It’s hard to judge a draft class after only a year but we are going to take a look back at the Saints 2010 draft class.

2010 Draft Saints Draft Picks: CB Patrick Robinson (32nd Overall), T Charles Brown (64th Overall), TE Jimmy Graham (95th Overall), DT Al Woods (123rd Overall), C Matt Tennant (158th Overall), QB Sean Canfield (239th Overall).

Best Picks: Jimmy Graham came on strong late in the season, providing a dangerous target for Drew Brees and the passing game. While he finished the season with 31 receptions for 356 yards and five touchdowns, the Saints coaches apparently felt good enough about his progress and potential to release Jeremy Shockey this offseason.

Disappointments: When the Saints drafted Al Woods in the 4th round, a lot of analysts penciled him in for a starting job but instead he didn’t make the opening day roster, getting cut in the final round of roster cuts. Woods then found his way to the Tampa Bay Bucanneers which adds to the disappointment as the Saints traded up in the 4th round to make sure they could draft Woods ahead of Tampa Bay.

Jury Still Out On: Everyone else in this year’s class. Sean Payton made a comment after last year’s draft that the draft was based more on vision than on need and that much is pretty evident. Patrick Robinson showed some promise in the limited playing time he had last year but it is still tough to say if he is a success or a failure. With Brown and Tennant, I think the Saints were definitely drafting with an eye towards the future here. They didn’t have to play these players immediately which gives them time to develop them into potential starters. A lot of analysts say the Saints need to draft some offensive line players in the 2011 draft and I point to Brown and Tennant as the reasons they don’t need to. Finally, Sean Canfield seems like an odd pick but after a few years of learning behind Drew Brees and Sean Payton, a quarterback needy team might be making calls to the Saints.

Overall Draft Grade: Going to give this one two grades, a C – based on the performance thus far but an A – based on potential.

The NFL announced its regular season schedule earlier this evening and, as I suspected, the Saints will play in the opening game of the season for the second year in a row. The Saints will face the super bowl champion Green Bay Packers on Thursday September 8, 2011 played at Lambeau Field in a matchup of the past two super bowl champions. This should be a great game as these two teams have two of the most explosive offenses in the league. I’ll post more on the Saints 2011 schedule later in the week.

The NFL is announcing the regular season schedule tonight at 7PM easter time. I’ll be posting an analysis on the full regular and preseason schedules for the Saints in the next couple of days. I think there is a good chance the Saints will be playing in the first game of the season against the defending champion Green Bay Packers. A match between the past two super bowl champions seems like a good direction for the NFL to go.

Continuing to buildup to the 2011 draft with a look back at the Saints 2009 draft class.

2009 Saints Draft Picks: CB Malcolm Jenkins (14th Overall), S Chip Vaughn (116th Overall), LB Stanley Arnoux (118th Overall) and P Thomas Morstead (164th Overall)

Best Picks: The Saints drafted Malcolm Jenkins has a corner but it was always thought that he had the ability to play free safety. Last season, the Saints moved him to that position and he played very well. I believe that with continued improvement, Jenkins could make it to the Pro Bowl this upcoming season and could eventually become one of the league’s elite safeties. He has massive athletic ability and is developing into a big play maker. A lot of people thought it was a reach when the Saints drafted Thomas Morstead but he solidified a punter position that was not a strong point for the Saints. He could also be an eventual Pro Bowl player and gives the Saints some consistency and strength at the position. Plus he nailed the famous onside kick during the Super Bowl.

Disappointments: Chip Vaughn and Stanley Arnoux missed their rookie seasons with injuries and neither has seen significant playing time yet. With as thin as the Saints have been at linebacker, Arnoux should have had the chance to make some kind of impact. Vaughn is no longer with the team and finished last season on the Colts’ roster, mainly as a special teams player. This wouldn’t be a major disappointment if those weren’t positions of need for the Saints and if they didn’t have only four draft picks this year.

Jury Still Out On: None.

Overall Draft Grade: C+, the draft produced two very quality starters but nothing else thanks to the Saints having only four picks.

The Saints used their 2009 first round draft pick on CB Malcolm Jenkins, moving him to free safety last year and used their 2010 first round draft pick on CB Patrick Robinson but they could be targeting a cornerback in the first round for the third straight year. Reports are that the Saints hosted Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith for a visit over the weekend. I try not to put too much stock into pre-draft visits and workouts and the Saints are loaded at corner but this still could be something to keep an eye on. I still believe the Saints will add to the front seven of their defense in the first round but we will see how it unfolds.

Over the next three weeks leading up to the 2011 NFL Draft, I’ll be looking back at the past three draft classes of the New Orleans Saints, beginning this week with the 2008 draft.

2008 Saints Draft Picks: DT Sedrick Ellis (7th Overall), CB Tracy Porter (40th Overall), DT DeMario Pressley (144th Overall), G Carl Nicks (164th Overall), PK Taylor Mehlhaff (178th Overall), WR Adrian Arrington (237th Overall)

Best Picks: This ended up being a very good draft class for the Saints. Sedrick Ellis battled injuries his rookie season but has since emerged as a very good starting defensive tackle and has shown consistent improvement each year. Tracy Porter has become a solid starter and hero of the Saints 2009 Super Bowl Championship season. Carl Nicks has become one of the better guards in the league and may be a year away from a big contract extension. The tandem of Nicks and Jahri Evans give the Saints a very solid interior offensive line.

Disappointments: DeMario Pressley played in only seven games for the Saints recording fifteen tackles before he was cut heading into the 2010 season. Taylor Mehlhaff did not survive the pre-season cuts, being replaced on the Saints roster by Garrett Hartley.

Jury Still Out On: Adrian Arrington has bounced between the Saints active roster and practice squad. Since Arrington was drafted, the Saints have been loaded with good receivers, receiving tight ends and running backs who can make an impact in the passing game so Arrington hasn’t seen the field. Arrington did play in the final game of last season against Tampa Bay and showed some flashed of why the Saints drafted and held on to the receiver, catching seven passes for 79 yards. With Lance Moore a potential free agent, Arrington coud be in line for more playing time in the upcoming season.

Overall Draft Grade: B+

Yes, the NCAA basketball championship is over but Drew Brees has advanced to the Elite Eight of the Madden ‘12 cover voting, easily defeating New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. Brees is now matched up against Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. The winner of that match will have a ‘Final Four’ match against the winner of the Michael Vick / Patrick Willis match. Head to www.espn.com/maddenvote/ to show your support for Drew Brees.

I mentioned in my mock draft earlier this week that with no picks in rounds 4-6 of the draft, the Saints could look to add picks by trading down and one possible trade partner I could see would be the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have a definite need at quarterback but the top two quarterback prospects in the draft, Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton are likely to be off the board when the Cardinals pick at number five. Using the number five overall pick on the next best quarterback, Jake Locker, would be a stretch when they could grab a highly rated defensive player with that pick.

The Saints hold the 24th overall pick in the draft which is one pick ahead of the Seattle Seahawks who hold the 25th. The Seahawks have been linked to Jake Locker in a number of draft scenarios. If the Cardinals wanted to grab Locker or another quarterback ahead of the Seahawks, they could look to trade back into the first round by putting together a package to acquire the Saints pick and jump ahead of Seattle. Looking at the trade value chart, a package of the Cardinals 2nd, 3rd and 6th round picks or 2nd, 4th and 5th round picks could land them the 24th pick held by the Saints and gave the Saints more draft picks to play with.

Purely conjecture but something to think about.