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Sometimes you’re dealt a tough hand, but you still have to make it work. That’s what the New Orleans Saints did in the 2019 NFL Draft, lacking picks in the first, third, and fourth rounds, thanks to some smart decisions and crafty trades.
In a collaboration from ESPN and Pro Football Focus, the Saints rookie class was ranked fifth-best in the NFL. Not bad for a team lacking so much draft capital:
Why they’re ranked here: The Saints have mortgaged their future to win now in recent years, which left the draft cupboard bare in 2019. Despite that, they managed to nail their first two picks in Rounds 2 and 4, even getting key contributions from an undrafted free agent in defensive tackle Shy Tuttle. That’s doing more with less.
How their top pick fared: Center Erik McCoy (No. 48 overall) wasn’t only the best rookie center in the NFL, he was one of the top centers in the league. His PFF overall grade of 76.1 ranked fourth at the position.
Best value pick: Cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson (No. 105 overall) was one of the top values in the draft, for any team. He spent a lot of his time in the slot this past season, excelling there with the fourth-highest slot-coverage grade among qualifiers.
What might be most impressive is that the best rookie the Saints added wasn’t even mentioned in the article: returns specialist Deonte Harris. Harris is starting at kick returner for the NFC roster at the 2020 Pro Bowl and was named a first-team All-Pro punt returner by the Associated Press. He turned in the best season for a returner since Sean Payton was hired to coach the team back in 2006 and has to be mentioned in any discussion on last season’s rookie class.
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