Saints fill needs, stockpile talent in draft

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton resisted the urge once.

He and the team’s general manager Mickey Loomis couldn’t do it a second time. The end result is another Heisman Trophy halfback coming to New Orleans.

With the No. 24 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Saints passed on Alabama halfback Mark Ingram and opted to fill a more pressing need, selecting California defensive end Cameron Jordan.

When Ingram was still on the board four picks later, the Saints couldn’t resist the itch again, making a trade with the New England Patriots for the pick, allowing the team to select the former Crimson Tide Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 28 overall selection.

“I’ll be honest with you. We’re sitting there after our pick. Sean and I are sitting there and talking and it’s like how can we get Mark Ingram?” Loomis said. “And so we just started making some calls to the teams to the back of the draft, found a couple teams interested. … We’re excited about it. Real excited.”

To get Ingram, the Saints had to give up their 2011 second round pick (No. 56 overall) and their 2012 first round pick back to the Patriots.

That means the team will be left without a first round pick next season. But both coach and general manager agree that’s a small price to pay to get a player as talented as Ingram.

“I would say that one trait that is impressive is his ability to block pressure and pick up,” Payton said. “He is someone who is real physical in his protections. He is someone that is used, to some degree, in the underneath passing game. He is a physical back, he can catch the ball, but he is good in his protections.”

Aside from the early trade, the rest of the 2011 NFL Draft went as planned for the Black and Gold, who added six players to their roster.

Below is a list of the team’s selections, as well as a brief bio of each player:

Round 1:

Cameron Jordan, 6’4″, 282, defensive end, California

Jordan lands with the Saints after a dominant career at California. The speedy, but powerful defensive end burst onto the national stage after recording 45 tackles and six sacks in his junior season. He followed up that campaign with a 51 tackle and six sack season in 2010. Jordan lands in New Orleans with an NFL pedigree, as his father Steve was a six-time Pro Bowl tight end for the Minnesota Vikings from 1982-94.

Notable Quote: “Not at all. That’s my dad’s team. My dad might be a little conflicted. As far as being for a team, I’m with the Saints now.” Cameron Jordan on whether he will have problems dropping his allegiances with the Vikings, the team his father played with for more than a decade.

Mark Ingram, 5’10, 215, halfback, Alabama

Ingram was the first halfback taken in the 2011 NFL Draft and with good reason, as the bruising 215-pound jackhammer rushed his way to the 2009 Heisman Trophy. Ingram took a few steps back statistically in 2010, thanks to a knee injury, but that didn’t stop him from playing the final 11 games of his collegiate career with little restriction. Ingram will be the second Heisman Trophy winner on the Saints’ roster, joining fellow halfback Reggie Bush.

Notable Quote: “We had the opportunity to get the best back in this draft and the last time that we were able to get a real strong running back was Deuce McAllister and it worked out pretty well. This guy has the same kind of character as Deuce.” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis on the decision to trade up for Mark Ingram.

Third Round:

Martez Wilson, 6’4″, 250, linebacker, Illinois

The Saints selected Wilson with the 72nd overall selection in the draft. At Illinois, Wilson was a ball-hawking linebacker who wreaked havoc on opposing offenses. Wilson recorded 112 tackles with four sacks and three forced fumbles in his senior season. Durability could be why Wilson fell as far in the draft as he did. The former Illinois standout missed the entire 2009 season after suffering a neck injury.

Notable Quote: “You’d like to think so with your young linebackers. That will be important for him.” New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton on whether Wilson will be asked to play special teams in 2011.

Johnny Patrick, 6’0″, 190, cornerback, Louisville

With their second third round pick, the Saints patched up their sometimes shaky secondary and selected Louisville’s Johnny Patrick. Patrick is touted as a larger-sized defensive back, who figures to be a more productive player in a zone defensive scheme. During his senior season with Louisville, Patrick recorded 49 tackles and intercepted five passes (one which he returned for a touchdown). The prospect’s stock probably dropped to late in the third round because of off the field issues. Patrick was arrested last July after being accused of slamming a woman to the ground. He was initially charged with assault, but pled guilty to a lesser charge.

Notable Quote: “It was something that I will never fall back on again in my life. It was a situation I didn’t see myself getting in to. I guarantee it won’t happen again.” New Orleans Saints draft pick Johnny Patrick on his July 2010 arrest.

Seventh Round:

Greg Romeus, 6’5″, 270, defensive end, Pittsburgh

Romeus headed into the 2009 season thinking he could potentially be a first or a second round pick. Two major injuries changed the prospect’s plans and he lands in New Orleans as a low-risk, high-reward project for the Saints. Romeus recorded 19 sacks in the first three years of his career with Pittsburgh and was a preseason All-American in 2010. But a torn ACL, as well as a major back injury ended his collegiate career and slid the defender all the way to the back-half of the draft.

Notable Quote: “Yeah, it definitely did. It cost me a lot of money, but that’s the game. There are injuries in football and sometimes it takes away from you, but at the same time, that’s behind me. I know I have to go out and get healthy now to get back on the field.” New Orleans Saints draft pick Greg Romeus on whether a litany of injuries cost him financially in the NFL Draft.

Nate Bussey, 6’2″, 220, outside linebacker, Illinois

Bussey joins Wilson as the second Illinois linebacker taken by New Orleans in the draft. The 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound prospect recorded 83 tackles for the Fighting Illini last season. But with a largely undersized body for a linebacker, Bussey will likely be called upon to play special teams – a role he embraced at Illinois. Bussey won a share of the Illini’s Outstanding Special Teams Award for his work on the team’s kick coverage and punt block units.

Notable Quote: “It’s going to be amazing playing with Martez again. We played together side-by-side the last couple of years at Illinois. I consider him one of my brothers. We’re really close.” Saints draft pick Nate Bussey told ESPN Chicago about being reunited with college teammate Martez Wilson.