BEANIE??????

There has been mass speculation of who exactly the Saints will choose with their first round pick in this weekend's draft by not only people in this city, but around the country.


It is widely recognized that the Saints 8-8 record last year did not nearly match the talent that they had suiting up on Sundays--along with the guys who weren't suiting up due to injuries.


So, it seems as if all the Saints needed to do was add a few spare parts over the offseason and they can reclaim their spot atop the NFC South that they once held a few years ago.


So far, they haven't done a bad job adding two players in veteran safety Darren Sharper and speedster Jabari Greer who could claim starting jobs on a Saints defense that needed much improvement.


So, to officially make this a successful offseason all the Saints, seemingly, would have to do is pick up where they left off in last year's draft--where they drafted major contributors cornerback Tracy Porter and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis-- and pick up some defensive pieces that can contribute right away, as well as being building blocks for future defenses.


But instead, there has been much talk of the Saints taking former Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells with the 14th pick in the draft.

WHY?

While it is true the Saints seemed as if they had more trouble converting on short-yardage plays than any other team in the NFL last season, that is not the reason why they finished 8-8.

I can never look at a team that finished with the no. 1 offense in the NFL the previous season and say, "they need to use their first round pick to improve their offense."

If the Saints were to use their first round pick this year on a defensive player--whether it be a linebacker or defensive back--he would be a contributor on the defense as soon as he steps foot on the Saints practice facility.

Former Southern Cal outside linebacker Brian Cushing would compete for a starting job and, at the very least, be a consistent participant in next year's linebacker rotation and former Ohio State defensive back Malcolm Jenkins would be a short-term solution at cornerback (even if he doesn't win a starting spot he would push Jason David and Usama Young down the depth chart making Saints fans Sundays' a lot less stressful).

Not to mention, even if Jenkins doesn't pan out at cornerback he could serve as a possible long-term solution at free safety, because Darren Sharper, at 33, is not.

This year's draft is a very crucial one. With running back Reggie Bush needing a substantial improvement from last year to avoid "first-round bust" status, grumblings starting about Sean Payton's possible job security in the future, and many of the Saints stars growing older and older the window is starting to close on this team's window of time where they have a legitimate shot at Super Bowl contention.

The last thing they need to do is go through the Robert Meachem experience all over again, because it will result in the same thing we have been seeing for the past two years.

ALL OFFENSE, NO DEFENSE.