May 3, 2012; Eden Prairie, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Duron Carter (13) does stretching exercises prior to drills at the Minnesota Vikings rookie minicamp at Winter Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Believe it or not, the New Orleans Saints may have a sleeper on their hands during rookie minicamp in former Ohio State receiver Duron Carter, son of the NFL legend Cris Carter.

Duron Carter isn’t a name you likely associate with good feelings, and for good reason. He caught one touchdown pass at Ohio State back in 2009 before being declared academically ineligible thanks to poor grades. Carter then bounced to Alabama, never played a snap and wound up with FIU.

Now, Carter has a shot at catching passes from Drew Brees with the Saints.

On paper, Carter has the measurables you look for in a quality wide receiver. At 6’3″ and 205 pounds with a 4.58 40-yard-dash time at FIU’s Pro Day, it’s hard to not like what Carter brings to the table.

Then the character issues pop up.

As you would expect, Cris Carter went to bat publicly for his son, providing the reasons as to why he kept bouncing around because of grades and not contributing on the field(per Larry Hartstein of CBS):

Duron Carter attended four colleges in four years, starting with his dad’s alma mater Ohio State, and hasn’t played since 2010 when he caught 10 touchdown passes at Coffeyville (Kan.) Junior College.

“He. Just. Hates. (Bleeping). School,” a candid Cris Carter told USA Today before the draft.

Seems like a good reason, right?

In all seriousness, let’s not act like this is the first talented collegiate athlete to bounce around because he was too lazy with school or academically inept. At least he’s not bouncing around because of crimes and drugs.

That’s not the only reported problem with Duron, however. According to Cayden Cochran, Carter’s high school quarterback, he’s going to be a cancer in the NFL (per Mark Craig of The Star Tribune):

According to USA Today, Cayden Cochran, Coffeyville’s starting quarterback in 2010, used his Twitter account to post this about Duron: “The team that drafts Duron Carter will get the most lazy, whiny & non-work ethic player the nfl has ever seen. I played w/him. Horrible person & will be a complete cancer to any team on the board.”

Of course, you have to remember this impression of Carter is based on their time in high school together. That’s a very long time ago. For all we know, Carter simply took Cochran’s lunch money.

People change. Carter landed a tryout with the Minnesota Vikings a week ago. He didn’t make the roster, but no red flags came up.  His father may have put a great word in for him, but that only goes so far unless Cris has some amazing blackmail. Duron wouldn’t have landed a tryout with the Saints if he didn’t offer something on the football field.

Perhaps Carter has turned his life around. He certainly has what you look for in an NFL-caliber receiver. There’s no grades to deal with in the NFL, just playbooks. As far as character concerns go, some may be a bitter former teammate, and some may be because he simply isn’t academically gifted.

Head coach Sean Payton and Co. thought it wise to give Duron a tryout with the Saints, so it’s hard to question the decision, especially with his Hall of Fame pedigree.

Keep an eye out for news surrounding Duron Carter and the Saints.

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Feb 25, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman John Jenkins watches the workouts from a bench during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

In a strange turn of events, the New Orleans Saints are quickly wrapping up deals with its rookies after signing Kenny Vaccaro, Terron Armstead, Kenny Stills and Rufus Johnson to their rookie contracts.

For those of you counting, that means the Saints have signed four of its five draft selections from the 2013 NFL draft.

Only defensive tackle John Jenkins remains unsigned.

NOLA.com was the first to break the news:

With the team’s three-day rookie minicamp set to open Friday, the Saints announced the signings of first-round draft pick Kenny Vaccaro, third-round pick Terron Armstead, fifth-round pick Kenny Stills and sixth-round pick Rufus Johnson. All the deals were for four years.

Defensive tackle John Jenkins, the second of the Saints’ two third-round picks, is the only remaining unsigned draft pick.

