The last two Saints draft picks, DE Greg Romeus from Pittsburgh and LB Nate Bussey from Illinois, are unknown to me. The only player the Saints drafted that I've actually seen play is Mark Ingram. 7th rounders are almost always relegated to special teams, the practice squad, or the street. I know, I know, Marques Colston came to us in the 7th round but his seizing the job from a former first rounder, Donte Stallworth, during training camp? That was luck. We can hope for the same from one or both of these two but that's not realistic.
Here's how I see it for the 2011 class. All of my speculation is barring injury, of course.
Pick No. 1 (24th overall), DE Cameron Jordan, California - The coaching staff will have to get this guy up to speed as soon as possible. He'll be thrown into the defensive line rotation immediately and will see significant playing time, especially since Will Smith will probably be missing the first four games. There are two major problems, though. The lockout will eat into his preparation and the new CBA will probably reduce rookie contracts, which could cause league-wide holdouts, particularly amongst first rounders.
Pick No. 2 (28th overall), RB Mark Ingram, Alabama - Ingram will contribute immediately, too, although I think they'll take him out on passing downs. Pass protection assignments are the hardest things for a rookie running back to learn so I expect him to be mainly a first and second down back. It will be interesting to see what the coaches have in mind for the running game with all of these running backs on the roster. The Saints don't need to get to 50-50 pass-run but 55-45 would be better than last year's imbalance.
Pick, No. 3 (72nd overall), LB Martez Wilson, Illinois - I don't see this guy as a first year starter unless he develops into a playmaker during training camp. I see him as a special teams contributor and a spot linebacker. He will probably replace Scott Shanle at some point this year or next.
Pick, No. 4 (88th overall), CB Johnny Patrick, Louisville - This guy is already a special teams demon and that almost guarantees him a spot on the final roster. He's a top flight gunner in punt coverage from what I hear. He'll also possibly see playing time at CB, particularly since that group can't seem to stay healthy.
Pick, No. 5 (226th overall), DE Greg Romeus, Pittsburgh – Unless he turns out to be way better than expected, he's probably a practice squad player. With Will Smith out the first four games and with very little help available in free agency, though, it's conceivable that he'll be on the opening day roster.
Pick, No. 6 (243rd overall), LB Nate Bussey, Illinois – This guy will have to show an awful lot in training camp to make the opening day roster. There's a crowd at linebacker for the Saints. On the bright side for him, all of the veterans, except for Jonathan Vilma, are pretty average.
