College
football analyst and NFL draft expert Mike Detillier shared his thoughts about
the team’s new additions and on some of the players the Saints’ front office
took a pass on in the recent draft, speculating which rookies will contribute
immediately and who will prove to be the team’s best free-agent pickup.
Were you
surprised the Saints passed on Jarvis Jones to select Kenny Vaccaro?
I was
not surprised, but I thought they would go after Jones. This team still is in
great need of a pass rush specialist. They also need a playmaker at safety and Vaccaro
is a playmaker, but more along the lines of LaRon Landry than an Ed Reed or
Earl Thomas.
What
does this say about Jones that they passed on him?
It means
they really believe that Victor Butler will be the "pass rush" specialist
for this team. Rob Ryan came on the radio with us and he talked highly about
Butler. Butler now becomes the teams'
biggest off-season free agent pick-up and he is the focal point of generating a
pass rush from that outside linebacker slot. He has flashed it at Dallas, but
he also has never been a fulltime starter and he always had DeMarcus Ware
taking on multiple blockers.
If he
gets hot in New Orleans as a pass rusher, he will be the target guy for blocking
schemes.
It is
something Joe Horn told me years ago, "There is a difference between being
a number one receiver and a “two guy”. You have to beat double coverage as a
number one receiver and the number two guy rarely sees it. It freaks a lot of
second receivers out when some teams make him their main guy. That holds true as a 3-4 outside linebacker as
a pass rusher.
You
wrote in your book that Kenny Vaccaro is similar to LaRon Landry. Was that a compliment?
Absolutely People forget
Landry is one of the best safeties in the game when he is healthy. Like
LaRon, Vaccaro is very physical, he comes up in a flash as a run defender, he
is an intimidator in the secondary and he matches up well with tight ends
downfield. Like LaRon, he doesn't have great hands. That surprised me with
LaRon because he was a quarterback in high school, but like Kenny he is not a
natural catching the ball. That is what makes people like Ed Reed, Earl Thomas,
Jairus Byrd and Charles Woodson special. Like Darren Sharper was, they are
ballhawks, but Kenny was a pick that I thought would go in that area. This team needs to become more physical and
Kenny gives them that feature.
But like
it or not for Saints fans Jarvis Jones and Kenny Vaccaro will always be tied together
because of where they were picked and right now there is no sure thing as a
pass rusher.
On draft
night on the radio with Shariff Floyd and Jones on the board you said the
Saints would pick Vaccaro when they came up to pick. What changed things?
An agent
friend of mine, who seems to always have a good read on where defensive backs
will go, told me if Vaccaro is on the board the Saints would take him even if
Jones was on the board. When I saw it occur I went with the strong tip.
He was
wrong on one defensive back (Xavier Rhodes) and where he would end up, but he
was dead right about Vaccaro and we both had the word that Eric Reid would end
up in San Francisco.
Is he
the free safety or strong safety of the future?
I think
like LaRon Landry his spot is at strong
safety. Kenny Vaccaro is tailor-made for that spot. In the game today you need
a physical presence at strong safety in run support and yet have the
flexibility to be strong in the coverage part of the game. This team has been
burnt so much by the athletic tight ends in the league. He is the one-on-one
matchup guy.
Who does
Vaccaro then light a fire under most: Roman Harper or Malcolm Jenkins?
Both are
professionals, but both know with a new defensive coordinator and Rob Ryan had
a big say on picking Vaccaro they will both be motivated to play better.
It's
human nature to play harder or work harder when you are being pushed. In the long run Harper's spot will be filled
by Kenny. With the money he is being paid Roman knows that the team will thank
him for his overall play and his contributions to a Super Bowl run, but he most
likely will not be here in 2014.
This
season all three will be on the field in different spots and Jenkins used more
in nickel and dime schemes as a cornerback.
Did
maybe Jenkins' contract play a part in the selection of Vaccaro?
Malcolm
is in a new scheme and it will be interesting to see if he fits well with
Ryan's defense, but in this commuter league it is also about matchups and the
pick was all about getting more physical in the secondary and also having some
one to match up well in one-on-one situations downfield against the pass.
