JACKSON, Miss. — Charles Grant didn’t mince his words when asked recently how good the New Orleans Saints defensive line could be this year.

“The best in the business,” Grant said.

With two former first-round draft picks being joined by another first-round selection and a free agent with something to prove, it could be hard to argue with Grant.

Associated Press

Saints defensive end Will Smith

A year ago, the Saints had 32 sacks. Of those, the defensive line came up with 21.

But returning players collected only 17 of those sacks.

And when you factor in salary, the Saints have tons tied up in a beefy defensive front that didn’t put enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks a year ago.

Grant, a first-round pick in 2002, signed a seven-year, $63 million contract prior to 2007.

Will Smith, a first-round pick in 2004, signed a six-year, $70 million contract during the summer.

Sedrick Ellis, the Saints’ first-round pick this year, just signed a five-year, $49 million contract.

That’s not to mention the salaries of free-agent pickup Bobby McCray or returning nose tackle Hollis Thomas.

“When you bring together the best in the business and everybody gets in shape, you can be the best in the business and dominate,” Grant said.

The pressure, however, is on to perform like the highly paid line it is and to help the secondary out by pressuring the quarterback.

Photo by Bradley Handwerger / WWL-TV.com

Sedrick Ellis goes through defensive line drills during Tuesday's afternoon practice at Millsaps College.

New Orleans’ 32 sacks a year ago was below the league average and helped contribute to a poor performance by the secondary. The Saints gave up 32 touchdown passes a year ago, tied for worst in the entire NFL.

The defense ranked 30th out of 32 teams in 2007.

So the team went out and did what it thought it had to do – pick up as many quality defensive linemen as possible.

The first move came in early spring when New Orleans signed McCray (6-foot-6, 260 pounds) away from Jacksonville. As a Jaguar, the speedy defensive end came up with 10 sacks in 2006. But he followed that up with only three a year ago.

He’s looking to prove to pundits nationwide that he’s the same player he was two years ago.

“I’m going to try to live up to that responsibility,” McCray said. “But at the same time, we’re one as a unit. It’s going to be the D-line, not just one individual person.”

Then there’s Ellis, a 6-1, 307-pound monster in the middle out of Southern California. He’s expected to fight for playing time, if not a starting spot, immediately. He’ll also be able to give Thomas and Antwan Lake a rest during games.

Though he held out for the first six days of training camp, defensive line coach Ed Orgeron said that might have been a blessing in disguise.

“With the absence of Sedrick, it really helped some other players develop,” Orgeron said.

Yet, it’s the hiring of Orgeron this offseason that could be the biggest move of all for the defensive line.

Orgeron, the former Ole Miss coach, has brought energy and a fire to the unit that the players likely haven’t experienced since college.

“I’m not used to working this hard, but at the same time, it’s good for me,” McCray said. “I need it. It brings me back to my old roots.”

Said head coach Sean Payton, “He brings a spark to him. He’s passionate about what he does. It’s contagious with his players.”

Combine Orgeron’s energy and knowledge with three first-round draft picks and a player who has a 10-sack year under his belt and it sure seems like New Orleans could have cobbled together one of the better lines in recent memory.

“If we have the year we’re expecting to have, it can be unlimited,” Smith said.