An Early Look at the 2009 NFL Draft

Juniors have the declared, the Senior Bowl has come and gone and the Combine is only days away ... that must mean that NFL Draft talk is heating up. Free agency starts in less than a month, so the NFL offseason has yet to hit full swing, but many bloggers have been projecting the first round of the NFL Draft for months now.

Here's the latest look at who a few sites have the Saints taking with the 14th pick:

• Mike Detiliier: James Laurinaitis, OLB/ILB Ohio State
• Mel Kiper: Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
• Draft Countdown: Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
• Walter Football: Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
• SI.com: Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
• Total Pro Sports: Malcolm Jenkins, CB, Ohio State
• FFToolbox: Vontae Davis, CB, Illinois
• Fantasy Football Extreme: James Laurinaitis, ILB Ohio State
• Sunday Kickoff: Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
• Draft 32: Brian Cushing, OLB, USC
• NFL Draft Specialist: James Laurinaitis, ILB Ohio State
• NFL Draft Preview: BJ Raji, DT, Boston College
• Inside the Eagles: Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State
• Ebony Bird: Everette Brown, DE/OLB, Florida State
  
• My NFL Draft: Ray Maualuga, ILB, USC
• War Room Report: Ray Maualuga, ILB, USC

I looked through dozens of other mocks, but the consensus seems to project the Saints with a corner (either Malcolm Jenkins or Vontae Davis) or a linebacker (Brian Cushing and James Laurinaitis being most popular).

How will all this change after the combine and the start of free agency? One name to keep an eye on is Jonathan Vilma. If he doesn't resign with the Saints, their most likely target in round one would be an inside linebacker (Laurinaitis or Maualuga). But with Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis running the show, you never really know what direction they'll go in the draft. That's what makes this time of year so much fun.