NFL Draft: Redrafting the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft 12. Jaylon Smith
Originally selected 34th overall (+22)
The New Orleans Saints took Sheldon Rankins with the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Among all of the picks in this draft, there wasn’t a more forgettable pick than this one. He wasn’t so bad that calling him a bust was an exciting conversation, but he wasn’t good enough to do anything noteworthy.
That said, the Saints made the right choice by taking a defender with this pick, they just chose the wrong guy.
In this redraft, they’ll take Jaylon Smith with their pick, filling an outside linebacker hole that was arguably a bigger need than defensive tackle. Not only will they be filling a much-needed spot, but they’ll be getting a much higher-quality player to do so.
Like many players recently picked, Smith took a little while to get going in the NFL. That said, he has been an extremely strong linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys in the past couple of years.
The Saints needed and still need defensive leadership, which is why Smith would have been a great pickup for them.