This is
a big season for Jenkins to prove he is a "playmaker" at free safety,
but what I see from him is that he doesn't take good angles to the ball against
the pass and he misses too many openfield tackles. He needs to improve in those
areas. He will make some real big plays, like we saw against Tampa Bay, and
then whiff on others. I don't think his contract played a part in selecting
Vaccaro.
You
always say the draft is about value and addressing needs. Did the Saints do this
in this draft?
If
Butler becomes a really good edge pass rusher, then yes they did a great job getting
value and filling needs. Vaccaro was a value pick and filled a huge void at
safety. Terron Armstead is a really good football player and to be honest with
so many offensive linemen getting picked in Round One I thought he might be gone
and I wrote in my book that he is a better today than Jermon Bushrod was when
he came out of Towson. In 2014 he is the starting left tackle for this team. He
is a very focused player, extremely athletic and he has the feet of a much
smaller player. Terron moves his feet so well for a big man and he has excellent
adjustment skills. He will need to make that adjustment to the NFL and learn
that from week to week you are going up against the best pass rushers the game
can offer on the left side.
You
think Armstead will start at left tackle in 2013?
I think
the left tackle position is Charles Brown's to lose. It is not a question of
talent, but health. If he stays healthy Brown will start, but he has been
nicked up every year. I like Marcel Jones, who they picked up last season late
in the draft from Nebraska, but he is more of a right tackle and I think if he
can stay healthy he is the eventual replacement for Zach Strief at the right tackle
spot.
You made
that call on draft night on WWL Radio that Armstead would be the pick. Did you have any insight?
Well, he
was the best offensive lineman on the board and certainly he fit into a big
need for this team. The coaches will love his work ethic and athleticism. He also
seemed to fit a mold of a small college player that this team has had a knack
for finding. Lucky call on my part. But all that said, this young man can play
football no matter where he went to school.
When you
were talking about players available you also talked about John Jenkins and
that he would make a good pick, if they went for defense and then after the Armstead
pick they made the trade with the NY Jets and got Jenkins.
I
thought John Jenkins would go in Round Two. He is a huge man, a big space eater
in the middle and someone that could be a difference-maker at nose tackle if he
keeps his weight down and he gets motivated to give his all on each snap.
Typically
big men wear down during games and this is where conditioning takes its toll. I
think as Saints followers we all remember that first season when Norman Hand
was with the team. He was a big
influence in the middle, but Norman was never the same after that 2000 season
because he was just wasn't in the best of shape after that.
Just
watch the film of the last two SEC Championship games. Georgia's defense and in
particular their front line played at a very high level in the first half of
those games, but once LSU started to pound the rock Jenkins and that first team
unit wore down. Nick Saban did the exact same thing in 2012. He just fed the
ball to Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon and that huge offensive line just wore out
Georgia's front line.
He also
needs to learn how to use his hands better to get off of blocks and I was glad
he told us on WWL Radio that night that he is going to work with former Atlanta
Falcons defensive end Chuck Smith-who specializes in hand usage and leverage.
If he is motivated and keeps himself in good shape he could be a B.J.
Raji-Green Bay Packers-type player. He has the talent, now it is up to Saints
defensive line coach Bill Johnson to get the best out of him.
How do
you see Kenny Stills fitting with the Saints’ offense?
Kenny is
a great fit for the Saints. He played in a system similar to what the Saints
run and he excels as a route runner and someone that can really work the short
to medium range areas of the field. He has good hands and he is a good set-up
guy to get open downfield.
He has
good speed, but where he excels is in his ability to work that short area of
the field and that is what the Saints do so well offensively. Kenny's dad and
uncle played pro football so he knows what it takes to play in the NFL. He was
Landry Jones's "go-to" receiver the past two seasons and he knows
this game at a high level. Sure handed target and he can just corkscrew
defenders into the turf with his moves downfield.
Rufus
Johnson played defensive end in college. Will he make the adjustment to outside
linebacker?
Well
Rufus got to over 270 pounds because he thought he would play defensive end in
the pros, so he will probably get lighter to play outside linebacker. I didn't
see a lot of tape on him, but he's athletic, he can get off the snap quickly
and you can clearly see he works hard on each play.
