The 2019 NFL Draft is less than two weeks away, and New Orleans Saints fans are eager for it to get here despite the team’s few selections. So to help explore some different thoughts and possibilities, I asked for questions to fill a fan mailbag on Twitter. Here’s what we’ll be discussing:
1. Which player could slide that would make the Saints trade up into the first round? –@SaintRoderick
It would be tough for the Saints to trade all the way up to the first round, but there’s some precedent. Last year, the Baltimore Ravens vaulted from No. 52 to No. 32 to draft quarterback Lamar Jackson. It cost Baltimore’s second round picks in 2018 and 2019, and they swapped 2018 fourth round picks to slightly move down later in the draft.
The Saints would have to offer even more than that because they won’t pick until No. 62, and don’t have a fourth round pick to offer. If something catastrophic happens (like, something comparable to the Laremy Tunsil draft-night incident), maybe one of the Oklahoma Sooners playmakers gets the Saints to risk it all and sacrifice future draft picks: quarterback Kyler Murray or receiver Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown?
Okay, to be serious, the Saints have paid a ton of attention to Notre Dame defensive lineman Jerry Tillery. They’ve met up a number of times, including a formal interview at the combine and an official pre-draft visit in New Orleans. I can’t see them moving an entire round to get him or anyone else, but if he’s available around No. 40 I wouldn’t be shocked if they make a bold move. He’s one of the best interior pass rushers in the draft and looks like a natural fit for their defensive line.
2. What positions on this team realistically have space for a 3rd round or deeper rookie? Of those positions, who’s realistically available at our (current) picks that can make this squad? –@JootsMcGoots
Looking at the projected 53-man roster, the thinnest position groups are defensive tackle, receiver, and tight end.
A defensive linemen to watch is Temple’s Michael Dogbe. He was snubbed from a combine invite but did well at his pro day. His 2018 production is the real draw: Dogbe broke out in a big way, ranking among the draft’s most-disruptive interior pass rushers per Pro Football Focus. PFF credited him with 39 quarterback pressures, including seven sacks.
Keep an eye out for West Virginia’s David Sills V. The Saints have kept close tabs on him and sent several team personnel members to watch him specifically at the Mountaineers’ pro day. He’s a big-play machine and consistent winner in the red zone. Nebraska’s Stanley Morgan Jr., a nuanced route runner, is also on their radar.
It’s tough to identify an impact tight end for the later rounds, but that’s not too bad because Cook and Josh Hill should have the starting jobs nailed down. Still, keep an eye on San Diego State’s Kahale Warring, LSU’s Foster Moreau, and Utah State’s Dax Raymond. All three of them are athletic prospects with more experience as blockers than receivers.
3. Worth moving up in this year’s second round? Side question – how deep is this receiver class? –@Rontzeeez
Yes, if a prospect the Saints value highly drops down to the 40’s or 50’s they should consider a trade up. Like last year, this roster is so deep at so many positions that most of the rookie class may not survive cuts. They should focus on drafting quality over quantity, get one or two impact players at immediate positions of need, and hurry on towards training camp. So if someone like Tillery (discussed earlier) or Alabama tight end Irv Smith Jr. starts to slide on draft day, the Saints would do well to start making calls to teams interested in moving down and adding more picks.
As for the receiver class: it’s wide open. After Brown and D.K. Metcalf or Hakeem Butler, it wouldn’t be a shock for the same receivers to be considered at No. 30 as at No. 62. It’ll come down to team-specific fits and evaluations, so the Saints very well could wait to see how many prospects are available at their pick. Names like South Carolina’s Deebo Samuel, Massachusetts’ Andy Isabella, and Mississippi’s A.J. Brown come to mind.
4. The Saints have traded up six times since 2007 for a defensive lineman (edge and interior). Are there any round 3/4 D-Line prospects you could see them making a move to grab? –@RossJacksonASC
The first name that comes to mind in that range is Ohio State Buckeyes prospect Dre’Mont Jones. He broke out with 8.5 sacks last year, but the 22 tackles for loss in his three-year career suggest he’s hitting his stride right on time to join the pros. At 6-foot-3, 281 pounds he’s lighter than the Saints prefer in their defensive tackles, but his skills as a gap-shooting disruptive force are exactly what they need while Sheldon Rankins is on the mend. And obviously, the Saints have enjoyed past success by drafting Buckeyes.
Another player to watch is Khalen Saunders out of Western Illinois. The Saints have paid close attention to defensive linemen at collegiate all-star games like the Senior Bowl (scouting Marcus Davenport, Sheldon Rankins, and Hau’oli Kikaha there) and the East-West Shrine Game (where they found David Onyemata, Tyeler Davison, and Trey Hendrickson). Saunders had maybe the best Senior Bowl practice performance of any player this year, and his athleticism (timing the 40-yard dash at 5.01 seconds at 324 pounds) would help the Saints’ defensive line immediately.
5. Who are the top three (or more) players on the roster right now most likely to be traded for a pick on draft day? –@BigPapaWE5
The Saints have three players they could realistically move on from to interest other teams: linebacker A.J. Klein, guard Andrus Peat, and receiver Ted Ginn Jr.
Ginn is the wild card, and his offseason will speak volumes about the receiving corps. The Saints will probably only be able to keep three players out of the group he fills with Cameron Meredith, Tre’Quan Smith, and Keith Kirkwood. If New Orleans drafts another player early, it may be curtains for Ginn. Brees struggled to hit him in stride last season and it’s fair to ask how much value he brings to the offense if the quarterback can’t regularly connect with him on big plays.
Klein could return a fourth round draft pick (based off recent transactions), and he’s somewhat expendable after Demario Davis stepped into the lineup and Alex Anzalone gave the Saints 16 good games last year. I’d try to move him if I were the Saints, but he played well enough to justify staying.
Peat isn’t likely to play up to his big salary cap hit ($9.625 million). The Saints weren’t limited by the salary cap, and he should be a decent starter again, but it would have been nice to get out of that contract. Finding a way to swap him and some late round draft picks for a third round selection would be great.
6. In your opinion, should the Saint draft a quarterback next year (Tua Tagovailoa, Jake Fromm, or Justin Herbert) or wait for Trevor Lawrence in 2021? –@RafaelSds07
I agree with Sean Payton: the next great Saints quarterback may already be in the building, and his name is Teddy Bridgewater. If Drew Brees retires after the 2019 season, it should absolutely be Bridgewater’s show moving forward (with Taysom Hill making a cameo every now and then). Bridgewater will be just 27 this time next year, with a long career laid out ahead of him.
It’s tough to see the Saints being in position to pick any of those quarterbacks, unless the whole operation goes belly-up once Brees retires. Given the depth of the roster on both sides of the ball (and Payton’s insistence that he’s here for the long haul), that seems unlikely. Maybe one of those passers slips out of the top selections and the Saints are able to make a big trade up, like the Kansas City Chiefs did for Patrick Mahomes (giving up two first round picks and a third rounder to move from No. 27 to No. 10) or the Houston Texans did for Deshaun Watson (swapping two first rounders to jump from No. 25 to No. 12).
But that feels unlikely. Until he signs a contract with someone else, expect Bridgewater to take Brees’ place in the lineup.
