The 2008 NFL Draft -- Live Bloggin

Welcome, everyone, to WhoDatSay's first annual draft day bonanza. Section123SaintsFan and Buddon are now here to put a Saints spin on every pick of the first day.

No one can say our readers don't know their shit. You all overwhelmingly nailed our exact pick in the first round (see poll). We brought you the most legitimate possibilities, and you proved your knowledge. Bravo. Tomorrow, expect for us to nab a safety, running back, offensive lineman, and tight-end. Outside linebacker is a possibility, but we think the the first four positions are most likely.

Excerpts from Draft blog:
Buddon (6:31): Based on some of our previous drafts, we could have done worse than to draft Porter. I'm just relieved that we did not pick a receiver. The early scouting report indicates that Porter has 4.37 speed and has great coverage skills, although his run support skills leave something to be desired. I'm fine with that. Our coaches can develop his run support skills a lot easier than they could develop his coverage skills. And our run defense is already greatly improved with the additions of Ellis and Vilma. Let's hope that Porter can help limit the big passing plays. The Saints aren't up again until the 5th round. Althoug Chris Mortensen said that the Giants are also interested in Porter and that the Shockey trade might still happen. I wouldn't count on it.

Pick #40 - Saints: Tracy Porter, CB, Indiana

Buddon (3:35): Thankfully, the one player I did not want was just picked by the Giants: Kenny Phillips. I also do not want a wide receiver. With no receivers picked in the first round, a wide-receiver would be a great value at #40, but I can't bear the thought of wasting another early pick on one. Please, Mickey, no wide receivers!

Buddon (3:24): Saints are up in ten picks. No news yet about a Shockey or Sheppard trade, but I think those are definite possibilities. What are our other options? Brandon Flowers is still on the board, and I think he might be there when we pick. I don't love the guy because of questions about his size and speed, but I definitely can't question his toughness. If we are going the CB route, though, why not trade for a proven CB in Sheppard? Fred Davis is another option, but the same rationale of trading for a proven player in Shockey applies here. I think Dan Connor is another possibility. As far as RB goes, I think it is way too early to pick Forte, and all the other available running backs are on the smallish side. If not a trade for Shockey or Sheppard, I wouldn't mind seeing a trade down.

...Pick #30 - Jets: Dustin Keller, TE, Purdue


Section123(4:21): A good pick for the Bucs, their secondary is aging, and they will have time to develop Talib into a solid corner. They're going to need more than that tocover Colston, Bush and Shockey next year though.

Pick #20: Bucs - Aqib Talib, CB, Kansas

Buddon (3:53): Also, this trade has to make Saints fans feel good about our trade with New England. KC gave up a 3rd and 5th to move up two spots to #15. We gave up a 3rd and received a fifth to move up 3 spots -- in the top 10!

Section123(3:45): KC, my new least favorite team, trades with the Lions to move up two spots (???) to grab Branden Albert. Do you not realize who you just traded with? Did you think the Lions were going to break their streak of drafting disappointing skill position players? Again, I just hope Albert can throw the ball, because Brodie Croyle cannot. Enjoy your 5-11 record next year.

Pick #15 - Kansas City: Brandan Albert, OG, Virginia

Buddon (1:37): Snooze... another OT pick. Bend down, Chicago Bears, bend down. After the top 15, we are going to turn this to Saints talk only.

Pick #14 - Bears: Chris Williams, OT, Vanderbilt

Section123(3:31): Looks like the Panthers thought their biggest need was to replace DeShaun Foster's 60 yards rushing per game. I hear they are also looking for someone to step into Deangelo Williams's role as being a massive disappointment all the time.

Pick #13 - Panthers: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon

Buddon (3:26): Solid pick here for the Broncos. They get the OT that some were projecting to go in the top 10. You fanasy football nerds out there will be excited about the next Broncos running back to run behind Clady.

Pick #12 - Broncos: Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State

Section123(3:22): I think this is who we would have taken had we stayed put. The Bills step up and take player in the top 15 that was actually in other teams' top 15 as well, for the first year in quite some time. The Bills typically draft about as well as they play

Pick #11 - Bills: Leoids Mcelvin, CB, Troy

Buddon (3:15): Somewhat of a surprise here. If the Patriots didn't like a corner enough to draft one here, I guess the corners in this draft just aren't that good. This pick only further validates our selection of Ellis.

Pick #10 - Patriots: Jerod Mayo, ILB, Tennessee

Section123(3:11): And the Bengals make a solid pick here and take the position of need that falls to them. They could have used Ellis, no doubt, and defensive tackle is a more glaring need, as seen by their offseason attempts at signing one, but when your defense (or team for that matter) is as bad as the Bungles, you can always use a good speedy linebacker, and Keith Rivers is that.

