King of the Cassel with the pick...
And now I give you the conclusion to round 1...
The Saints had an unbelievable year going 13-3 and ultimately winning the big game.. The Super Bowl. This of course had the New Orleans area excited and as many of the players believe, gave hope to the city which is still rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. Drew Brees is one of the best in the league and has showcased his talent every season he's been with the Saints.
Since Sean Payton took over after the 2005 season, the culture really started to change in New Orleans. The Saints were evolving into a good team with a prolific offense. However, their defense needed time and the right coach to become the best in the NFL. After a lackluster 8-8 season in 2008, the Saints hired Gregg Williams after being released from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Payton was so impressed with the interview that he actually took a $250,000 pay cut to help free up money to sign Williams.
Now, Gregg Williams is known around the league for having an aggressive attacking 4-3 defense and if anyone happened to see any Saints games last year, that's the kind of defense you saw. They pressured the opposing quarterbacks constantly, often getting a hit in, which in turn caused the Saints defense to create a lot of turnovers. Throughout the playoffs, they just bashed around quarterbacks the entire game while playing good coverage down the field. Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals put up 51 points in a win against the # 2 defense in Green Bay, who had also led the league in turnovers. However, when Warner came to face the Saints in Round 2 of the playoffs it would be a much different story. In short he got hit often and ended up out of the game for awhile from catching a block while not looking as the Cardinals lost 45-14. This was the type of defense New Orleans needed to have to win it all.
In 2009, the Saints had the highest scoring offense in the NFL while their defense led the league in defensive touchdowns. While their offense hasn't lost much, their defense has lost several starters namely Scott Fujita, Charles Grant, and Darren Sharper. They offered a tender to Anthony Hargrove and while I think they could upgrade the defensive tackle or defensive end position, I see that there is a player that is still on the board at a position of need and the value is to high to pass up.
Without further ado, I give you the New Orleans Saints 2010 draft pick...
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Taylor Mays, S, USC
The Saints have to be happy about this selection as Mays is regarded as the 2nd or 3rd best safety in this draft. He is about as athletic and physically gifted as they come. He is good in run support and at diagnosing plays, using patience and discipline as he always tries to be where he's supposed to be. He has incredible speed for somebody at his size (6' 3", 230 lbs, runs in the 4.3-4.4 range) thus having great recovery speed. He is absolutely an intimidating hitter, which some have regarded as a knock because it seems he rather go for the big hit then an interception. I believe that if coached correctly on what he needs to do, this will not be a problem in the NFL. He appears to have the type of mentality that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will want in a player: Confident, Athletic, and Intimidating. I originally was going to select Brian Price with this pick however with Mays still on the board it was too tempting.
And now the second round begins...