No. 24 Pick in 2011 Reader Mock: Saints on the Clock

[Walter]

Voting for the No. 24 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Who will be the pick?

Results and some comments will be posted here.


http://walterfootball.com/draft2011reader.php


1. Panthers - Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
2. Broncos - Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
3. Bills - Cam Newton, QB, Bengals
4. Bengals - A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
5. Cardinals - Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M
6. Browns - Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
7. 49ers - Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
8. Titans - Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
9. Cowboys - Tyron Smith, OT, USC
10. Redskins - Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
11. Texans - Robert Quinn, DE/OLB, North Carolina
12. Vikings - Da'Quan Bowers, DE, Clemson
13. Lions - Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
14. Rams - Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri
15. Dolphins - Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
16. Jaguars - Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue
17. Patriots - Cameron Jordan, DE/DT, California
18. Chargers - J.J. Watt, DE/DT, Wisconsin
19. Giants - Mike Pouncey, G, Florida
20. Buccaneers - Justin Houston, DE, Georgia
21. Chiefs - Phil Taylor, NT, Baylor
22. Colts - Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
23. Eagles - Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado


Marvin Austin
Akeem Ayers
Adrian Clayborn
Cameron Heyward
Corey Liuget
Brooks Reed
Derek Sherrod
Nate Solder
Muhammad Wilkerson
Martez Wilson

[trisoman]

5 folks have voted so far and I'm glad we all agree that the Saints will probably go DL in this draft. The sight of Marshawn Lynch busting 67 yards down the field must still traumatise Saints fans.

My personal opinion is that Liuget represents more value than Reed or Clayborn, both of whom are good players but who both have question marks around their translation to the pro level (Reeds with his production, Clayborn with Erb's Palsy). Liuget in the middle rotating with Shaun Rogers would free up Will Smith to get jiggy wit' it on the NFC South's QBs.

That said, the Saints surprised me with their pick of Robinson last year sooo it might very well be an Outside Linebacker (I KNOW, shock and horror) or someone like Mikel Leshoure.

[vikingsteve26]

Voted Adrian Clayborn. BPA on defense.

[RazorStar]

The Saints are probably going to bolster their defensive line here, but the question is who should they do it with? With the addition of Shaun Rogers, and having the solid but not spectacular Sedrick Ellis in the other slot, defensive Tackle isn't a pressing need, but I could see them taking Liuget if they were really high on him. But assuming they had weren't slanted in any weird way, I'd think the pick here would be Clayborn. He's big, strong, can set the point of attack in the run game, and has a good power rush, even with his Erb's Palsy. I think he's the Saints preferred defensive end out of the guys available.

[Blazedestin]

Adrian Clayborn.

The sack leaders for the Saints were Sedrick Ellis and Will Smith, who had 6 and 5.5 sacks respectively. If you're unaware, that is not good. The Saints couldn't generate that much pressure on opposing QB's last year, a major reason behind their disappointing title defense. Muhammad Wilkerson is a good player, but projects to be a 4-3 Nose Tackle, not necessarily a paramount need, although it could free up 1v1 matchups for Ellis, their best pass rusher. Brooks Reed is an option, although I feel that by watching his game tape he'll get flushed out routinely at 4-3 DE in the NFL. His speed move, which his staple pass rush technique, was erratic at Arizona. Against faster, stronger tackles that can more effectively seal off the perimeter, Reed will often be staring at the backs of opposing QB's.

Ultimately, I don't think Clayborn solves all of the Saints' pass rushing issues. He reminds me a lot of Jamaal Anderson who went to the Falcons a few years ago as a prospect. 4-6 sacks a year, and he'll do well against the run. I think the Saints will take that this time around.

[Classic Silver and Black]

About the New Orleans first round pick, we can easily dismiss any position other than Defensive Linemen. Already in 2010 Sean Payton wanted to use a first rounder to improve the front 4 pass rush, but once they were on the clock all the DEs he deemed worth of a 1th round were gone. But this won't happen again, in the 2011 class there's plenty of players graded as late first rounders on most big boards. There's a high chance that a few of them will still be available once the Saints get called, and that's exactly the scenario in this mock.
Furthermore, a strictly BPA approach would result in restricting the choice to a few Defensive Linemen as well.

As to which actual name New Orleans will call, that's much harder to predict. If they privilege a run stop approach, Corey Liuget should be the favourite. If they strictly look for increasing the pass rush, Adrian Clayborn may be the best fit. Muhammad Wilkerson or Cameron Heyward would represent a more balanced approach.
I believe their priority is to bolster the pressure on the opposite signal callers, so they will draft Clayborn.

