2011 NFL Draft Results: NFC South Gets Seriously Stronger
by Jon Banks on Apr 29, 2011 11:00 AM CDT
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PrintSaints fans are still excited about the moves the Saints front office made during the 2011 NFL Draft last night but they're not the only team to improve, particularly in the NFC South.
Malcolm Jenkins summed it up best last night when he tweeted...
The NFC south just got ridiculous!!!
Let's see what Malcolm was talking about and how the other teams in the NFC South helped themselves with their first round draft picks last night. Here's a quick recap of the NFC South draft selections thus far.
Carolina Panthers (1st): Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
Personally, I was happy the Panthers took Cam Newton. I believe that Newton will end up keeping the Panthers down and making sure the Steep Decline™ continues in Panther town. However, can the Saints defense keep a quarterback more willing to run at bay? The Saints defenses main worry has been lack of speed, and now the Panthers will likely have a faster team especially at QB. The Saints are already in dire need of OLB talent, should Newton being drafted make outside linebacker a priority in the remaining rounds of the draft?
Otherwise, though, the Panthers still currently have little to no receiving options which will mean that the more immature Newton will have to become Sam Bradford, in that he will have to work with nothing. Do you guys think he can do that if he applies himself?
Atlanta Falcons (6th): Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
Apprently the Falcons looked at the Saints 1999 NFL Draft and agreed with Ditka's approach. The Falcons traded from the 27th overall spot all the way up to the 6th, giving up three picks this year and three picks next year. That means Julio Jones now has a lot on his shoulders from day one. Is Ralph Malbrough right that Jones is going to be a bust and will likely ruin the Falcons? Or did the Falcons just get Jerry Rice?
More importantly for the Saints, should the Saints look at a defensive back this weekend in order to keep up with Matt Ryan and all of the Falcons offensive weapons? Or is the Saints secondary already in great shape and are the Falcons just trying to keep pace with the Saints?
Tampa Bay (20th): Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
Give your quick analysis of the Buccaneers taking Clayborn. Should Drew Brees be nervous next season?
Adrian Clayborn was someone the Saints were hoping to target by was instead taken by the Bucs. Obviously, as soon as he was drafted I hated his guts even though I wouldn't have been opposed to the Saints drafting him. However, Clayborn is a pass rusher and will either be going up against Jermon Bushrod, Jon Stinhcomb or Charles Brown. Either way, that scares me. Which offensive line path should the Saints take? A blocking TE to come in and help defend Brees? Or should they try and target a better OT in this years draft to take care of Clayborn? Are there any OT that you guys like in the 3rd round?
Canal Street Chronicles will be having a live open thread for Rounds Two and Three of the draft starting at 5 pm CT as well as plenty of post-draft coverage.
The second and third rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft start at 5 p.m. (CT) on Friday, April 29th and SB Nation has everything you need to prepare for it - NFL mock drafts, draft projections, scouting reports, the full NFL draft schedule and more. Check it all out at SB Nation's NFL Hub and our NFL Draft blog Mocking the Draft.
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No on the blocking TE. The way to make sure that there is less of a rush is to run right by them. Use Ingram/Thomas/Ivory.
Devery Henderson, making absurd grabs for my teams since 2001.
by Andrew Tessier on Apr 29, 2011 11:10 AM CDT reply actions
Newton actually scares me a little. The Saints seem to be terrible at defending running QBs. I think he was a horrible pick for the Panthers though, and likely destined for failure on that team. I’m just not looking forward to seeing him on Sportscenter when we inevitably forget to defend him running up the middle. We made Jeff Freaking Garcia look like Chris Johnson not too long ago.
Julio Jones is a freaking monster, but that price was WAY too high. He’ll be successful, for sure, but not enough to justify the Falcons gimping themselves in this and next year’s draft to the extent that they did. Roddy White and Jones the new Fitzgerald/Boldin? Yeah, probably. But I won’t be overly worried about it until all our CBs get hurt or the NFL institutes a rule that allows Matt Ryan to throw from a prone position.
Honestly not at all worried about Clayborn. I know he’s good, and it’s admirable what he’s been able to accomplish while managing his condition, but I think any OL with any sort of agility at all will handle him at the NFL level.
Newton doesn't scare me much.
I think in the long term, he is not the answer for the Panthers. The Saints under Payton seemed to handle Vick well when he was with the Falcons. I think with knowing they are facing a running QB twice a year, they will be more focused on it. I’m not worried.
As for Julio Jones, I’m not really sure, but I don’t think the Falcons were one piece of the puzzle away from dominating the division, so I’m not that impressed by what they sacrificed to get him. That leaves the Bucs by default for me as the most improved team in the division after the Saints. Besides, anything that gives a division rival a boost against Brees is a double whammy. Jones and Newton can’t clobber Brees.
Tony Gonzalez is running on fumes. Michael Turner isn’t far behind him. And even if White/Jones is the new Fitzgerald/Boldin, Matt Ryan is not the new Kurt Warner. The Falcons will regress by about 3 games this year, just as the Saints did in 2007.
As for Cam Newton: In 2011, he’ll be one read and run. In 2012, he’ll be one read and run. In 2013 he’ll be on the bench. In 2014 he’ll be on the street.
It was good while it lasted.
In a vacuum, Jones was the best pick.
He will have a very good QB throwing to him and a very good WR opposite him so he can’t be easily doubled. But the Falcons gave up waaay too much for him. I don’t see him becoming Jerry Rice, Randy Moss or even a TO (talent-wise) so six picks including two first rounders seems really steep. He does drop a fair amount of passes, so he has bust potential.
I think the Bucs made the best pick in that it helps them right away and they didn’t have to overpay (ATL) or put the franchise on the line (CAR) to take him.
Of all the NFC South teams the Saints had the clear-cut best first round though obviously.
I guess...
by default, ATL beat out the other two, but that’s a hefty price to pay for a WR with consistent dropped passes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qais_eGMnWk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39GH-nzrY_I&feature=relatde
Otherwise, though, the Panthers still currently have little to no receiving options which will mean that the more immature Newton will have to become Sam Bradford, in that he will have to work with nothing. Do you guys think he can do that if he applies himself?
You answered your own question. He has more than enough athletic ability to become great. The greatest potential stumbling block is lack of applying himself diligently to becoming great. Bad coaching could also hurt him as well. And we don’t know if he will apply himself. But if he does, he will at least become good, and possibly more.
If he doesn’t, he’s the next Pat White.
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