The final three-round Draft Wire projection from Jeff Risdon starts with the New Orleans Saints landing one of the draft’s biggest wide receivers in Round 1 before pivoting to address their defensive line and secondary depth in the second and third rounds, so let’s dive right in. There’s no time to waste with the real thing drawing closer by the minute:
Round 1, Pick 29: WR Quentin Johnston, TCU
Johnston has quietly been building momentum as a possible pick for the Saints at the end of Round 1, assuming they can’t trade up and no trench players are graded highly enough to be worth the selection. He’s one of the biggest wide receivers in this draft class at 6-foot-2 and 208 pounds, with long 33.6-inch arms; he’s also a well-rounded athlete with an 8.69 Relative Athletic Score, and he meets the various thresholds the Saints maintain at the position. He doesn’t consistently play to his size, but having him in the building as an understudy for Michael Thomas and the X-receiver of the future would be a wise investment.
Round 2, Pick 40: DT Mazi Smith, Michigan
Smith has been a trendy pick for the Saints with their first-round selection at No. 29, which goes to show how similarly those spots are valued (and it makes sense given they’re only 11 slots apart). He’d be a solid pick in Round 1, but fans would probably be happier landing him in Round 2. Smith is the best run-stopping defensive tackle in the draft and he’s athletic enough to push the pocket. How he would coexist with Khalen Saunders at nose tackle (his primary position at Michigan) remains to be seen, but that may be a good problem to have.
Round 3, Pick 71: CB Clark Phillips III, Utah
This is the one pick that doesn’t quite fit what the Saints are looking for, given Phillips’ athletic limitations; he would be one of the smallest and slowest defensive backs they’ve drafted since Jeff Ireland overhauled the college scouting department with a 5.6 Relative Athletic Score at 5-foot-9 and 184 pounds, with 29.1-inch arms. But he is a playmaker with 400-plus snaps of experience covering the slot, so there would be a clear vision for getting him on the field. His ball skills speak for themselves: 30 career passes defensed, 9 interceptions, and 4 interceptions returned for touchdowns (tying a school record).
