The first round of the 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft comes to a close. We're having each SB Nation blogger make selections for their respective teams. SaintSational, lead blogger at SB Nation's New Orleans Saints blog, Canal Street Chronicles, checks in to make the No. 32 overall selection in this year's mock. Take it away, sir!
2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Round 1, Pick 32
With the No. 32 overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the New Orleans Saints have selected Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida.
Saint says: The Saints have had an incredibly quiet off-season courtesy of free agency restrictions placed on the team with changes to the CBA. That means building through the draft is even more important than ever this year. Mickey Loomis acknowledged that outside linebacker and defensive end are both the biggest positions of need this off-season, particularly given the departure of starters Scott Fujita and Charles Grant. Since nothing has been done about either so far, the first round of this years draft seems the likely time to do so.
With Sean Weatherspoon and Sergio Kindle, the two top rated outside linebackers in this years draft, already off the board, no other OLB's seem worthy of being drafted in this position. Fortunately, defensive end Carlos Dunlap from Florida and first round prospect is still available and too good to pass up here. The Gators are known for producing talented pass rushers over the years, including the Saints own Bobby McCray, and the incredibly athletic Dunlap is no different. Dunlap's 18.5 sacks over his last two seasons with the Gators are exactly what the Saints hope to add to their pass rush next year. He's extremely athletic with huge potential but also comes with a few character and work ethic concerns. The classic high risk/high reward prospect.
With some championship caliber coaching, hopefully the Saints have found an equally dangerous threat to get jiggy opposite Will Smith on the opposite end of the defensive line.
Mocking Dan reacts: Dunlap is a boom or bust player. On paper, he certainly looks the part but had a career of inconsistency. On the field, he has the frame of a basketball player, and that doesn’t always translate well to the pros. If I were taking a risk on a defensive end, I would have taken Everson Griffen. His play is similar to Grant’s (at least when Grant was good). But that’s just personal preference.
Mocking the Draft’s Top 5 remaining prospects: 1 - Everson Griffen/DE/USC, 2 - Golden Tate/WR/Notre Dame, 3 - Bruce Campbell/OT/Maryland, 4 - Jonathan Dwyer/RB/Georgia Tech, 5 - Damian Williams/WR/USCSound off, SB Nation! What say you of Saints’ selection of Dunlap? Please be sure to check out Canal Street Chronicles for all of your Saints needs.
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