Saints may move up, but there's 'nothing concrete'
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
By Mike Triplett
Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis confirmed that the team has been exploring the idea of moving up from the No. 10 spot in this weekend's draft.
Loomis was vague throughout his pre-draft press conference Tuesday, saying he didn't want to offer any information that could help the competition. But he did admit that the Saints have talked with "a number of teams in front of us about the possibility of moving forward."
Loomis also revealed that the Saints have not talked with anyone about moving down in the draft and said he doesn't foresee that happening.
"It's all preliminary discussion, nothing concrete," Loomis said when asked about reports that the Saints have talked with the St. Louis Rams, who have the No. 2 pick. "The first step is to get an idea of what the cost to move forward is going to be. So that's really what the discussions to date have been. 'A) Are you interested in moving backwards?
What's your thinking in terms of the compensation you're going to want for that?' "
Loomis was especially cryptic when he was asked if the Saints are targeting a specific player, or if they just like the value near the top of the draft in general.
"Yes," he said, smiling.
"Yes to what?" he was asked.
"All of it."
The speculation is that the Saints covet LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, because he might be the best defensive player on the board and he fills the team's most glaring need. But the Saints might also have their eye on tackle Sedrick Ellis, defensive ends Vernon Gholston and Chris Long, or all of the above.
The cost of moving up to No. 2 or No. 3 in the first round could be stiff -- perhaps the Saints' top three picks in this year's draft (No. 10, No. 40 and No. 78). The price would be a little cheaper to get Ellis, especially if he starts slipping past the sixth or seventh pick. But the Saints might have to move into the top five if they want a guarantee that he'll be available.
Regardless of whom they're targeting, the Saints are in a good position to be aggressive in this year's draft. They have a deep roster without many glaring holes on the depth chart, so it would make sense for them to sacrifice a few extra draft picks to get the kind of player who can make an immediate impact.
Plus, the Saints have repeatedly shown a willingness to move up or down in recent years. They traded up five spots in 2005 to draft offensive tackle Jammal Brown with the 13th pick, and they infamously swapped two first-round picks to grab defensive tackle Jonathan Sullivan with the sixth pick in 2003.
"You're just looking to get value for your pick," Loomis said of the team's general philosophy. "And value is dependent upon how you view your own team. You know, there have been cases in the past where we've wanted to move backward and get more football players. And there's been cases where we've had a specific guy targeted and have wanted to move forward to make that happen."
Loomis declined to address the Saints' reported interest in New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey, saying he did not want to talk about players on other teams.
He did, however, touch upon a variety of subjects:
-- Loomis said he had no timetable in mind for contract talks with defensive end Will Smith, who is seeking an extension heading into the final year of his current deal. But he did say that discussions have been ongoing.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to work out a deal that works for him and works for us and have him for the long term, but I'm not going to put a deadline on it, because I think they're artificial anyway," Loomis said. "Any-
time before free agency (in 2009) works for me, and sometimes it's even during free agency. But there's a desire for us on our part to have Will Smith be part of our team in the future, and I think there's a desire on Will's part to be part of the Saints as well. So, I think that's a good start."
-- Loomis said the Saints' draft plans won't necessarily be altered by the injury status of tailback Deuce McAllister and cornerback Mike McKenzie, both of whom are rehabbing from knee surgeries.
"That definitely impacts us to some degree, but we're optimistic about both of those guys," Loomis said. "Mike is doing really well in his rehab, and Deuce is doing well in his. It seems like I talk to their doctors and our trainer once a week, just monitoring progress, and everything we've heard so far has been real positive. No setbacks, and that's encouraging."
-- Loomis spoke excitedly about the progress of last year's first-round draft choice, receiver Robert Meachem, who didn't play a game in 2007 after being slowed by a knee injury in the summer and fall.
"He's had what we would characterize to this point as a great offseason," Loomis said. "He's worked very hard and really never took any time off from the end of last season. He's worked with (veteran receiver) David Patten, who's a great role model for him. He's in great shape. He doesn't have any issues with his knee that he had a year ago. He's done a great job in the weight room and the off-
season conditioning program to date, and he did a lot of work before he came to us in our offseason program, and he looks fantastic.
"There's a determination you can hear in his voice and see in his eye about wanting to prove he was worthy of being a first-round pick, so we feel real good about Robert Meachem right now."
