Seeking more with less

• By SHELDON MICKLES
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Apr 20, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Considering how little help they received from their seven-man draft class in 2007, the New Orleans Saints will be trying to hit it big next weekend.

With six picks this season after trading their fourth-round selection to the New York Jets for middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma, the Saints will try to do more with less when the NFL draft begins Saturday.

In the new-look and “streamlined” draft, the first two rounds will take place Saturday starting at 2 p.m. CDT (ESPN). The draft will resume at 9 a.m. Sunday with rounds three through seven.

For the first time, each team will have 10 minutes instead of 15 to make its pick in the first round, while second-round selections have been cut from 10 minutes to seven. Picks for the other five rounds remain at five minutes.

Coming off a 7-9 season, the Saints have the 10th overall pick in the first round. Their other five selections are in the second (40th overall), third (78th), fifth (146th), sixth (178th) and seventh (218th) rounds.

Although they’ve already tried to beef up the NFL’s 26th-ranked defense with the acquisition of Vilma and three key free agents — cornerback Randall Gay, a former LSU standout, linebacker Dan Morgan and defensive end Bobby McCray — they’ll likely take a long look at that side of the ball early.

“The free agency part is much easier to evaluate, so we hope some of these additions have helped us,” third-year Saints coach Sean Payton said. “I like the guys a lot in regard to their work ethic and attitude. I know they’ll fit. But this draft is going to be important.”

In Payton’s first draft with the Saints in 2006, the team grabbed running back Reggie Bush with the second overall pick and strong safety Roman Harper, who became a starter, in the second round.

Then, they unearthed a couple of gems from two small schools, getting guard Jahri Evans in the fourth round out of Division II Bloomsburg (Pa.) State and wide receiver Marques Colston from Division I-AA Hofstra. Both became starters and made various all-rookie teams.

But last spring was a much different story. Drafting 25 picks lower in the first round because of their 10-6 record, which helped get them to the NFC Championship game, they took Tennessee wide receiver Robert Meachem with their first pick.

Meachem, however, injured his right knee in a June minicamp and underwent surgery. Still favoring the knee when he reported to training camp, he never caught up and was inactive for all 16 regular-season games.

But Meachem wasn’t alone. Of their other six selections, only cornerback Usama Young, one of two third-round picks, saw significant playing time — and that was mostly on special teams until he was inserted into the dime package toward the end of the season.

Guard Andy Alleman (third round) and tackle Jermon Bushrod (fourth round), are being groomed for the future.