There’s
no “let up” in his play. His college coach, Cary Fowler, told me he was the
best defensive front seven player he had ever coached and his greatest strength
was his speed and his violent hands. Interesting player.
Before
the draft in our last one-on-one you talked about the Saints possibly picking Tulane's
Ryan Griffin in Round Six or if they picked up a 7th round pick. The Saints were able to sign him as an undrafted free agent. Are you still high on him?
Yes I
do. He's smart, very accurate with his throws, he has the arm strength to make
all the throws in the book and he is tough. He didn't get great protection at
Tulane and he got the best aerial views of stadiums across Conference USA, but
he is a good player and the Saints knew all about him because he was coached last
season by Curtis Johnson, who was the Saints WR. coach.
He has
the skillset and intangibles to play in the NFL. Last season Griffin and Ryan
Grant-the wide receiver at Tulane were terrific when they gave Ryan some time
to throw. In 2014 Ryan Grant will be a middle round draft choice and he's a
good football player also.
The
Saints signed as undrafted free agents three linebackers that you graded in
your book as middle round picks in North Carolina's Kevin Reddick, Stanford's
Chase Thomas and Nebraska's Eric Martin. Would you agree that the Saints’ front
office has an eye for unearthing hidden talent?
No
question that since Sean Payton took over this team has built a reputation for
giving undrafted free agents a fair chance to make the team. For some guys they
just talk the talk, but with Payton and his staff, they have and agents know
it.
With
Reddick his story is a lot like what we saw from Jo-Lonn Dunbar when he came
out of Boston College. Kevin is physical, a four-year starter for NC, he plays
the game on balance and he has a knack for fighting off blockers well at the
point of attack. He's a power player and instinctive.
I am a
big Chase Thomas fan. He's smart, physical, he has quick read and react instincts
and he has a nice array of moves and countermoves to defeat his opponent coming
off the edge. Like Reddick he is a power player, but he was not the greatest
workout guy. The last two years on one of the toughest defenses in college
football Thomas racked up 32 tackles for losses and 16 quarterback sacks. He reminds
me a lot of Dezman Moses, who played at Tulane, went undrafted and started for
Green Bay last season.
Eric
Martin is an interesting player. He basically was a special teams player until
the 2012 season. Then he blew up last season recording 59 tackles, 18 1/2 tackles
for losses and 8 1/2 quarterback sacks and 13 QB. hurries. He can cut the
corner fast and just looks as though he has a feel for pressuring the quarterback.
He is also a good special teams player. He was impressive last season at
Nebraska. In many ways he is a lot like Victor Butler was when he came out of
Oregon State.
Which
rookie will have the biggest impact in 2013?
Kenny
Vaccaro, no question. He has to play and play well early for the Saints for
their defense to get better. I like his work ethic, his football instincts and
I love what he brings to the table from a physical standpoint.
Which
free agent will make the biggest difference on defense?
Well ,
Keenan Lewis is the consensus pick by most observers everyone, and I like the pick-up of Lewis and
I certainly like his match-up skills from a size and coverage standpoint, but Victor
Butler has to play like not only an average guy, but a cut above starter because
in this style defense his pass rush skills and pressure skills "potential"
has to turn into production. This team needs to create a pass rush and Butler
is the key.
On
offense it is TE. Ben Watson. He gives this team something the New England Patriots
have with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and now the Saints have two very athletic pass
catching tight ends and it will cause havoc for defenses to defend and give
them another big body upfront to aid the running game. This team needs to get
more physical in the running game and play a little "keep away" and I
think that means Mark Ingram becomes the bellcow runner too. Ingram is someone
who needs to get fed the ball more and let him get into his rushing groove and
I really believe Sean Payton wants that in this offense and have Pierre Thomas
be the second option in the running game and he will get a lot of touches as a
backup runner and also as a receiver.
But the
biggest addition this season is having Sean Payton back. He gives this team
focus, a strong purpose and accountability. The Boss is back. Now, we’ll have to see if they can piece
together a good enough defense to combat the two powerhouse teams in the NFC
right now in San Francisco and Seattle.