Pick #9 - Bengals: Keith Rivers, LB, USC

Buddon (3:05): Don't ask what the Jags were doing here, but honestly I don't care. We got our guy, Ellis. He will come in and immediately have a Dorsey-like impact. Black and Gold Supa Bowl!

Pick #8 - Jaguars: Derrick Harvey, DE, Florida

Section123(2:57): So we give up our third and get a fifth in return. This means we are still in the Shockey/Shepard sweepstakes. Evidently, it's looking like we are going to get Shockey for our second this year and our fifth next year, or maybe even the fifth we just picked up. Vilma, Gay, Shockey, Ellis, Morgan... Wow. Looking like one of our best off-seasons ever. My temporary heartbreak over not getting Dorsey is gone, especially when we come out of the today with Jeremy Shockey.

Buddon (2:54): Holy ##@#*! This will go down as the best draft day trade the Saints have ever made. I'm curious to see what the trade details are.

Pick #7 - Saints: Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC

Buddon (2:48): Now things get interesting. Will we trade up with New England? Come on, Mickey, 5 Steps to a Black and Gold Supa Bowl. The Patriots would do well to trade down. They can get their corner or LB at #10. They don't need Ellis.

Pick #6 - Jets: Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State

Section123(2:40): Well, that about sucked. Evidently we had 2 picks on the table, I would think our first and second this year, which is technically more than the pick is worth, but KC wouldn't bite. KC needs to grab a quarterback somewhere in this draft lest they trust the reigns of their offense to Brodie Croyle for a few more seasons, and that second round pick would have really helped. I'm surprised KC wouldn't move, but the possibility of a trade for Dorsey is not completely dead. Almost, but you never know.

Buddon (2:36): No one panic here. Yes, Dorsey would have been nice, but we didn't want to give up all that was necessary to get him. Ellis, Ellis, Ellis!

Pick #5 - Chiefs: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU

Buddon (2:30): Kiper? McShay? Mayock? Our mock has the top 4 picks exactly right, and I'm guessing the #5 pick will be right on, whether KC actually picks or whether the Saints move into that pick to secure Dorsey.

Pick #4 - Raiders: Darren McFadden, RB, Arakansas

Section123(2:26): Shockingly the Falcons didn't really want Dorsey. Had no idea. I mean, going into the draft with DJ Shockley, Joey Harrington, and Chris Redman (did that guy sell me my car insurance?) was basically like wearing a sign that said "will give head for qb."

Buddon (2:21): Everything going according to plan: J. Long, C. Long, M. Ryan. Hopefully, the Raiders don't pull a surprise pick here and take Dorsey. If they take McFadden as expected, things should get interesting with the next pick.

Pick #3 - Falcons: Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College

Section123 (2:10): Call me an LSU homer, but I think Dorsey is worth it. He is an absolute stud who dominated defenses in the SEC while terrorizing quarterbacks from the tackle position. I want nothing more than to see us jump up and get Dorsey (for a reasonable price) and worry about Shockey and Shepard afterward. If we get a shot at Dorsey, we need to take it. A dominant defensive tackle is invaluable, especially to a team that has trouble stopping the run like the Saints.

Pick #2 - Rams: Chris Long, DE, Virginia

Buddon (1:55 PM): We are also hearing that these Jammal Brown trade rumors might mean that we retain our 10th overall pick and just trade Brown for the Chiefs pick straight up. That's an intriguing scenario. That means we could get Dorsey, draft a Ryan Clady at #10, and then still retain our 2nd and 3rd round picks to go after Sheppard or Shockey.

Buddon (1:50 PM): So, what would it take to move up to the Chiefs pick at #5? Looking at the draft value chart, our pick is worth 1300 points and the Chiefs pick is 1700. That would mean giving up our 2nd round pick, which is worth 480 points and acquriing the Chiefs 4th round pick which is 96 points. Is Dorsey worth it? What about when you consider that we can probably move up to #8 and get Ellis instead by giving up a 3rd and receiving an extra 4th? That's a tough call. Getting Dorsey at #5 might mean that we can't get Shockey or Lito Sheppard. If it's a question of Ellis and Sheppard vs. just Dorsey, we need to go with the Ellis option.

Buddon (1:28 PM): Just like our Mock Draft predicted, it looks like Glenn Dorsey could very well slip to pick #5. From ESPN reports, the Rams are almost a lock to take Chris Long, the Falcons will likely take Matt Ryan, and the Raiders are enamored with Darren McFadden. If all of that happens, expect the Saints to make an effort to move up and land Dorsey.