METAIRIE, La. (AP) -- The New Orleans Saints used a pair of late-round draft picks on Sunday to take chances on a defensive lineman who struggled with injuries and an offensive lineman who had trouble off the field.

They used another pick on a strong, left-footed kicker who grew up in the North and sees himself in he mold of NFL great Adam Vinatieri. Then New Orleans made a late, unexpected moved to get a seventh-round pick, which they used on a wide receiver who also had his share of off-the-field trouble.

New Orleans' newest players are North Carolina State defensive tackle DeMario Pressley, Nebraska offensive tackle Carl Nicks, Wisconsin kicker Taylor Mehlhaff and Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington.

"You look at the upside," Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said. "Can you envision a particular player developing into a starter? Obviously, you don't think they're ready now, otherwise they'd be drafted higher. But we have a vision for the players we picked today that they can develop and maybe help us down the road."

New Orleans made a trade in the fifth round to take Pressley 144th overall.

In the deal, the Saints gave the Detroit Lions the first of their two fifth-round choices, the 146th overall pick, and their seventh-round pick.

The 6-foot-3, 301-pound Pressley was considered one of the top prospects in the country coming out of high school in North Carolina but struggled with injuries during his junior and senior years at NC State.

Coming back from a sprained knee in 2007, he started seven games, played in 10 and was in on 41 tackles with 1 1/2 sacks. Pressley also was credited with seven stops for losses. He broke up a pass and intercepted two.

Pressley said he felt he was worthy of going much higher in the draft, but that scouts were scared away by his knee injury and a wrist injury late in his junior season.

"They always would ask me if I'm healthy ... am I prone to injuries," Pressley recalled. "Those two injuries were like the only major ones I had my whole four years there. They both were kind of freak accidents and I'm a tough guy, so I can handle it."

Pressley said he was thankful the Saints believed in him.

"This offseason and this preseason I'm going to really show everybody what I can do," he said.

Pressley's selection marked the third defensive player the Saints had taken in their first three picks. Their first- and second-round selections were Southern California Sedrick Ellis and Indiana cornerback Tracy Porter.

New Orleans did not have a pick in Sunday's third or fourth rounds.

New Orleans' fourth pick went to the Jets in late February as part of a trade that sent linebacker Jonathan Vilma to the Saints.

On Saturday, the Saints traded their third pick to New England as part of a deal that allowed them to move up to pick Ellis seventh overall.

That deal also sent the Patriots' fifth-round choice, 164th overall, to New Orleans, and the Saints used it on the 6-5, 341-pound Nicks.

Like Pressley, Nicks thought he had the ability to be taken higher in the draft, but said problems off the field, such as being arrested at a party, hurt his stock.

"I think it murdered it," Nicks said.

"I just have to prove everybody wrong about off-field issues, which I plan to do," Nicks said. "I feel lucky, grateful and I am appreciative of coach Sean Payton."

Payton said he spoke by phone to Nicks for about a half-hour before drafting him.

"If it weren't for some of those issues, he's probably a player that would have been drafted earlier," Payton said. "We didn't feel in his case it was as much a real bad character as maybe some maturity issues we were willing to look at and go with. He does have some real good physical skills."

The Saints got Mehlhaff in the sixth round, 178th overall.

The first kicker chosen in the draft, Mehlhaff was Wisconsin's second-leading scorer in school history with 295 points. His 50 field goals were second all-time at Wisconsin. His 145 converted extra points on 148 attempts set a school record.

The Saints had not drafted a kicker since 1982, when they picked Morten Andersen in the fourth round.

But with Martin Gramatica the only kicker on the roster, the Saints needed a kicker with a proven ability to drill kickoffs through the end zone.

Mehlhaff, who considers Vinatieri, a fellow South Dakota native, among his favorite kickers, said long kickoffs are one of his strengths. During his career, 123 of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.

"The kickoffs are becoming a premium. It's getting more and more important. You look at guys like Devin Hester ... these returners are getting better and better. You need to have a good kickoff team and it all starts with the kicker," Mehlhaff said.

The former ice hockey player and high school quarterback said he won't shy away from making a tackle on kick coverage or throwing the ball on fakes. He turned his focus to kicking in college because it gave him the best chance to play for a major program.

"I'm big on the atmosphere of the game ... I wanted to play in front of those crowds. I just kind of thrive in those situations," Mehlhaff said.

After the Saints thought their draft was over, they made a late deal to obtain a seventh round pick from Green Bay and used it on the 6-3, 203-pound Arrington. To get him, the Saints gave up a sixth-round pick in 2009.

Arrington was a junior last season, his first as a starter. A broken ankle sidelined him for most of 2005. During 2006, he was arrested after a fight with his girlfriend, though misdemeanor domestic violence charges were later dropped. He also was suspended from the team by then-coach Lloyd Carr during 2007 spring drills. However, he won reinstatement to the squad and had 67 catches last season for 882 yards and eight TDs.

Loomis said taking risks on players with checkered backgrounds is easier in the late rounds of the draft.

"He had a couple things while he was at Michigan. We spent a lot of time talking about it. Clearly, it was the reason why he wasn't drafted earlier," Loomis said, then added, "He's got a high grade on our board, talent-wise, there's no question."

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