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
By Mike Triplett
Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis confirmed that the team has been exploring the idea of moving up from the No. 10 spot in this weekend's draft.
Loomis was vague throughout his pre-draft press conference Tuesday, saying he didn't want to offer any information that could help the competition. But he did admit that the Saints have talked with "a number of teams in front of us about the possibility of moving forward."
Loomis also revealed that the Saints have not talked with anyone about moving down in the draft and said he doesn't foresee that happening.
"It's all preliminary discussion, nothing concrete," Loomis said when asked about reports that the Saints have talked with the St. Louis Rams, who have the No. 2 pick. "The first step is to get an idea of what the cost to move forward is going to be. So that's really what the discussions to date have been. 'A) Are you interested in moving backwards?
What's your thinking in terms of the compensation you're going to want for that?' "Loomis was especially cryptic when he was asked if the Saints are targeting a specific player, or if they just like the value near the top of the draft in general.
"Yes," he said, smiling.
"Yes to what?" he was asked.
"All of it."
The speculation is that the Saints covet LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, because he might be the best defensive player on the board and he fills the team's most glaring need. But the Saints might also have their eye on tackle Sedrick Ellis, defensive ends Vernon Gholston and Chris Long, or all of the above.
The cost of moving up to No. 2 or No. 3 in the first round could be stiff -- perhaps the Saints' top three picks in this year's draft (No. 10, No. 40 and No. 78). The price would be a little cheaper to get Ellis, especially if he starts slipping past the sixth or seventh pick. But the Saints might have to move into the top five if they want a guarantee that he'll be available.
Regardless of whom they're targeting, the Saints are in a good position to be aggressive in this year's draft. They have a deep roster without many glaring holes on the depth chart, so it would make sense for them to sacrifice a few extra draft picks to get the kind of player who can make an immediate impact.
Plus, the Saints have repeatedly shown a willingness to move up or down in recent years. They traded up five spots in 2005 to draft offensive tackle Jammal Brown with the 13th pick, and they infamously swapped two first-round picks to grab defensive tackle Jonathan Sullivan with the sixth pick in 2003.
"You're just looking to get value for your pick," Loomis said of the team's general philosophy. "And value is dependent upon how you view your own team. You know, there have been cases in the past where we've wanted to move backward and get more football players. And there's been cases where we've had a specific guy targeted and have wanted to move forward to make that happen."
Loomis declined to address the Saints' reported interest in New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey, saying he did not want to talk about players on other teams.
He did, however, touch upon a variety of subjects:
-- Loomis said he had no timetable in mind for contract talks with defensive end Will Smith, who is seeking an extension heading into the final year of his current deal. But he did say that discussions have been ongoing.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to work out a deal that works for him and works for us and have him for the long term, but I'm not going to put a deadline on it, because I think they're artificial anyway," Loomis said. "Any-
time before free agency (in 2009) works for me, and sometimes it's even during free agency. But there's a desire for us on our part to have Will Smith be part of our team in the future, and I think there's a desire on Will's part to be part of the Saints as well. So, I think that's a good start."
-- Loomis said the Saints' draft plans won't necessarily be altered by the injury status of tailback Deuce McAllister and cornerback Mike McKenzie, both of whom are rehabbing from knee surgeries.
"That definitely impacts us to some degree, but we're optimistic about both of those guys," Loomis said. "Mike is doing really well in his rehab, and Deuce is doing well in his. It seems like I talk to their doctors and our trainer once a week, just monitoring progress, and everything we've heard so far has been real positive. No setbacks, and that's encouraging."
-- Loomis spoke excitedly about the progress of last year's first-round draft choice, receiver Robert Meachem, who didn't play a game in 2007 after being slowed by a knee injury in the summer and fall.
"He's had what we would characterize to this point as a great offseason," Loomis said. "He's worked very hard and really never took any time off from the end of last season. He's worked with (veteran receiver) David Patten, who's a great role model for him. He's in great shape. He doesn't have any issues with his knee that he had a year ago. He's done a great job in the weight room and the off-
season conditioning program to date, and he did a lot of work before he came to us in our offseason program, and he looks fantastic.
"There's a determination you can hear in his voice and see in his eye about wanting to prove he was worthy of being a first-round pick, so we feel real good about Robert Meachem right now."