No. 10

Pick by SB Nation Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie CB, Tennessee State

Rounding out the first ten picks of the 2008 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft, the New Orleans Saints have used their selection on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, cornerback, Tennessee State.  Coming through in a pinch with this pick were SB Nation's three outstanding NFC South bloggers, JScott, Jaxon and Dave the Falconer.  Mr. Falconer himself has kindly offered to explain why DRC to New Orleans makes sense, while I marvel at how difficult it is to fit the young man's name onto the back of a jersey (I gave up; see right):

  I know what you're thinking. Dave, you're thinking, you hate the Saints. Why are you writing this?

I'm writing this because as a long-suffering Falcons fan, I'm quite familiar with the also long-suffering Saints. I know my enemy pretty well, and I know they need help in the secondary even with the signing of former Patriots corner Randall Gay. That's why this choice essentially boiled down to cornerbacks for myself, JScott of Buc 'Em and Jaxon of Cat Scratch Reader.

So as much as we all loathe the hype for Reggie Bush or the way many sportswriters swoon over Drew Brees, the best pick for the Saints ended up being Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. He's a dynamite coverage corner with the potential to contribute in the return game right away, and he immediately replaces the virtually useless Jason David in the secondary. DRC has excellent size at 6'2" and 184 pounds, long arms, terrific instincts and quality agility. In my eyes, he beats out Mike Jenkins quite handily.

Even if I do hate to give the Saints what they actually need.

Matt Miller, host of this site as well as owner of New Era Scouting, provides his analysis below:

  Another very smart pick. DRC isn't the safest pick in the draft for a few reasons, but we like this selection. New Orleans badly needs a cornerback, and have been ignoring this need for many drafts. We like DRC's athleticism, size and overall play-making ability. He answered most questions about this skill level at the Senior Bowl and Combine. With Keith Rivers gone, this is the smart pick and a great value for a New Orleans team that is much better than their record indicated in 2007.

Grade: A  ::  Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie Scouting Report - New Era Scouting :: Matt Miller's Top Five Prospects Remaining - 1.  OT Ryan Clady, 2.  CB Mike Jenkins, 3.  RB Rashard Mendenhall, 4.  RB Jonathan Stewart, 5. WR Limas Sweed

That does it for the Top Ten picks!  Most of the "big names" are off of the board, and with teams with several needs about to draft, we should continue to see even more surprise (controversial?) selections.  That process begins with the Buffalo Bills, represented by Buffalo Rumblings, on the clock.  Their pick will be coming at you tonight, 8PM Eastern.