[Phatal]

My streak ended yesterday :(. The front seven is the biggest need for the Saints and I gave them my top rated player who fills that need, Akeem Ayers. I feel sad because, while Ayers had good production in college, he is very raw and may be a bust and I have nothing against the Saints. With good coach, Ayers could be a top 10 player in a re-mock of this draft and the Saints can provide that for him. I hope he turns out well for them, but just not this year because the Saints play the Jaguars in 2011 :p.

[Tom]

This is a difficult one. Obviously, it should be DL. But Clayborn or Liuget? New Orleans have no sack leaders, but Clayborn doesn't look like a 12 sack/year guy. Liuget would solidify the run defense, and be a definite upgrade. While the league is as pass happy as ever, the NFC south might be the must run oriented division in the league. They've got to deal with Turner, Williams, and Blount six times a year. Stuffing those runners and sweeping your division is always huge, and Liuget is the BPA to do that. Arguably the BPA overall, I've got to pick Liuget.

[stevenlourie]

this is going to be best d-lineman available. my guess is that's liuget. could also be wilkerson and don't rule out clayborn and heyward. i voted liuget though.

[neovenator250]

The Saints biggest need is simply a playmaker in the front 7 of the defense, whether thats an Outside Linebacker, Defensive End, or 4-3 Nose Tackle (No, the signing of Shaun Rogers doesn't diminish this need much, if at all). As a Saints fan, I've been considering this for a while, and I brought the options down to a few: Brooks Reed, Corey Liuget, Adrian Clayborn, Muhammed Wilkerson, and Cameron Heyward. To me, DE is just a bigger need than NT in general, so I'll throw that out for the first round. I think we can get a quality guy there further down the line (if Phil Taylor had been available, it would have been a different story). Left with Reed, Clayborn, and Heyward. Clayborn and Heyward both have the size that we covet in our DE (as Walter suggests) but Clayborn has that Erb's Palsy. Its not that I'm worried that he won't be a productive player, but the medical issue most likely limits him to a single position on the D-Line. Gregg Williams and Sean Payton both crave versatility in their players above all else and hate guys who get pigeon-holed into one spot. For that reason, I'm disgregarding Clayborn, which means that it comes down to Brooks Reed and Cameron Heyward. Heyward isn't going to be a huge sack guy (6-9 sacks per year in my opinion) but he's good against the run, he gives a decent pass rush, and he can play DE and DT in our 4-3 base. When Williams switches to the 3-4 (for those who don't watch the Saints often, Williams runs a defense with multiple looks. 4-3 is the base, but the 3-4 is often employed against strong QB's, like the Patriots game in '09, and the 5-2, and 46 Bear are pretty common as well) Heyward could easily play DE in that system as well. For a bonus, Heyward is a Black and Gold legacy, as his late father (Craig "Ironhead" Heyward) was a first round pick of the Saints back in the day. I'd be happy with that pick, but Brooks Reed fits the bill to me. The guy has serious speed off of the edge, and he can do what the Saints need most - Get To The Quarterback. Too often, the Saints excellent secondary fell victim to the lack of any pass rush as subpar QB's like Matt Hasselbeck (both in the regular season AND the playoffs) had practically all day to sit in the pocket and pick us apart. Reed might be a little undersized, but the Saints have been searching for a pass-rush specialist for a while (see McCray, Bobby) and failing. Reed would be able to bring the pain to the QB. He has the size and speed to play in our 4-3 and 3-4 packages, much like Scott Fujita (who the team let go after last season and was unable to replace). Williams recently praised Fujita (along with Brian Orakpo) as one of the few guys who he considered to be an all-purpose Linebacker. Williams could see the same thing in Reed. Reed is able to pick up his hand and play coverage from the DE spot, something which is a quality that the Saints regard highly (they have current DE Will Smith do it all the time). With this in mind, I voted for Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona.

[vikingsteve26]

that was a really informative breakdown, thanks

[rphx88]

The Saints probably will go D-Line with this pick and I believe the will go Defensive Tackle. The best tackle available is Corey Liuget therefor he is the selection. Liuget will provide a decent tandem between him and Sedrick Ellis. The Saints are stacked on offense so I expect this pick to be defense but a dark horse could be Liuget's team mate Mikel Leshoure.