers. Plus, Hamilton—who really hasn’t been given a chance—is the same size as Beandip and ran a 4.43 40. He’s had injury problems, but Beandip is an injury problem waiting to happen. So not only do we already have Moreno, we already have Wells, too.

I can’t see any excuse whatsoever not to pick defense…unless it’s trading down, and choosing a solid offensive lineman (Mack, Unger) at a lower spot in the first.

As Stu would say, Jeff is spreading more Knowshon propaganda. I get the feeling he’s preparing us to accept a Knowshon pick at no. 14. He and Pay-Loo may have us all thinking that Moreno was the perfect choice by the time April 25 gets here. If they do that, they’d better be very creative and genius-like in the later rounds to acquire some “diamond in the rough” defensive talent. Otherwise, another year of fans watching an underperforming defense keep us from the playoffs may produce a mob mentality that gets Pay-Loo run out of town on a rail. I already feel better about the defense with the signing of Gregg Williams, but will that be enough?

Nuff said! Buttttt…. I will say this.

Running Back? They don’t run it enough to make this a top pick.

Linebacker? A healthy Dan Morgan and Vilma make this one of the better linebacker corps around.

Cornerback/Safety? Jenkins is a tweener and that makes me nervous. I just don’t think “Da Man” is there at 14.

Defensive Line? We’ve got a better line than advertised… I hope. I wouldn’t waste a pick on that position.

So as I said… TRADE DOWN!

Obviously we’d be looking at safeties and OLBs. But a nice power back like Rashad Jennings or Shonn Greene would be nice if not drafted too high. Even some help on the offensive line would be useful.

What can we get for the 14th pick?

We need a pass rush to help our secondary. Our DE’s didn’t get it done last year. Add Cushing to the mix and G-Dub will have a good arsenal to show us what his defense can do.

I have said this before, and I’ll say it again. All this talk about a RB serves multiple purposes: possible smokescreen in order to keep everyone guessing and to convince others who may crave Beanie or Know-Show that we might take them so they may need to trade up to get either one, thereby improving our leverage or trade options. I really don’t think they care what the fans think about what they do with the pick – we’re just fans. They are the FOOTBALL PROFESSIONALS and they think they should not be influenced by the whims of a fickle mob that probably has been drinking.

I think the powers that be have all the players ranked by position, and then an overall list of top players regardless of position (just like when you prepare for your fantasy draft). They know exactly who they really want/need, and have already begun speaking with teams who may be interested in our pick, to discuss trade options. More things will happen on this front as the draft approaches, and as the draft progresses.

As the draft actually unfolds, they will put any number of scenarios into action, and we must simply admit that WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WIL-MIS-PAY WILL DO.

important point to remember

The saints probably won’t do it, but I’d rather more choices than early choices.

depth in the secondary would be fabulous even if we addressed those needs through free agency.

My trade down a little picks are as follows. If we go late 1st round the best players for the saints would probably be at OLB or C (Mack) Possibly Louis Delmas or Sean Smith but I’d rather get Johnson, Chung, or Moore later in the 2nd. No RB or DL this early.

The only running backs I would like to see the Saints pick are Shonn Greene or Josh Vaughan. Greene dominated the big ten yet his stock has slipped due to being slow and not much of a reciever. It’s possible he drops down far enough for Pay Loo to make a move. Or my personal favorite, Josh Vaughan. You gotta hear about this guy, he wasn’t invited to the combine but his pro day numbers speak for themselves. At 5-11 224, He performed respectably with a 37" vertical, 9’11 broad, a 4.6 40yd, 4.15 20yd shuttle, 7.1 3-cone and then he put up a RIDICULOUS 36 reps of 225 that’s more than almost every lineman(compare these to combine results) he should be able to push through on 3rd and 1. Now real stuff, he played back-up for the Cardinal’s Tim HIghtower in 2007 then led the Richmond Spiders to a 1-AA National Championship in 2008 with 1884 yds and 20 TDs. And he should be around later on so we wouldn’t even have to trade. These guys work for us as situational power backs and hopefully more. Does anyone else like Vaughan as a late round pick?