By the start of next season, I'm hoping to get through all 32 teams. So far, I've done:
St. Louis Rams
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
New York Jets
Today, I'd like to take a look at my Bucs' division rival the New Orleans Saints.
Overall Notes
When you look at the Saints, they've done really well in the later rounds of the draft, and they've even snagged some solid FA pickups, including a guy you might know of named Drew Brees. In the last decade, the Saints first round crop has only included two Pro-Bowlers: Cameron Jordan and Jammal Brown. However, when you look at their later round picks, they've done amazingly. Some names include Jahri Evans (4th rounder, 2006, 5 Pro-Bowls, four All-Pros), Jimmy Graham (3rd rounder, 2010, 2 Pro-Bowls, one All-Pro), Carl Nicks (5th rounder, 2008, one All-Pro, 2 Pro-Bowls).
The Saints have drafted two Heisman winning RBs in the last decade (well, technically one, Reggie's was vacated): Mark Ingram and Reggie Bush.
Loomis and company have primarily targeted defense in round 1: Six defensive players selected versus four offensive.
No first rounder selected prior to 2009 has remained on the team continuously. Robert Meachem (2007) left as a FA, spent one season in SD and then returned to the team.
Biggest first round hit of the last decade: Cameron Jordan.
Biggest first round miss of the last decade: Sedrick Ellis.
Pick By Pick Analysis
2005 - Jammal Brown (OT, Oklahoma) #13 Overall Brown began his career quickly and brilliantly, ascending to one of the top LTs in the league. He was awarded First Team All-Pro in 2006 and made the Pro-Bowl roster in both the 2006 and 2008 seasons, and also won a Super Bowl with the team in 2009. He tore his ACL in the 2009 season and was shipped to Washington after Jermon Bushrod was able to sufficiently replace him as a starter. Hasn't played a game since 2012. Good player, and one wonders how great he would have been in the long run had he stayed injury free.
2006 - Reggie Bush (RB, USC) #2 Overall Once perceived as a surefire #1 overall pick, the Texans surprised everyone by signing Mario Williams on the eve of the draft. The Saints swooped in and picked Reggie Bush at #2, a (now rescinded) Heisman winner who was one of the most dynamic threats in college football history (who remembers his 560+ all purpose yards game?). If you look at Reggie Bush's time in New Orleans solely as a rusher, it's easy to write him off as a bust. He never topped 600 yards rushing, and up until his final two years, he never averaged more than 4.0 YPC. But when you get deeper into the stat lines, you'll see Bush was a dynamic receiving/return threat, catching nearly 300 balls for 2142 yards in five years-- great numbers for a RB. He also had four punt returns for touchdowns while with the Saints. Bush had some of the highest expectations, perhaps ever coming out of college as a RB. He never lived up to them, nor those #2 expectations, but he's been a a decent pro thus far.
2007 - Robert Meachem (WR, Tenn) #27 Overall Meachem reportedly showed up to camp out of shape and overweight. He hurt his knee and missed his rookie season. He played four sub 1000 yard years before being signed as a free agent by San Diego, where he spent one season before returning to the Saints. Never lived up to first round WR expectations, and hasn't even hit 3,000 yards receiving in a total of eight seasons. Bust.
2008 - Sedrick Ellis (DT, USC) #9 Overall Ellis had a dominant career at USC and was one of those guys I was sure was going to be a stud. His play didn't translate to the NFL. Five years, 12.5 career sacks, and watching him on the field, he seemed to be dominated on the regular. Never lived up to that top 10 status. Bust.
2009 - Malcolm Jenkins (S, OSU) #14 Overall After playing CB in college, he was converted to a safety. Jenkins never put up flashy numbers with the Saints, but was still selected as a second team All-Pro in 2010. He was allowed to leave in free agency and signed with the Eagles this year, where he has ascended to another level of play. Decent pick.
2010 - Patrick Robinson (CB, FSU) #32 Overall To date, Robinson has only received one positively rated season from PFF. In a pass heavy NFC South, he has been average at best. 9 career interceptions. Neither a bust nor a quality player.
2011 - Cameron Jordan (DE, Cal) #24 Overall After a rookie year in which he only got one sack, Jordan has quickly become one of the most underrated DEs in football (minus that 2013 Pro-Bowl selection). The 27.5 career sacks don't tell the whole story. PFF credited him with 57 QB hurries last season. He's also been a solid run stopper. He isn't getting sack totals in the high teens, but he's a dominant force and has exceeded expectations thus far.
2011 - Mark Ingram (RB, Bama) #28 Overall Continuing their trend of selecting Heisman winning RBs, the Saints took Ingram with the 28th pick, forfeiting their 2012 first rounder (they would lose their second rounder that next year due to BountyGate as well). When Ingram has been on the field, he's been decent, occasionally showing flashes of his Heisman dominance (a 172 yard effort against Green Bay, followed by two more 100+ yard performances in the next two weeks). However, Ingram has struggled to stay healthy, even with a RB by committee approach in New Orleans. He has only played one complete season and is yet to surpass 1,000 yards in his career.
2012 - No First Round Pick
2013 - Kenny Vaccaro (S, Texas) #15 Overall Vaccaro started his rookie season off on a rocky start, but midway through he got over the hump and things started to click. He finished his first season with a +3.1 overall from PFF. Things have gotten ugly in year two. Thus far, he has been credited with 18 missed tackles and 10 penalties to his name. Through 14 weeks, he is rated a -16.6 overall, good for the second worst safety rating in professional football. The jury is still out, but he has significantly regressed in year 2.
2014 - Brandin Cooks (WR, Oregon State) #20 Overall Cooks was an absolute monster in college, and he began to show flashes of rookie brilliance before breaking his thumb in week 11. He finished his rookie season with 53 catches for 530 yards and 3 TDs. A thumb break is hardly a career hampering injury, so he will be a fun player to keep an eye on in year 2 and beyond.