With less than two weeks to go before the team reports to training camp in Jackson, Miss., the Saints are in no rush to sign their picks from this year's draft.

General manager Mickey Loomis said Wednesday that initial discussions with the team's six draft picks had begun, but did not expect any to be completed for at least another week.

UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACK
Starter -- Drew Brees. Backups -- Mark Brunell, Tyler Palko, Travis Lulay.

Brees is coming off two big seasons, helping the Saints lead the NFL in total offense in 2006 and ranking fourth in '07. The Saints are expecting more of the same after he set club records for passing yards (4,423), TDs (28), pass attempts (652), completions (440) and completion percentage (67.5). In addition, he set an NFL record with his 440 completions. Brees has a new backup as Brunell has replaced Jamie Martin, giving the Saints a better option should Brees suffer an injury. Palko, a second-year pro, will likely be the third-stringer if the Saints decide to keep three on the roster.

RUNNING BACKS
Starters -- RB Reggie Bush, FB Mike Karney. Backups: RB Deuce McAllister, RB Aaron Stecker, RB Pierre Thomas, RB Chris Barclay, RB Lynell Hamilton, FB Kevin Dudley, FB Olaniyi Sobomehin.

Bush struggled in his second season, but part of that was because of a season-ending knee injury to McAllister in Week 3 and leg injuries of his own. Bush is determined to prove that he's not a bust and dedicated himself more this off-season than last after rushing for just 581 yards. He was still a big threat in the passing game. McAllister will likely be limited in training camp, but his rehab from two knee surgeries is on schedule. That's good news for the Saints, who ranked 28th in rushing last season at 91.6 yards a game. Stecker and Thomas filled in nicely when Bush missed the final four games with a knee injury. Thomas had 226 total yards in the season finale and opened some eyes. Karney remains a solid lead blocker.

TIGHT ENDS
Starter -- Mark Campbell. Backups -- Eric Johnson, Billy Miller, Ronnie Ghent, Buck Ortega.

Campbell injured his back late in the preseason and subsequent surgery put him on injured reserve for the entire season. The Saints believe his absence was one of the reasons for the running game's struggles as he solid as a run blocker. Johnson was a solid receiving threat and finished fourth on the team with 48 receptions and two TDs despite some injury problems and Miller, who is also valued for his blocking, had another productive year with 27 catches for 328 yards and a pair of TDs.

WIDE RECEIVERS
Starters -- Marques Colston, David Patten. Backups -- Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, Terrance Copper, Lance Moore, Adrian Arrington, Skyler Green, Titus Ryan, Todd Blythe, Carlos Robinson.

Colston is poised for another big season after becoming one of the league's elite receivers last year. He piled up 1,202 receiving yards and 11 TDs and was second in the NFC with 98 receptions. The former seventh-round draft pick now has 168 catches in just two seasons, the most in league history for a player in his first two years. Patten worked his way into the starting lineup and had a nice season with 54 catches for 792 yards and three TDs. Moore and Henderson struggled with their consistency, which is why the Saints are hoping Meachem, a first-round pick in 2007, steps up after he was inactive for all 16 games last season. Meachem's season was wrecked when he was injured in a June minicamp and he never caught up.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Starters -- LT Jammal Brown, LG Jamar Nesbit, C Jonathan Goodwin, RG Jahri Evans, RT Jon Stinchcomb. Backups -- G/C Matt Lehr, T Zach Strief, T Jermon Bushrod, G Andy Alleman, G Tim Duckworth, T/G Carl Nicks, T Brian Stamper, C Rob Hunt, G Isaiah Ross.

