Saints 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.