Last week, I discussed some of what the Saints needed to do in free agency thanks in large part to the fact that they have more wiggle room in terms of cap space.
Today, I look into what the New Orleans Saints should be looking into when it comes to the NFL Draft.
Need #1: Edge Rusher
The New Orleans Saints dodged a bullet last season when it comes to the first round draft pick as Shaq Lawson was what many fans wanted. They instead went get Sheldon Rankins with that number 12 pick and managed to show up in a big way after suffering an injury before the season. Lawson was very limited throughout the season after it was found out he had an injured shoulder and that forced him to miss the first six games of the regular season with the Buffalo Bills.
The defensive line looks to be in good hands with Cam Jordan, Rankins, and Nick Fairley (if the franchise re-signs him). However, if they could get another guy to be the defensive end in the draft would be tremendous. After the top two ends in Myles Garrett and Derek Barnett, the pickings are relatively slim in terms of guys that could immediately make an impact. If the Saints want to get their guy to complete the defensive line puzzle, they might need to move up to get one of those power hitters.
Need #2: Cornerback
The secondary was bit by the injury bug all last season and the Saints could use one more corner to help with the depth that way if things happen you don’t have to go find some guy off the streets.
Unlike the position of defensive end, the depth in this position seems to be solid with players like Tre’Davious White, Desmond King, and Jourdan Lewis being projected between the first three rounds. Those first two could be solid starters, but again some depth will be huge going forward. Perhaps a Jourdan Lewis would be more ideal based off of needs.
Need #3: Quarterback
This one is on my personal wish list. The Saints have at least one year left with Drew Brees and this is the year that the Saints could get a QB in the second day of the 2017 draft and would be a somewhat competent replacement for the longtime Saint.
The depth is there with Brad Kaaya, Chad Kelly, Davis Webb, and countless other projected to go in the later rounds. If the Saints want to officially begin to move towards life post-Brees, the quarterback position needs to have a young guy that can become the leader for the foreseeable future. Garrett Grayson looked like an okay choice two years ago, but it seems like the Saints jumped the gun and gave up on the Grayson experiment about as quickly as they signed him on.
-Clint Domingue