re: Saints Talk Mock Draft 2.0 -- Round 1 Complete

quote:

---

1. Xavier Su’a-Filo, UCLA: Put simply, as far as I’m concerned, the 2014 draft class at guard consists of Su’a-Filo and a few tiers of Everybody Else. There’s nobody else who possesses his combination of root strength, understanding of technique and agility to the second level. He has the versatility to play left tackle — which he did for the Bruins at times — but at his heart, Su’a-Filo has the nasty streak you like in an elite guard. Basically, he’s an arse-kicker, and he’s proud of that.

“Honestly, I don’t watch a whole lot of guys who kind of remind me of me,” Su’a-Filo said at the scouting combine. “I watch a lot of the guys I try to pattern my game after. I watch a lot of Logan Mankins, left guard from the New England Patriots. I think Logan, he was a high draft pick, but he’s physical. He’s a bad-arse, he started from Day 1 in New England, and I love how nasty he is, something about his game that I really try to implement.”

It all adds up to a guy who should hear his name called in the first 20 picks, and the most exciting guard prospect I’ve seen since Stanford’s David DeCastro.

Draft projection: Mid-Round 1

---