Where will the New Orleans Saints go in the 2021 NFL draft? There’s still months of speculation and scouting ahead to figure it out, but mock drafts can be a fun exercise to at least learn about new prospects.
The latest mock comes from ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay. He linked the Saints to Washington Huskies defensive end Joe Tryon, who opted out of the 2020 season after creating just 9 sacks in his first 23 games. Here’s what McShay wrote to justify the pick:
“I considered Missouri’s Nick Bolton here to fill the inside linebacker role, but the edge rush could also use some support. The Saints did have 45 sacks last year, but age concerns and free-agency exposure might flip this unit sooner rather than later. Tryon opted out in 2020, but he’s versatile and quick on the edge. He had 12.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 2019.”
So, yeah, this feels like a bit of a reach. Tryon underachieved on a loaded college defense and hasn’t played a single down since Dec. 21, 2019. I’m not knocking him for opting out, that was probably the smart thing to do for his health and job prospects. But did McShay just want the Saints to end up with a front seven defender and draw a name out of a hat?
To his credit, Tryon came along stronger near the end of his Huskies career. Pro Football Focus credited him with 29 pressures in his last seven games after creating just a dozen pressures in his first six games. He was figuring things out and becoming an impact defender. But that isn’t someone you invest a first round draft pick into. We’ll see if McShay can come up with a better match in his next mock draft update.