As NOLA.com goes on to point out, the Saints have been very, very slow to sign rookies in the past.:

Akiem Hicks, the Saints top draft pick last year, didn’t sign his contract until June 28. And even that seemed to be an early signing by the Saints’ standards.

In 2011, first-round picks Cam Jordan (Aug. 2) and Mark Ingram (July 30) didn’t sign until after training camp had started.

In 2010, first-round pick Patrick Robinson signed his contract July 30, a day after the start of camp.

In 2009, first-round pick Malcolm Jenkins didn’t ink his deal until Aug. 10 and missed the early portions of camp.

Our friends over at WhoDatWarrior.com hit us with the details as to why general manager Mickey Loomis and Co. are usually so slow to get rookies under contracts:

@whodatdish Usually they wait until the NFL financial seminars before they sign Protects the rookies from unwise financial decisions

— WhoDatWarriors (@WhoDatWarriors) May 10, 2013

Whatever the reason the Saints have for getting four out of the five under contract, it’s nothing but good news for the team. Rookie minicamp kicks off this weekend, and it’s time for the group to get acclimated to how the Saints do things in New Orleans.

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Jan 29, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Fans can view New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees locker at the NFL Experience during the week of Super Bowl XLVI at the Indianapolis Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 NFL draft is final, but we just can’t get enough of it as it pertains to the New Orleans Saints and the NFC South. We decided it would be a great idea to get together with the other editors in the Fansided family who cover the NFC South and hand out grades to each team based on overall performance in the draft.

Below you will find my fellow editor’s takes on how the New Orleans Saints performed in the draft  with each pick.

Leo Howell of The Pewter Plank, Fansided’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers site, graded the Saints as follows:

1st Round — Kenny Vaccaro, safety, Texas — Grade: B

 Vaccaro was decent value at this point in the draft, but he’s not a spectacular talent. Fills a need and helps a poor defense start to rebuild.

3rd Round — Terron Armstead, offensive tackle, Arkansas–Pine Bluff — Grade: C

 Armstead is athletic, that’s for sure. And he’s not being taken too early here. But he’s not ready to step in and play 100% of the snaps any time soon, and may never have the skills and techniques to match his athleticism

3rd Round — John Jenkins, defensive tackle, Georgia — Grade: B

 Jenkins had to go to a team running a 3-4, and with the Saints adopting this style, Jenkins could make an impact as a space eater in the middle.

5th Round — Kenny Stills, wide receiver, Oklahoma — Grade: B

Stills is the kind of receiver that’s going to be productive in New Orleans if he gets a chance. He’s worth a fifth rounder.

6th Round — Rufus Johnson, defensive end, Tarleton State — Grade: C

 He’s quick enough and big enough to set an edge as a 3-4 linebacker. That’s fine with me.

Ken Dye of Cat Crave, Fansided’s Carolina Panthers Site, graded the Saints as follows:

1st Round — Kenny Vaccaro, safety, Texas — Grade: B

Good open-field tackler, run defender, and agile for his size. Lacks top-end speed and great ball skills, but strong to tackle the NFL’s larger receivers.

3rd Round — Terron Armstead, offensive tackle, Arkansas–Pine Bluff — Grade: D

 This kid has great physical skills and athletic as they come, but I don’t like the idea of starting a raw kid from a tiny school in Sean Payton’s complex offense – he needs time to develop.

3rd Round — John Jenkins, defensive tackle, Georgia — Grade: A

 Great value pick at a position of need here in the middle of Rob Ryan’s new-look 3-4 defense. He doesn’t just eat blockers, he makes plays.

5th Round — Kenny Stills, wide receiver, Oklahoma — Grade: C

 Could become a really good slot WR with Brees throwing the passes, but issues with maturity and dropped passes make him a high risk/reward pick.

6th Round — Rufus Johnson, defensive end, Tarleton State — Grade: C

Developmental project going from a DE at a tiny program to OLB in the NFL., but could contribute as the season progresses.

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