The NFL Draft is just a few weeks away and everybody is thinking about who is going to be selected where. For Saints fans, this is a bit of a big draft. They were able to strike a deal that included their future first round pick in order to get another selection here in 2022. With the number 16 and 19 overall picks to work with here, they have some options and fill the holes that could put them back into contention. So, let’s take a look at some of the options that mock drafts are calling for them to do.
The first has them drafting Malik Willis after trading into the top five. While a first round jumps that dramatic is likely not to happen, it is interesting that they would do such a move while targeting a quarterback. Yes, Willis has superstar potential, but the quarterback class is pretty thin. The Saints also re-signed Jameis Winston to a two-year contract and he was playing really well before his ACL tear in 2021. Trading away even more picks for a quarterback that might fall further than the top just doesn’t sound like a great idea.
The second and most frequent player that has been linked to them has been Jameson Williams, the wide reciever. Williams is heavily expected to remain on the board for both the 16th and 19th selection. The Saints desperately need playmakers at the wide receiver position outside of Michael Thomas, and Williams may be the guy to pull it off. Another guy that can be substituted in for Williams is Chris Olave. Olave openly talked about how close he was with Thomas during interviews at the Combine. He also is an Ohio State guy, a school that New Orleans tends to take quite a bit of time looking into when drafting their players. Either guy would make a lot of sense and it wouldn’t be surprising to see one of them get nabbed. I’ve even seen a Saints mock draft that had them taking the both of them to couple with Thomas and create a star-studded passing game.
Finally, we come to the offensive line predictions. There really isn’t much doubt that the Saints would draft outside of wide receiver, quarterback and offensive line. The loss of Terron Armstead could be huge if not dealt with correctly. Drafting a replacement with an extra first round pick in a deep class could be the perfect solution to their problems. Some believe that they should roll with Trevor Penning at number 19. Penning would immediately start and some think that he may be the best left tackle still on the board this late in the round. The other that I’ve seen is Charles Cross. Cross is another left tackle, obviously, who could play a number of spots on the line. He is a little smaller than your traditional left tackle but could move into a guard spot if need be. Either way, one of these guys could be the answer to that position and allow them to keep focus on wideouts with their earlier selection.
I’m excited to see what they do moving forward. Saints’ fans are just praying that it isn’t going to be another defensive end.