Saints enjoy 6-player class

The New Orleans Saints went into the NFL Draft knowing that they needed an offensive playmaker, a linebacker or two and depth in their defensive secondary.

Check. Check. And check.

With only a handful of needs on a roster filled with talent, New Orleans stuck to the script throughout the duration of this past week’s draft, picking players at predictable positions to fill out their depth chart for the 2014-15 season.

The biggest move during the week for the Black and Gold came in round one when the Saints massaged a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to move up seven spots to pick Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

In their five other picks, New Orleans nabbed two linebackers, two defensive backs and an offensive lineman to round out a six-player rookie class – one that excites Saints’ coach Sean Payton.

“I think we’ve made some real good progress,” Payton said. “We are excited. … I always say this, this is the time where everyone has gotten their guy. (But) we are excited, certainly.”

Cooks is the player that Saints fans are most excited about.

The 5-foot, 10-inch receiver is a speed burner – a player who can be the deep threat that New Orleans’ offense lacked during last season.

Cooks ran a 4.33-second time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Draft Scouting Combine, one of the fastest times among receivers. But with the new receiver, it’s more than just sizzle – there’s some streak, too. Cooks caught a whopping 128 passes for 1,730 yards and 16 touchdowns last year with Oregon State, numbers that earned the receiver the 2013 Biletnikoff Award for college football’s best wide receiver.

Cooks said he is excited to be in New Orleans, adding that it’s a blessing to be drafted into the Saints’ pass-happy offense, led by quarterback Drew Brees.

“To be honest, to be able to have a quarterback like him, I would say a potential future Hall of Famer (is great),” Cooks said. “But the beauty about him is he gets the ball to all of his players, all of his receivers, his tight ends, his backs. Going to an offense like that as a rookie, you have to be excited.”

While Cooks will bring speed and explosiveness to the New Orleans offense, the team’s second round pick will bring the ability to limit those two attributes defensively.

With the 58th overall pick (26th pick in the Second Round), the Saints selected Nebraska cornerback Stan Jean-Baptiste – a powerful 6-foot, 2-inch, 218-pound cornerback that could slide immediately into the team’s depth chart in 2014-15.

As one might be able to guess with a player of his size, Jean-Baptiste is a physical force who excels in press coverage.

At Nebraska, the new Saints’ defensive back was a Second-Team All-Big 10 selection, recording 41 tackles and making four interceptions.

Payton said the cornerback’s size was a huge draw.

“When you start looking at our division, you start looking at the receivers that we line up against, that size and length (is evident),” Payton said. “I think, really, it’s necessary with Tampa Bay’s receivers and Atlanta’s. Those are all guys with real good size.”

While Jean-Baptiste figures to play right away, another New Orleans draft pick will likely take some time off before moving into the team’s secondary.

In the fifth round (167th overall), the Saints drafted Alabama safety Vinnie Sunseri, a standout player in the Crimson Tide’s dominant defense.

But Sunseri’s stock dropped from an early-round grade to a late-round grade after he tore his ACL last October in Alabama’s win against Arkansas.

Payton said he doesn’t know how Sunseri factors into New Orleans’ plans for the upcoming season, but added that the team drafted the Alabama standout for his playmaking ability and his prowess on special teams.

“When you watch the six games he played in this year, he is making all the calls for that defense,” Payton said. “He is very, very sharp.”

To fill out a void at outside linebacker, the Saints drafted Khairi Fortt (126nd overall) from California and Ronald Powell (169th overall) from Florida.

Both players possess speed and size – something the team needs in Rob Ryan’s defense.

Powell was the No. 1 player in the country out of high school, a guy who never quite lived up to his billing at Florida because of injuries.

But Payton said he recognizes the talent and believes the Saints can make it all come out.

And to fill out some depth at offensive line, New Orleans selected Tavon Rooks from Kansas State in the sixth round of the draft.

Rooks figures to serve as an insurance plan for New Orleans.

LSU racks up in NFL Draft

While the Saints stockpiled and added talent to its roster for 2014-15, other teams stuffed their cupboards with LSU players.

Nine LSU players were picked in the seven-round draft – the most of any school in the NCAA.

Five of the drafted Tigers were nabbed in the first three rounds of the draft, starting with receiver Odell Beckham (12th overall) who was selected first by the New York Giants.

After Beckham went off the board, LSU players were done for the first round, but the activity picked up quickly in the second round when defensive tackle Ego Ferguson (51st overall; Chicago Bears), halfback Jeremy Hill (55th overall; Cincinnati Bengals) and receiver Jarvis Landry (63rd overall; Miami Dolphins) went off the board.

In the third round, the Carolina Panthers picked offensive tackle and former Tiger Trai Turner, nabbing him with the 92nd overall selection.

In the final stages of the draft, linebacker Lamin Barrow (156th overall; Denver Broncos), quarterback Zach Mettenberger (178th overall; Tennessee Titans), halfback Alfred Blue (181st overall; Houston Texans) and receiver James Wright (239th overall; Cincinnati Bengals) went off the board.

This marks the second-straight year nine Tigers are drafted.