We’re just a few weeks away from the 2019 NFL Draft, so we’ll be dropping a seven round mock draft for the New Orleans Saints each Monday as the big event draws closer. Call it Mock Draft Monday. The Saints will have to wait until late on the second day of selections to make their first pick, but what exactly are they missing out on?
To find out, we used the Draft Network’s Mock Draft Machine to simulate all seven rounds, and included the five best players available at each spot in which the Saints will pick — as well as where they would have been picking, had they not traded those selections away to add other players. Let’s get to it.
Round 1, Pick 30: Traded for DE Marcus Davenport
Best players available:
- OT Dalton Risner, Kansas State
- CB DeAndre Baker, Georgia
- DE Clelin Ferrell, Clemson
- DT Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame
- WR Marquise Brown, Oklahoma
Any of those players would have made the Saints better, but which of them would give the Saints what they have in Davenport? The only players in the group who we can confidently say would win a starting job are Tillery and Brown, but would Tillery still start once Sheldon Rankins is back in the lineup? And what kind of shape is Brown in after his Lisfranc injury — a quiet career-killer for many NFL players?
Round 2, Pick 62: OL Michael Deiter, Wisconsin
Best players available:
- OL Micheal Deiter, Wisconsin
- S Deionte Thompson, Alabama
- DE Jachai Polite, Florida
- WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford
- DT Dexter Lawrence, Clemson
Not only is Deiter the best player on the board here, he fills a big need for the Saints and works well with the flow of the draft. Quality offensive linemen are tough to come by, and Deiter can play very well at multiple positions. He’s started 54 games at Wisconsin at three different spots: 14 at left tackle, 24 at left guard, and 16 at center. Deiter tested like an average athlete at the combine, but he’s a much better player than those results suggest. He’s a perfect fit as the team’s sixth lineman.
Arcega-Whiteside is another player the Saints like, and he’d be a great pairing with All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas. But this is a deep daft class at receiver and the Saints can afford to wait. It’s too soon to write off the three receivers looking to bounce back from underwhelming 2018 seasons: Tre’Quan Smith, Keith Kirkwood, and Cameron Meredith.
Round 3, Pick 93: Traded for QB Teddy Bridgewater
Best players available:
- RB Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic
- DT Daniel Wise, Kansas
- WR Andy Isabella, UMass
- TE Dax Raymond, Utah State
- S Marquise Blair, Utah
Adding Isabella this late in the draft would have been nice to see, there aren’t 93 better rookies than him out there. Raymond also has his fans as an underrated tight end prospect. But this pick was well worth giving up to add a quarterback of the future, which Bridgewater should become if he continues to grow given practice reps and eventually sign a long-term contract with the Saints. Here’s a reminder that he’s only 26, not much older than some rookies will be when the regular season kicks off.
Round 4, Pick 132: Traded for CB Eli Apple
Best players available:
- CB Montre Hartage, Northwestern
- DE Malik Carney, North Carolina
- TE Kahale Warring, San Diego State
- OT Dennis Daley, South Carolina
- DT Kingsley Keke, Texas A&M
The only player I regret not being able to add here is Warring. He’s a top five tight end in this class and arguably on the same level athletically as Alabama’s Irv Smith Jr. He compares favorably to Jimmy Graham coming out of Miami, but his inexperience is due to a stint with water polo, not basketball. Think of him as an unrefined but big, athletic receiver. However, San Diego State is a run-first offense and he brings the experience and effort as a blocker that comes with that. I’d love to see the Saints target him earlier in the draft.
Anyway: the Saints aren’t going to get a better player here than Eli Apple, who developed into an above-average starter opposite Marshon Lattimore by the end of 2018. If he hits the ground running in 2019, watch out.
Round 5, Pick 168: WR David Sills V, West Virginia
Best players available:
- CB Isaiah Johnson, Houston
- DE Maxx Crosby, Eastern Michigan
- QB Jarrett Stidham, Auburn
- WR David Sills V, West Virginia
- RB Jordan Scarlett, Florida
Johnson is a good cornerback in this year’s class, and I could be easily talked into picking him here. But Sills has a smoother path to contributing in the Saints’ offense and the team is kind of loaded at cornerback already. The difference in grades between the two of them is so thin that it’s almost a coin toss, so we’ll go with Sills. He is a big, fast target for Drew Brees on the perimeter who can adjust to underthrown and off-target passes.
Round 6, Pick 177: CB Michael Jackson, Miami
Best players available:
- DE Maxx Crosby, Eastern Michigan
- QB Jarrett Stidham, Auburn
- RB Jordan Scarlett, Florida
- CB Kris Boyd, Texas
- CB Michael Jackson, Miami
Elite athletes with ball skills don’t normally fall this far in the draft, but Jackson did. He’s a long (6-foot-2, 210 pounds with 32 1/2-inch arms) and athletic cover corner, timing the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds and recording impressive jumps (130 inches broad, 40.5 inches vertically). Jackson is every inch a playmaker with 6.5 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, and 10 pass deflections the last two years. He needs to improve in run defense and would have to pick up special teams reps to stick with the Saints, but there’s few better prospects this late in the draft.
Round 6, Pick 202: TE Tommy Sweeney, Boston College
Best players available:
- RB Jordan Scarlett, Florida
- LB Emeke Egbule, Houston
- QB Gardner Minshew, Washington State
- TE Tommy Sweeney, Boston College
- WR Jalen Hurd, Baylor
The Saints only have two real options at tight end in Jared Cook and Josh Hill, so adding a third wheel to the group has been a priority throughout the draft. There just haven’t been any options when the Saints were at the podium. Sweeney ends up fitting the bill as a competent pass-catcher and blocker, though he’s just an average athlete for the position. There’s other prospects to consider here but he would make the most immediate impact on a team working to win a Super Bowl.
Round 7, Pick 231: LB Emeke Egbule, Houston
Best players available:
- LB Emeke Egbule, Houston
- WR Cody Thompson, Toledo
- RB Ryquell Armstead, Temple
- OT Tyler Jones, NC State
- RB Mike Weber, Ohio State
Egbule is the highest-rated player of the group, and the only holdover from the last selection. He kind of compares to Alex Anzalone as a prospect, just without the extensive injury history. Egbule hits benchmarks for size (6-foot-2, 245 pounds) and speed (4.65 seconds in the 40-yard dash) with two productive years as a starter behind him. He collected 162 tackles (13 for loss of yards) in his career to go with five sacks, seven fumble recoveries, and five pass deflections. You can’t ask for much more than a well-rounded athlete who could provide depth at linebacker this late in the process.
Round 7, Pick 244: RB Alexander Mattison, Boise State
Best players available:
- CB Derrek Thomas, Baylor
- S Marvell Tell, USC
- RB Dexter Williams, Notre Dame
- RB Alexander Mattison, Boise State
- OT Isaiah Price, Ohio State
The Saints have drafted a running back in half of the drafts overseen by head coach Sean Payton, and they’ve followed that trend with their last four consecutive draft classes. Mattison is a nice prospect who shouldered a heavy load for Boise State, but is much more than a bellcow runner. He’s comfortable on passing downs and can hold up in pass protection. He’d probably have to pick up some special teams duties to stay on the team, but the Saints don’t have many better options as a third running back behind Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray.
