NFL Draft Recap - Grading the NFC South

Dare to Gamble continues with its review of the 2007 NFL Draft.

BODOG ODDS

New Orleans Saints - 19 to 1
Carolina Panthers - 20 to 1
Atlanta Falcons - 50 to 1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 70 to 1

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

1st - Robert Meachem - WR - Tennessee
3rd - Usama Young - DB - Kent State
3rd - Andy Alleman - G - Akron
4th - Antonio Pittman - RB - Ohio State
4th - Jermon Bushrod - OT - Towson
5th - David Jones - DB - Wingate
7th - Marvin Mitchell - LB - Tennessee

Grade: B-

Many expected the Saints to address needs on defense, spending high picks on a cornerback or linebacker. Instead, the Saints took offense with 4 of their top 5 picks.

Adding Robert Meachem to the receiving corps makes up for the loss of Joe Horn, while also giving them tremendous value where they were picking in the first round. Meachem slid deeper in the draft than most experts figured.

Sean Peyton has another weapon in Meachem. He added depth to his already deep running back corps by drafting Antonio Pittman early in the 4th round. Though this was once again good value, I'm not real sure where he fits in the Saints' plans.

ANTONIO PITTMAN

Pittman is only around 200 lbs. He's got big play ability and speed to get to the corners. But assuming Reggie Bush will get most carries which require those skills, I'm not sure what Pittman will be doing. He's not a known kick returner and he isn't a pass catcher. While I could have seen Pittman going as a change of pace back for some teams, or I could see the Saints drafting a big back to eventually replace Deuce McAllister. But while Pittman gives them yet another big play guy, I don't know how he gets on the field to make big plays.

THE SAINTED FEW

Otherwise, the Saints drafted two offensive linemen, which you can never have enough of. They added Usama Young at the cornerback, perhaps to replace Robert Young one day. Usama timed at 4.39 in the 40 and has good size at corner, standing just under 6 feet tall. He will be making a major jump in competition, though.

I'll grade this draft in the B's because Bushrod and Pittman were considered major steals. Meachem fell to the Saints, which should make their high powered offense even more deadly next year. But by mid-season next year, Saints fans may be asking themselves why their team didn't draft a little more defense.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

1st - Jon Beason - LB - Miami
2nd - Dwayne Jarrett - WR - USC
2nd - Ryan Kalil - C - USC
3rd - Charles Jackson - DE - Georgia
4th - Ryne Robinson - WR - Miami (ohio)
5th - Dante Rosario - TE - Oregon
5th - Tim Shaw - LB - Penn State
7th - C.J. Wilson - DB - Baylor

Grade: A

It's kind of funny. On Saturday, ESPN had Keyshawn Johnson doing its draft coverage. When Dwayne Jarrett fell deep into the second round, the Panthers picked him up as a steal. Keyshawn, a fellow USC grad, interviewed Jarrett minutes later. He welcomed the kid to Carolina and was excited to have a fellow alum he could teach the game to. It was a really warm interview.

I said at the time that Keyshawn was gracious, given this was the kid who would replace him. I had no idea it would be that quick. Keyshawn was cut by the Carolina Panthers today, so Jarrett looks like he'll move right into a starting spot as the possession receiver opposite Steve Smith. Smith has kind of been the big play AND possession receiver for the Panthers the last couple of years, so it will be interesting to see how this falls out for Jarrett, who I still think the Vikings should have drafted a few spots earlier.

KUDOS TO CAROLINA

I love this draft for the Panthers. Jon Beason is going to be a stud in the NFL. He's a playmaker who should add a new dynamic to the Panthers defense. Dan Morgan is supposed to be their star linebacker, but he just can't stay healthy. Now Beason will be the stud linebacker to take the Panthers D to the next level.

The biggest weakness the Panthers had last year was their offensive line. They had lost 3 of their 5 starting lineman from their NFC Championship team. Amidst all the Superbowl talk of last offseason, people tended to forget that fact. When the Panthers came out of the gates struggling on offense, people blamed Jake Delhomme and DeShaun Foster.

They certainly deserved some of the blame. But the Panthers needed to retool their O-line. That started with the drafting of Ryan Kalil, the best center in the draft. Kalil should be a Day 1 starter, anchoring the line for years to come.

Three impact players sprinkled throughout their offensive and defensive units makes a good draft. I don't know if it's enough to vault the Panthers back to the NFC Championship game, but it's a start.

KEYSHAWN SPECULATION

Now I wonder where Keyshawn lands. What about a trip back to his west coast stomping grounds, landing with someone like the Chargers? Or perhaps his cousin, Samari Rolle, convinces him to come to Baltimore for one more run at a title. Or maybe Keyshawn decides to stay in the division, reuniting with Sean Peyton to play two "revenge games" a year against former teams, the Panthers and Bucs.

