An interesting note surrounding the New Orleans Saints’ draft plans came to light in a lengthy breakdown from Larry Holder of the Athletic. Though Saints head coach Sean Payton did not list wide receiver as a position of need in a brief huddle with New Orleans media at the NFL Scouting Combine, Holder reported that the Saints as an organization are high on the prospects in this year’s draft — as well as pleased with the progress their rookies made in 2018:
New Orleans still likes its younger receivers, particularly Keith Kirkwood. Plus, the Saints are enamored with the depth of this year’s draft class. A receiver could easily be in play with the team’s first pick, at No. 62 overall, late in the second round.
That’s a keen observation. Per the latest top 100 posted by Chris Trapasso at CBS Sports, five wide receivers are listed in the Saints’ range from 50 to 100 (they pick at 62 overall, but grades on players in the back half of the top 100 should be relatively comparable):
- 55. Deebo Samuel, South Carolina
- 75. Dillon Mitchell, Oregon
- 79. Emanuel Hall, Missouri
- 81. Andy Isabella, UMass
- 92. Jakobi Meyers, NC State
In total, a dozen wide receivers are listed in this post-combine top 100. Whether the eventual order of picks compares closely to Trapasso’s ranking remains to be seen, but the lesson to be learned here is that the draft has plenty of prospects who can help the Saints.
In the same post for the Athletic, Holder notes that the Saints are unlikely to seriously pursue embattled Pittsburgh Steelers superstar Antonio Brown. He suggests Tampa Bay Buccaneers slot specialist Adam Humphries as a more realistic option, but that signing would likely necessitate the release of Cameron meredith, freeing up $3.7 million against the 2019 salary cap.
One way or another, the Saints will enter their 2019 training camp with a revamped wide receiver corps. Don’t overlook the progress Keith Kirkwood and Tre’Quan Smith are expected to make in their second seasons, as well as potential contributions from players returning form injured reserve such as Dez Bryant and Travin Dural — if they re-sign.
