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Saints on the clock at 24! #saints pic.twitter.com/h6WaBONtdT
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) April 23, 2020
What are the New Orleans Saints going to do in the first round of this year’s NFL draft? If the latest reports are any indication, even they aren’t sure.
ESPN’s Dianna Russini shared her insight into the team’s current thinking, adding onto an earlier report that the Saints had made an effort to explore trade opportunities ahead of their first pick at No. 24. While the team is still prepared to make a move up the board if the value checks out, she said, they’re also content to stay in place and add the best player available.
But the positions the Saints might be targeting are surprising. Russini reported that they are projecting options at cornerback and along the offensive line to be available once they’re on the clock — along with Wisconsin Badgers running back Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor’s inclusion is surprising, least of all because his arrival to New Orleans would all but ensure Alvin Kamara is on the way out with a big contract extension on the horizon. But it’s easy to see why Taylor would pique Sean Payton’s interest.
The 5-foot-10, 226 pounder shattered any concerns about his athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine, timing the 40 yard dash in a blazing 4.39 seconds. He followed that up with impressive performances in the stationary jumps and positional drills. But he’s not just a workout warrior.
Taylor averaged more than 150 rushing yards per game at Wisconsin, setting the bar with a 1,977-yard performance as a true freshman in 2017. He ended his Badgers career ranked among school leaders in every meaningful rushing stat, scoring 50 touchdowns on the ground. He also proved he could be an asset on passing downs as a junior last year, reeling in 26 passes to gain another 252 receiving yards with five touchdown catches.
Taylor could certainly coexist with Kamara, for a time — he would be even better suited to handling battering-ram duties than Latavius Murray, freeing Kamara up to catch a million passes or so out of the backfield. If Kamara and Mark Ingram could work together, Taylor could definitely fit in as well.
If he’s actually the pick, of course. This is peak lying season in the NFL and it might be a smokescreen put out from the team to obscure their intentions; Russini threw in that the Saints are explicitly not targeting a wide receiver, for example. Whatever the case, we’ll find out along with the Saints and everyone else in just a few hours.
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