News: According to NewOrleansSaints.com, the newest members of the Saints will get their first taste of action as members of the NFL when they participate in a three-day rookie and first-year players mini-camp at the team's Metairie headquarters this coming Friday. The Saints' six draft choices from the 2008 draft will be joined by 16 rookie free agents and 36 players that have been invited by the team for a tryout.Who Dat Say: Competition is always good, and bringing in 58 new faces will provide much needed competition. Although nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, historically speaking, Sedrick Ellis and Tracy Porter are virtual locks to make the team. According to recent reports,the Saints plan to deploy both defensive tackles taken in this year's draft in their new and upgraded defensive line rotation, so it appears that Demario Pressley is also a very good bet to make the final roster. The other 55 players will have to impress the coaching staff in order to wear the Black and Gold in the fall. It looks to be an uphill battle for most of these players, even the ones who were drafted, as this coaching staff has shown a tendency to disregard draft position in favor of production. Following the 2006 draft, the Saints cut receiver Mike Hass (2006 6th round) and Chase Lymann (2005 4th round), both picked ahead of seventh round long-shot Marques Colston; and last season, the Saints draft picks fared even worse. Not even fourth rounder Antonio Pittman, who appeared to fill a need as insurance for Deuce McAllister, made the squad. The message seems to be "work hard and earn it, or we will find someone else willing to." While most of the undrafted class will be quickly cut down, this coaching staff will certainly be scouring the practice fields for the next diamond in the rough -- any one of these guys could be the next Marques Colston or Pierre Thomas.
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