It’s that time of the year when even as successful as the season has been for the New Orleans Saints people want to know who to keep a close eye on when it comes to college players for bowl time and all-star games.

Here is my look at 6 prospects that look to be late first round picks for the 2014 NFL draft in May.

1. Jarvis Landry-Wide Receiver            LSU
2. Cyril Richardson-Offensive Guard       Baylor
3. Travis Swanson-Offensive Center        Arkansas
4. Justin Gilbert-Cornerback              Oklahoma State
5. Trevor Reilly-Outside Linebacker/Defensive End    Utah
6. La'El Collins- Offensive Tackle        LSU

LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger had a signature season for the Tigers in 2013, but what he will be remembered for is how he finished his senior season.

Mettenberger completed 64.9% of his passes for 3,082 yards, 22 touchdowns and 8 pass interceptions in 2013 and he led a team with a mediocre at best defense to a 9-3 regular season finish.

But it was how he played through an injury that everyone should remember him for.

It was obvious since the Ole Miss game that the flame-throwing Mettenberger had a lower-leg injury and a knee issue. He played through that injury and the 6-4, 230 pounder was still a really good player for the Tigers after a sizzling early season start.

While Mettenberger is not a “get in your face” type leader for criticism or encouragement he really caught everyone’s attention for his toughness, his grittiness and his quiet leadership on a team void of a “big man” leader on offense and also on the defensive side of the ball.

While being banged around quite often against Alabama and again against Arkansas Mettenberger showed the type intangibles that the pros were looking for and for some, it was in question.

You might question his decision making process at times, his lack of quickness in the pocket and a lack of a take-charge presence out on the field, but you can’t question Mettenberger’s toughness as a player and how much football means to him.

I strongly believe that Mettenberger will end up being a late first round pick in the 2014 NFL draft and my comparison to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco coming out of Delaware will be the one you will hear quite often over the next couple of months.

Just a couple of years back one of the most highly-sought after football players in the country was Thibodaux High School star quarterback/athlete Trovon Reed. Reed had his choice of just about any school in the country to choose from before he decided to sign with Auburn over LSU.
    A player on that Thibodaux High School team who was overshadowed due to the exploits of Reed was offensive tackle Greg Robinson.

When the(9-2) New Orleans Saints play the (10-1) Seattle Seahawks it will be a playoff game with mother-load of implications for both teams.

The Seahawks are riding a 13-game home winning streak. They have outscored their opponents 405 to 172 in those 13 games.

The only teams to score more than 20 points on the Seahawks in those 13 games were the New England Patriots (23) in 2012 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (24) in 2013.

The Seahawks have one of the best young signal-callers in the game in Russell Wilson, who in so many ways reminds you of Drew Brees off the field and for his command of the moment on the field.

The Seahawks have the best runner in the NFL for yardage after initial contact in Marshawn Lynch.

Lynch is as physical a runner as anyone in the NFL and stopping him is the key to this contest.

The Seahawks also have the best run after catch yardage receiver in the league today in wide receiver Golden Tate and one of the most explosive slot-end/return specialists Percy Harvin in the lineup.

The Seahawks are known for putting great pressure on opponents with their front four and have one of the top young middle linebackers in the league in Bobby Wagner.

And they have the best secondary in the NFL.  

The most of amount of quarterback sacks for the New Orleans Saints in the Sean Payton-era was 38 back in 2006.

With 5 games left in the season the Saints now have 37.
                
With this sort of pace the Saints look to be in the mid-40’s when the 2013 season is over with.

Give defensive coordinator Rob Ryan a lot of credit for putting the players in the right spot to make a big play defensively, but don’t overlook the emerging talents of Akiem Hicks, Cameron Jordan, John Jenkins, Glenn Foster, Junior Galette and Tom Johnson along the defensive front.

In the 9 victories this season the Saints defense has held opponents to 20 points or less in each winning contest.

A couple of years back I had an opportunity to sit down for quite some time with future NFL Hall of Fame free safety Ed Reed. Arguably Reed, now with the New York Jets, may go down as the greatest defensive player to ever come out of Louisiana and he spoke to me about what is the most important feature to have a cover man in the NFL as a cornerback or safety.

“Most of the time it is not about athleticism, it is about being mentally tough. There are some really talented athletes who have played the position, but because they can’t take the fact that you will get beat at times and teams pick on you no matter who are they crack physically and then mentally under the pressure.

Every year you watch these Combine athletes and you see these really good college players hit the league and few make an impact. In the NFL they don’t care about your resume in high school or college. They challenge you over and over again. You have to shake off a bad play and make them pay the price to challenge you again. Some guys get beat, it affects the next play and it is like an odor that comes off them that teams notice and with body language. It’s like that in other professions too. You can see who has been challenged and who produces. It’s called mental toughness.

In the NFL you are not always going to defend or shut down your opponent.  But what makes someone great is making plays when you have been challenged and getting ready because next week they will come after you again. Enjoy being challenged and make so many plays that they look another way. I am not afraid mentally when I hit the field. I know Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, Ronnie Lott, Champ Bailey, Darrelle Revis played with that same mentality and the younger guys today in Patrick Peterson, Richard Sherman, Lardarius Webb and Earl Thomas play that way. You better be mentally tough to play cornerback or safety in the NFL today. You can talk all the smack you want, but you had better be prepared to be challenged, no matter how good you are. ”

Saints cornerback Corey White take note of that advice from one of the greatest defensive players to ever put on a jockstrap and shoulder pads at his position.

The battle will happen again next week and the following ones.

When the 2013 NFL season started virtually everyone thought the offense of the New Orleans Saints would again be one of the very best in the NFL due to the return of Sean Payton as head coach and offensive play-caller and there was no sign of age or decline in the play of quarterback Drew Brees.

The Saints offensive line has played better over the past three games, but it is still an area of concern. It is easy to see this offensive line is not as stout in run blocking as the group they had in 2009 and 2011, but what is still a concern for me is the leakage happening in the pass protection part of the game.

In 2013 with 5 games left to play the Saints have given up 23 quarterback sacks. The most they have given up as a unit was 26 in both 2012 and 2010, but it has also been the hurries and pressures.

Down the stretch that is the area to watch closely.

The Saints need to do a better job protecting Brees for him to throw downfield against defenses like the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers and the St. Louis Rams.

But what I wrote about in early August has been even better than I could have imagined and that is the maturing and production increase of the Saints defensive line.

It has been a main reason why the Saints with 5 games left on the schedule have given up just 21 touchdowns.

Last season this defense gave up 53.