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6 Teams under the most pressure to succeed in 2021 NFL Draft

By Tadhg Flynn

Nov 29, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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New Orleans Saints, 2021 NFL Draft
New Orleans Saints, 2021 NFL Draft. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /

5. New Orleans Saints (No. 28 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft)

The NFC South is in a state of flux at the moment. The team currently in the most trouble is the New Orleans Saints and draft selections this year will decide if a tipping point is reached. The Saints have the No. 28 pick thanks to a season that ended up being Drew Brees‘ swan song. The all-time passing legend retired in the offseason after one of his worst games in recent memory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round.

He struggled with injury throughout the year and the lack of fan support in the Superdome may have affected this team more than any other. They lost two one-score games at home to championship contenders. Their 12-4 record shows the talent available within the structure. Now, head coach Sean Payton will be asking quite a lot of his front office to keep the team moving forward.

It is well-publicized but the Saints have possibly the worst cap situation in the entire league, forcing them to make numerous cuts throughout the offseason. Contracts to reward the stellar play of Cameron Jordan, Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas now reduce roster flexibility.

The 2021 NFL Draft represents severe pressure on the Saints front office because of this shrinking salary cap. The roster needs talented young players on cheap rookie contracts to come in and be successful. Their contributions will balance out player cuts that will be necessary and any expensive veterans the Saints cannot do without.

New Orleans will stay relevant and competitive into the coming seasons and the fans won’t start to murmur about indecisiveness and expensive mistakes. If too many of the Saints’ selections this year are duds, the rebuild will be long and gruelling.

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