The Saints 2011 NFL Draft class has been set and by now I'm sure every fan has got their favorite of the bunch for one reason or another. We've already graded the draft class as a whole but the next question is naturally: which of the Saints six 2011 draft picks is the best? Obviously, it's not fair to compare a first round draft pick with a seventh round pick straight up. What I'm asking about today is value.
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
1 | 24th | Cameron Jordan | DE | California |
1 | 28th | Mark Ingram | RB | Alabama |
3 | 72nd | Martez Wilson | LB | Illinois |
3 | 88th | Johnny Patrick | CB | Louisville |
7 | 226th | Greg Romeus | DE | Pittsburgh |
7 | 243rd | Nate Bussey | LB | Illinois |
This year the Saints "stole" a couple of players expected to be taken much higher than they were. In particular I'm referring to Cameron Jordan, Martez Wilson and Greg Romeus. Given their draft position, these picks by the Saints could prove to be valuable if their careers play out the way everyone expects. Meanwhile, Mark Ingram really needs to come through big time in the NFL to justify the Saints trading back into the first round - not to mention fan expectations - to be considered the most valuable of this draft class. Or Nate Bussey, the Saints final pick of this years draft, could go the route of Marques Colston and wind up becoming a superstar, which could certainly make him the most valuable player taken this year.
Of course nobody knows what will happen but it sure is fun to speculate. So I'm asking what you guys think. When it's all said and done and these players have moved onto their second careers in life, who will we look back on as the jewel of the Saints 2011 NFL Draft class?