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As of now, the Saints would have the 13th selection in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. All of Who Dat Nation agrees it would be pretty wise to take a defensive player with this selection due to the squad's many woes in 2012.
Well ESPN's NFL draft expert Todd McShay agrees. With the 13th pick in the first round, McShay has the Saints taking Jarvis Jones, an outside linebacker out of Georgia. Below is his write-up on this selection:
The Saints are without a second-round pick as part of their punishment for the bounty scandal, so they must upgrade the pass rush with their first-rounder. Jones has top-notch pass-rush skills and his primary role as a rookie will be to get after the quarterback. He also has good range in coverage, and should be an upgrade as a starter on the strong side.
If the Saints took Jones with this selection, I would be pretty ecstatic. Since I live in the metro-Atlanta area, I was able to follow Jones throughout the college season. He is an extremely impressive player that could serve as the X-factor the Saints have needed on defense for a long time. He brings a wonderful amount of skill to the table and would immediately upgrade any NFL team's defense.
Even though Jones played the outside linebacker position for UGA, he was primarily used as a pass rusher. He was a great run stuffer, and his numbers prove that. He led the nation in tackles for loss with 22.5, and he was tied for fourth in the nation in sacks, with 12.5. Those of you that keep up with defensive statistics for the Saints, you know that sacks are pretty hard to come by. He tacked on 78 total tackles and an interception this season as well.
I think Jarvis Jones would be a great selection for the Saints. Not only is he a defensive player, which the Saints drastically need, but he comes from the SEC. He has been playing against the toughest offensive competition college football has to offer for the past couple of years. He knows what it's like to play in big games. If picked, he has a good enough skill set that he would immediately be in the game rotation, and would make a difference for this ailing defensive group.
How do you guys feel about Jarvis Jones as a potential Saint?