2020 NFL Draft: Comparing 5 Saints mock draft scenarios

The New Orleans Saints are likely to draft a wide receiver early and bulk up the offensive line, if 2020 NFL Draft mock-ups are accurate.

Scenario 4

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  • Round 1, Pick 24. Cesar Ruiz, IOL Michigan
  • Round 3, Pick 88. Darnay Holmes, CB UCLA
  • Round 4, Pick 120. Quartney Davis, WR Texas A&M
  • Round 5, Pick 151. Shaquille Quarterman, LB Miami
  • Round 6, Pick 183. Antoine Brooks Jr., S Maryland

Finally, a mock draft that doesn’t feature any prospects also selected in the others! The jury is out on whether Ruiz is real first-round material, much less whether he really fits the Saints’ needs, but he’s intriguing. He’s started 26 games at center and five at right guard, so a move to left guard would be new for him. But what he really has going for him is top-shelf athleticism. The 6-foot-3, 307-pounder clocked a 5.08-second 40-yard dash and hit above the 94th percentile in both the vertical jump (33 inches) and broad jump (113 inches), demonstrating rare burst from a standstill. That suggests he’ll always be one of the first players off the snap.

We’re starting to get a better idea of the kind of corners available in the mid-rounds, with Holmes profiling as an undersized, reasonably-fast athlete at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds (timing the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds). But he’s a ballhawk, with 8 interceptions and 17 total passes defensed in three years for the Bruins. He’s also experienced — Holmes started all three seasons at UCLA, a total of 35 games.

This mock was the latest the Saints addressed the receiver position, and they ended up with a solid prospect in the fourth round. Davis is as close to an average athlete as you’ll find among NFL wide receivers, running the 40-yard dash in 4.54 seconds at 6-foot-1 and 201 pounds. He’s averaged just over 4.3 catches per game in two years with the Aggies. They might want to pursue an upgrade sooner, because it’s tough to see him beating out some of the other Saints wideouts for a roster spot.

Quartermain is exactly the kind of talent the Saints should gamble on during the third day of the draft. He hasn’t let marginal athleticism slow him down, creating 46.5 tackles for loss in 56 games for the Hurricanes. As for Brooks — he would be reunited with his college position coach in New Orleans, and might be a sneaky-good addition late in the process. He’s been disruptive, with 27.5 tackles for loss in his last three years as a starter.

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