When to draft defensive players?

[Josh Weed]

I have never played in a league with defensive players. When should I start thinking about picking them. In a yahoo h2h league we have 2 DL and 2 DB. The points look like fairly standard defensive points settings. Also, after deciding when to draft these players, who are you guys looking for to have break out seasons for defensive players. All opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Josh Weed]

any ideas?

[Arlo]

Assuming something in the neighborhood of a point per tackle compared with one per 15 yards rushing or receiving, I'd start thinking about defenders in round four or so, but wait just a bit longer to grab one. When defensive players are taken varies far more from league to league than is the case for players on offense, so you'll have to be flexible; as a ballpark estimate, the big names often start going off the board around rounds 5-7...