#27 - New Orleans - Chris Houston, CB Arkansas

The Saints had a magical run last year, reminicent of the 2001 Patriots, who became the darlings of the NFL that year after the country galvanized together in the wake of the World Trade Center bombing. Last year, the Saints captured the nation's attention by dramatically improving their record despite a tumultuous off-season headlined by the devastation of huuricane Katrina. If not for a dominant Bears defense and poor play by cornerback Fred Thomas, the Saints might have made Peyton Manning wait another year for his ring.

With respect to Fred Thomas, he was exposed on national TV for being one of the worst cover corners in the league, and you can bet the Saints will be looking to replace him this off-season. Unfortunately for him, several of the teams in front of them will be looking to fill the same position. As such, they are a decent bet to move up a few spots in the round.

If they stay here and the draft goes as it has thus far, Chris Houston is the pick. Houston is a tad small, but is one of the better cover corners in the draft, and had a superb combine. He had the second fastest 40 time (regardless of position) at 4.32, and set a record for cornerbacks in the bench press (27 reps). He had a 36 inch vertical leap, which is just average for the position--if he were 2 inches taller and had 2 more inches on his vertical, he'd probably be a top 15 pick.  Playing in the SEC, Houston got to match up against some of the nation's top receivers, such as Bowe and Meacham, and shut them down.

If the Saints decide not to take one of the corners left, defensive end would be another target position, as Charles Grant will likely leave for free agency after this season (he was franchised this year).

Drafter- tomas21


On the clock- New England Patriots (tyger1147)