New Orleans Saints: Ideal-scenario 7-round 2020 mock draft
By Drew DeLuca
With the 2020 NFL Draft less than two weeks away, we take a trip down to the Bayou and lay out a draft plan for the New Orleans Saints.
This offseason, the New Orleans Saints welcomed back two-time Super Bowl champion Malcolm Jenkins and added veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who has also lifted a Lombardi Trophy and nearly notched another this past year. With backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, wide receiver Tedd Ginn Jr., cornerback Eli Apple, linebacker A.J. Klein and safety Vonn Bell all gone, where does that leave the Saints as they approach the 2020 NFL Draft?
Given head coach Sean Payton‘s recent ringing endorsement of Taysom Hill as a quarterback of the future, odds are slim that Who Dat Nation will see a signal-caller come their way in the early rounds of the 2020 draft. However, the team could use a backup to fill the roster vacancy created by Bridgewater’s departure, one with upside as a starter in case Hill doesn’t pan out as planned.
Likewise, running back depth could be a priority. The Saints interviewed a couple of backs this offseason, most notably Utah’s Zach Moss, who we highlighted earlier this offseason. But without picks in Rounds 2 and 7, the team may opt for a hungry undrafted rookie free agent or two so they can spend their limited draft capital elsewhere.
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The wide receiver position could use support beyond Michael Thomas and Sanders, although Tre’Quan Smith has shown enough athleticism and upside thus far to remain a factor in the team’s plans. The Saints could still use a mid-to-late round pick to fish for a wide receiver in a draft class that’s a whole lot deeper than Lake Ponchartrain.
Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins are likewise excellent out wide on the other side of the ball, but the team would be wise to shore up the nickel slot for 2021 and beyond. Perhaps the biggest area of weakness on either side of the ball is the linebacker position, where 2019 First-Team All-Pro DeMario Davis could use some steady support.
Let’s lay out a quick rundown of how the draft might go for the Saints. For our purposes, we’ll assume the Saints stand pat and make few if any trades. This is how the 7-round mock draft for New Orleans pans out.
Round 1: Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
Round 2: No Selection
Round 3: Ezra Cleveland, OL, Boise State
Round 4: Lamar Jackson, CB, Nebraska
Round 5: James Morgan, QB, Florida International
Round 6: John Hightower, WR, Boise State
Round 7: No Selection
Journeyman Kiko Alonso and Alex Anzalone, both returning from season-ending injuries, are penciled in as starting linebackers right now. The competition for the third spot is uninspiring, and the overall depth at the position is questionable; the fact that Davis is in the final year of his contract could be the deciding factor to pluck Murray off the board in the first round.
In the offensive trenches, Clemson’s John Simpson would seemingly be a superior option to Cleveland in Round 3 due to his versatility and skillset and would better address more pressing positional needs. However, Cleveland, a tackle out of Boise State who clocked a sub-5.00 time in the 40-yard dash at the combine, is the only draft-eligible offensive lineman that the Saints have met with on record this offseason.
In a recent article by Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com, several teams claim to have eyed Cleveland at one point or another. However, none viewed him as a great third-round pick:
"“In surveying six different teams, none of them had Cleveland graded as a first- or second-round pick. The teams were split, with three grading him in the fifth round and three grading him in the fourth round.”"
Campbell goes on to say that none of those teams expected him to last until the fourth or fifth round and expected another team to take him on Day 2. If the Saints aren’t that team, they might opt to solidify their depth at defensive tackle here instead; more on that in a moment.
After re-upping P.J. Williams on a one-year rental, the Saints could aim to shore up the cornerback position with Jackson, whose tires the team kicked at the Senior Bowl. Jackson, who lacks high-end speed and doesn’t play quite as physically as his 6-2, 206-pound frame might suggest, does have the size and skill set to match up well against larger receivers in nickel coverage schemes.
Florida International quarterback James Morgan met with the Saints at the East-West Shrine Game, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. This could be an indicator of team interest instead of simple due diligence and reports from many sources indicate that Morgan interviewed well. His above-average arm strength ranks among the best in this year’s quarterback class.
Boise State’s John Hightower, a speedy 6-1, 190-pounder who met with the Saints at the Shrine Bowl, could contribute immediately on special teams as a second returner behind All-Pro Deonte Harris. More importantly, Hightower, a former track star, caught 51 passes last year for 943 yards and eight touchdowns, demonstrating tantalizing big-play promise in the process.
We’ll have to see if the Saints make any moves; if they do so, it might be to add some depth at defensive tackle by taking one of the three they’ve sat down with this offseason. According to data collected by Addison Hayes from WalterFootball.com, only the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans caught up with as many draft-eligible defensive tackles in that span.
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Texas A&M’s Justin Madubuike, who owns first-round skills, could slide all the way to Round 3 due to work ethic and character concerns. The other two defensive tackles the Saints made time for are NC State’s Larrell Murchison and Utah’s Leki Fotu, both of whom project to be solid interior rotational options in the defensive trenches.
Murchison is a bit undersized for the position at “only” 6-2 and 294 pounds, so while he brings some juice as a pass rusher, he’d be over-matched against road-grader guards in running situations. Alternatively, Fotu, a 6-4, 330-pound run-stuffer, doesn’t offer much as a pass rusher.