Jul 26th 2008 11:33AM by Michael David Smith (author feed)
Filed under: Saints
The top six picks in this year’s NFL draft are all signed, sealed and delivered, and it doesn’t appear that there are going to be any preseason-long, JaMarcus Russell-style holdouts this season.

But if there’s one player who could be out for a week or more, it’s Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, the No. 7 overall pick. Saints G.M. Mickey Loomis recently said that the Ellis holdout could be lengthy, mostly because Ellis apparently doesn’t want to settle for much less than the $21 million guaranteed that Vernon Gholston got as the No. 6 overall pick of the Jets.

There are only three other first-round holdouts left in the NFL: Jaguars defensive end Derrick Harvey (No. 8), Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers (No. 9) and Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin (No. 11). I’d bet on all four of the unsigned first-rounders reporting by next weekend, but if there’s one who might hold out for longer, it’s Ellis.