After the New Orleans Saints traded their third and fourth round picks to the New England Patriots on Friday night, they drafted free safety Vonn Bell out of Ohio State. So let’s look if this guy was worth it.
THE GOOD: Swiss Army Knife
Bell is one of those free safeties that could work out in a number of different positions. He is good at defending the run and has been pretty solid during his tenure with the Buckeyes. It helps a lot that he’s played several different sets in the safety position but could even play cornerback if needed. I’m really interested to see what the Saints are going to do with him.
THE BAD: Average Speed
This is probably the one downside he has and it’s his play speed. On tape, he looks average. His 40-yard dash wasn’t anything to shake a stick at either. This could be a problem, especially in a pass-happy league like the NFL.
THE UGLY: Player Comparisons
Before I go any further, I’m not a fan of player comparisons. It just seems strange putting a label on someone based on what current player they are most like. That being said some of the comparisons aren’t too kind. The most notable one that should scare Saints fans is Pro Football Focus’ comparison: Jairus Byrd. Odds are he’ll be taking over for Byrd if he’s not ready to go come the start of the season, but that comparison will undoubtedly give the fans a bad feeling in the pit of their stomach.
THE VERDICT: Thumbs In the Middle
This pick addresses a need, but the Saints limited themselves to only two more picks the rest of the way and will have to wait until the fifth round to possibly get a guard and whatever else they need in the seventh round. I’m looking forward to seeing if he can turn this thumbs in the middle to a thumbs up.
-Clint Domingue
