The New Orleans Saints completely overhauled their roster with the brilliant Brandin Cooks trade that allowed them to bring in waves of new young talent. Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczek, Alvin Kamara, and Trey Hendrickson all made big contributions for the Saints in 2017. It’s not often you rip off Bill Belichick but there’s no question the Saints did just that. New Orleans was a miracle in Minnesota away from possibly winning the Super Bowl this past year. With Drew Brees inching closer to 40, what can we expect from the New Orleans Saints in the 2018 NFL Draft?
The Saints have really beefed up their defensive line over the past few years. Cameron Jordan and Sheldon Rankins are dominant on the edge but New Orleans still needs to push the pocket in the middle. David Onyemata and Tyeler Davidson are the current defensive tackles. Da’Ron Payne could be a possible target. Payne is another man-eater from the Alabama Crimson Tide. Payne isn’t a twitchy pass rusher per say but he clogs the middle of the defense opening up opportunities for others. Payne did notch 2 sacks at Alabama but is a playmaker and even came away with an interception in the bowl game against Clemson.
Do you trust Willie Snead and Tedd Ginn to continue to produce? I sure as hell don’t. Outside of Michael Thomas, there isn’t a trusted target for Drew Brees to go to. People have started to realize that Thomas is one of the five best receivers in the NFL. He’s going to start getting doubled a whole lot more needing a complimentary receiver. D.J. Moore of Maryland could be a pick the Saints covet. Moore has good speed at 4.42 to stretch the field. He also has some Michael Thomas to his game strong, physical receiver despite being just 6-foot. Moore may be off the board by the time round two comes around but Simmie Cobbs, Anthony Miller, and James Washington could be other potential options.
At some point, you also have to figure the Saints dip their hands into the quarterback class. Luke Falk of Washington State is an interesting prospect. I’ve said that Falk reminds me so much of Matt Hasselbeck who had a nice career. For a team like the Saints, that’s not a bad option to invest in while Brees really starts to age. Falk put up good numbers in 2017 with 67 percent completion for 3,593 yards with 30 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Falk is the all-time leading passer in the Pac 12 and has been super productive. The downside to Falk is he has no arm strength but that won’t factor as much playing in a dome.