ATLANTA FALCONS

1st - Jamaal Anderson - DE - Arkansas
2nd - Justin Blalock - G - Texas
2nd - Chris Houston - C - Arkansas
3rd - Laurent Robinson - WR - Illinois State
4th - Stephen Nicholas - LB - South Florida
4th - Matrez Milner - TE - Georgia
6th - Trey Lewis - DT - Washburn
6th - David Irons - DB - Auburn
6th - Doug Datish - OT - Ohio State
6th - Darren Stone - DB - Maine
7th - Jason Snelling - RB - Virginia

Grade: A

Bobby Petrino's first draft was a major success. New coaches like to change the culture of their locker room. The only way to do that is to bring wholesale changes, to add a lot of new names and faces to the facility. That's what Bobby Petrino has done with his 11 draft picks.

You might say, but is this quantity over quality? Their first three picks should be solid contributors from the start.

ANDERSON AND BLALOCK

Jamaal Anderson is a big pass rusher with all kinds of upside. He is raw on the end, but his size gives him a chance to be dominant at the pro level. He should make up for the loss of Patrick Kearney, offering a solid strong side end opposite to John Abraham.

Justin Blalock was the best guard in this draft. He is a road grater at 320 lbs. Considered a solid run blocker, Blalock helps Petrino get bigger in the offensive line after the last few years of a zone blocking scheme with slightly smaller guys. This should help the running game early, though Blalock needs to learn better technique to help in the passing game.

CHRIS HOUSTON

Chris Houston a player. His smaller stature meant he fell lower than the other top three cornerbacks, but Houston has shown he can shut down big name receivers. Last year, he matched up against Robert Meachem, Dwayne Jarrett and Dwayne Bowe. He held these three stud receivers to a combined 168 yards and 1 T.D. on 14 catches. Since Meachem and Jarrett are in the division now, Chris Houston is going to be seeing a lot of these guys in the years to come.

With 11 players draft in all, I'm assuming we see a major turnover on the Falcons roster next year. Irons and Datish were solid contributors at major programs, and were each a value pick in the 6th.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

1st - Gaines Adams - DE - Clemson
2nd - Aaron Sears - G - Tennessee
2nd - Sabby Piscitelli - DB - Oregon State
3rd - Quincy Black - LB - New Mexico
4th - Tanard Jackson - DB - Syracuse
5th - Greg Peterson - DT - N.C. Central
6th - Adam Hayward - LB - Portland State
7th - Chris Denman - OT - Fresno State
7th - Marcus Hamilton - DB - Virginia
7th - Ken Darby - RB - Alabama

Grade: C

The Bucs decided it was time to add to their offensive and defensive lines. Their defense has been their strength for years, but stars like Derrick Brooks, Simeon Rice and Ronde Barber are not getting any younger. So they added Gaines Adams, considered the best defensive player in this draft, with their first pick.

All the speculation was they were drafting Adams in order to trade him to the Lions for Calvin Johnson. That wasn't the case, and frankly was probably the wise thing to do. While Johnson will be a star in this league, the Bucs aren't one receiver away from major playoff contention. They live in a tough division and need to build a whole team to compete against the likes of the Saints, Panthers and Falcons.

THE REST OF THE DRAFT

Aaron Sears was another solid pick in the 2nd, which should help keep Jeff Garcia and Cadillac Williams upright. I'm a big believer in an added investment to help Cadillac finally get on the road. Like so many of the high 4th round picks, Tanard Jackson was a value pick of a player who probably should've been drafted on Day One. Sabby Piscitelli was something of a reach, though.

All in all, the Bucs drafted defense with 7 of their 10 picks. That might surprise some, given how lame their offense was at times last year. But after adding Jeff Garcia and Luke Pettigout in free agency, it was to be expected.

POST-DRAFT TRADE

The Bucs also added Ryan Sims today in a trade with the Chiefs. Sims was a Top Ten draft choice a few years ago for the Chiefs, but has been a major disappointment. Perhaps he gets a new lease on life playing on a defense with a history of competence. I can't say what value the Bucs got for this pick, because the round selection was undisclosed as of this writing.

This wasn't a spectacular draft for the Bucs, but I think they helped themselves. These kinds of drafts can be sneaky good, though, because the team drafts linemen instead of skill position players. So Bucs fans should take comfort in knowing that, despite the temptation to downgrade a draft without a star receiver to replace Joey Galloway, Tampa Bay is improving its ability to win games in the trenches.

Here are some other Bodog bets for your edification.

OTHER DRAFT POSTS

NFC East
NFC North

NFL Draft Recap - Grading the NFC South