Scenario 2

• Round 1, Pick 24. Laviska Shenault Jr., WR Colorado

• Round 3, Pick 88. Logan Stenberg, IOL Kentucky
• Round 4, Pick 120. David Woodward, LB Utah State
• Round 5, Pick 151. Josiah Deguara, TE Cincinnati
• Round 6, Pick 183. Jordan Fuller, S Ohio State

Another mock draft, another receiver in the first round. That makes sense given the strength of the class and the Saints’ glaring weakness at the position. Shenault and Jefferson are just two of a half-dozen prospects who would make sense at the top of the draft. Of course, that depth also backs up the argument that the Saints could opt to wait on addressing the receiver issue.

As for the rest of the draft: Stenberg is a decent but unspectacular athlete for his size (registering a 104-inch broad jump at 6-foot-6, 317 pounds), but he boasts a resume that includes 39 consecutive starts at left guard, the biggest area of weakness on the Saints offensive line. He was a team captain in 2019 and could gel well in-between Terron Armstead and Erik McCoy.

Woodward was again the Saints pick, this time in the fourth round. That feels unlikely considering the hundreds of prospects available at that range, but what it really demonstrates is how closely-graded the players still waiting on the third day of the draft may be. There’s often little difference between a fourth-round pick and an undrafted free agent.

Deguara is an interesting prospect; his NFL future may be at fullback, given his smaller stature as a tight end (he weighed in at 6-foot-2, 242 pounds). He tested as an above-average athlete in the speed and agility drills at the combine, but wasn’t really involved in the Bearcats’ passing game until his junior year (averaging 2.9 catches per game in his last two seasons).

Fuller played often at Ohio State but doesn’t really fit the archetype for successful safeties, lacking ball skills (he intercepted just five passes in 45 career games) and borderline athleticism. He wouldn’t be the first player to outwork poor performance in the underwear Olympics, but the list of tall, slow defensive backs to succeed in the NFL is very brief.

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