Saints pick up six in NFL Draft; trade up, take Woods, Tennant

It was a busy weekend for the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

With the NFL Draft parading through the weekend, the team made six selections, and made two trades in the process.

Listed below are the team’s 2010 draftees.

Round 1:

Patrick Robinson

5’11, 194

CB

Florida State

Robinson marks the second-straight cornerback the Saints take in the first round of the draft (Malcolm Jenkins in 2009). At Florida State, Robinson led all Seminole defenders with 11 passes defended, and he finished the season with 52 tackles in his senior campaign. The defender initially burst onto the national scene in his sophomore season when he intercepted six passes. In addition to providing depth in the defensive backfield, Robinson should boost the Saints’ special teams, as well. With Florida State, the standout was a regular on the kick return team. He also spent time on the kick and punt coverage teams with the Noles.

Round 2:

Charles Brown

6’6, 295

OT

USC

Brown protected the blindside of USC’s freshman quarterback Matt Barkley all season in 2009, and was an integral part of the Trojans offensive line that allowed just 18 sacks all season. Brown fell to the bottom of the second round because some scouts questioned his strength and others questioned his mean streak, because he struggled to finish blocks throughout his collegiate career. The 6-foot-6-inch lineman was originally a tight end out of high school and moved to the offensive line. Because of his tight end roots, scouts say Brown has tremendous athleticism for an offensive lineman and with more size could be a solid starter in the future.

Round 3:

Jimmy Graham

6’8, 260

TE

Miami

With Jeremy Shockey already on the Saints’ roster, the team lured another Miami tight end to the fold in the third round with Graham. Graham is viewed by most as a project who is likely a few years away from significantly contributing on the field. Graham enrolled at Miami on a basketball scholarship and played four seasons for the Hurricanes on the hardwood. His senior season, he picked up football and caught 17 passes for 213 yards and five touchdowns. The Saints hope Graham will follow in the footsteps of San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates who made a similar basketball-to-football move, but analysts tout Graham will need to significantly work on his blocking technique, route running and hands for that to become a reality. But Graham did show a want to learn at the NFL Scouting Combine and had what experts proclaim as a very successful week, which catapulted him to this spot in the draft.

Round 4:

Al Woods

6’4, 311

DT

LSU

In the fourth round, the Saints added some local flair to the draft and picked up Elton native and LSU graduate Al Woods. Woods’ underachieved at LSU compared to the lofty expectations he had when he entered the school. The 300-pounder signed with LSU as a five-star prospect and was one of the best defensive line prospects in the country. But Woods propelled himself back on the radar screen and showed unbelievable athleticism at the Combine and at LSU’s Pro Day. Woods showed a 37-inch vertical leap and did 23 bench press reps – the most of any of the LSU prospects in this draft. The Saints traded up to get Woods, executing a trade with the Arizona Cardinals. The Saints moved up to the No. 123 pick and traded the rights to their fourth-round pick (No. 130) and their sixth round pick to the Cardinals.

Fifth Round:

Matt Tennant

6’4, 291

C

Boston College

The Super Bowl champions added depth to their offensive front in the fifth round and picked up Boston College’s Matt Tennant. The center had a decorated career in the ACC and was a finalist for the Rimington Trophy this past season, as well as a team captain for the Golden Eagles. Tennant started the final 41 games of his career at Boston college and was a part of the team’s 2009 offensive line, which had the No. 10 rushing offense in the country. Like for Woods, the Saints executed a trade to allow them to pick Tennant. The team traded a fourth-round pick in the 2011 Draft to allow them to jump back in the fifth round and select Tennant.

Seventh Round:

Sean Canfield

6’4, 214

QB

Oregon State

The Saints did not have a sixth-round pick, but they made another offensive pick in the final round when they chose the big PAC-10 quarterback. Canfield was 303-for-446 with 21 touchdowns and just seven interceptions last season with the Beavers. Canfield was a late-round choice, but one thing scouts rave about is his big-game ability. The signal caller was 30-for-43 with 329 yards and three touchdowns and zero interceptions against USC last season. The Saints, obviously are not in the market for a starting quarterback with Drew Brees, but the team plans to groom Canfield as the long-term backup quarterback – a position on the roster the team has been trying to fill for the past few seasons.

So, what do you think of the

New Orleans Saints draft choices? Tell us online at www.tri-parishtimes.com.