The Saints didn't have a lot of success running the ball last season, but it wasn't all the fault of the offensive line. They were solid in protecting Brees, allowing a league-low 16 sacks after giving up just 23 in 2006. Center Jeff Faine left in free agency, but two-year backup Jonathan Goodwin, who was a solid fill-in for two games last season, is expected to join Brown, Nesbit, Evans and Stinchcomb -- who will be starting in the same spots for the third consecutive season. Lehr provides experienced depth at guard and center, while the Saints continue to groom youngsters like Strief, Bushrod and Alleman for the future.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Starters -- DE Charles Grant, DT Sedrick Ellis, DT Brian Young, DE Will Smith. Backups -- E Bobby McCray, T Hollis Thomas, T Kendrick Clancy, T Antwan Lake, T DeMario Pressley, E Josh Savage, T Orien Harris, E Jeremy Geathers, E Marcus Pittman.

After last season, when Smith and Grant combined for just 6.5 sacks, the Saints went to work on upgrading their front four to get more pressure on the quarterback and take pressure off the secondary. Grant played the second half of the season on one leg, so the Saints signed McCray to help generate more of a pass rush and moved up in the first round of the draft to grab Ellis with the seventh overall pick. Those additions will give them flexibility in the rotation at both positions, helping Grant, Smith, Young and Thomas stay fresh. Ellis could be poised to win a starting job in camp considering he worked extensively with the first-team defense in minicamp and OTAs. Veterans Clancy and Lake will also help in the rotation inside.

LINEBACKERS
Starters -- SLB Scott Fujita, MLB Jonathan Vilma, WLB Scott Shanle. Backups -- MLB Mark Simoneau, WLB Troy Evans, MLB Marvin Mitchell, SLB William Kershaw, WLB Jo-Lonn Dunbar.

Getting an athletic linebacker to plug the middle and make plays was what the Saints had in mind when they traded for Vilma, the 2004 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Even though he's coming off knee surgery that sidelined him for the second half of last season, the Saints believe Vilma can be the player he was with the Jets. Fujita has had two big seasons and he led the team last year in tackles (119) to go with three sacks and three forced fumbles. Shanle tied for third in tackles with 96, but wasn't as effective as he was the year before. Simoneau, who is expected to move into a backup role, and Evans are the only two experienced linebackers on the roster as Mitchell played mostly on special teams as a rookie in 2007.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
Starters -- LCB Randall Gay, FS Josh Bullocks, SS Roman Harper, RCB Tracy Porter. Backups -- LCB Mike McKenzie, FS Kevin Kaesviharn, RCB Jason David, LCB Jason Craft, LCB Aaron Glenn, LCB Usama Young, SS Chris Reis, RCB Jerametrius Butler, RCB Anwar Phillips, RCB Greg Fassitt, FS Tuff Harris, SS David Roach.

This unit has a new look, which was predictable after a long 2007 season in which the Saints ranked 30th in passing yards allowed and also gave up 32 TD passes -- tying for the most in the league. They also were hit for 54 pass plays of 20 yards or longer. They brought in Gay as a free agent and chose Porter in the second round of the draft and both played extensively with the first team during minicamp and the team's OTAs because McKenzie is recovering from ACL surgery in late December. David, Craft, Glenn and Young will vie -- along with Porter -- for playing time in the nickel and dime packages if McKenzie is ready for the regular season. Bullocks and Harper return for their third straight seasons as starters, but Kaesviharn will push for a starting job. Reis was a solid special teams performer a year ago.

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Martin Gramatica, P Steve Weatherford, LS Kevin Houser, KR Pierre Thomas, PR Reggie Bush, PK Taylor Mehlhaff, P Waylon Prather, LS Ryan Senser.

Gramatica hit all five of his field-goal attempts in the final three games after replacing an injured Olindo Mare, who was released in the offseason. While they liked what Gramatica did, the Saints drafted the strong-legged Mehlhaff in the sixth round to offer a challenge in camp. Weatherford averaged 43.8 yards a punt with a net of 37.2 and dropped 20 kicks inside the 20. Houser was solid again as the long snapper. Thomas averaged a team-high 24.0 yards a kickoff return and Bush is expected to return more punts if McAllister is able to share the load in the running game.

Copyright (C) 2008 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.