Here’s a new take on the 2023 NFL draft from ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr., and it looks much the same as his last projection for the New Orleans Saints. Kiper still has the Saints addressing their defensive line to start out, selecting Pittsburgh Panthers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey in the first round at No. 29 overall.
Here’s what he wrote of the match:
As I mentioned in my previous mock draft, the Saints completely turned over at defensive tackle and added Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd to be their new starters. What if they’re not done adding? Kancey is one of my favorite prospects in this class. He’s so explosive as a penetrator, and despite being undersized — 6-foot-1, 281 pounds — he’s going to rack up sacks at the next level. He had 14.5 over the past two seasons. New Orleans could also look at the pass-catchers here, either a tight end or receiver.
Kancey has been a popular pick for the Saints despite his underwhelming size and length, which head coach Dennis Allen has emphasized as a priority for them in scouting linemen. He’s becoming something of a consensus pick for New Orleans in the media these days. We’ll see if Kancey even makes it to their pick at the end of Round 1, and whether the Saints’ commitment to their athletic prototypes causes some consternation in the war room.
But this was a two-round model from Kiper, so what else did he have in store for New Orleans? He’s linked them to Georgia Bulldogs tight end Darnell Washington before, and that’s a fit he still likes, even if it’s in Round 2 instead of Round 1. Some fans may turn up their nose at that disparity, but the Saints’ first- and second-round picks are separated by only 11 slots. If they stay put, odds are both prospects are going to be graded very similarly.
Kiper’s take on the Washington-to-New Orleans idea:
I made this match in Round 1 of my Mock Draft 2.0, because the Saints need to get more production out of the tight end position. We know new starting quarterback Derek Carr appreciates the position and targets it often. Washington is a tough evaluation because he just didn’t get the ball much. He had 45 catches and three touchdowns in three college seasons. At 6-foot-7, 264 pounds, though, he has all the physical tools to be a complete player.
Washington can immediately upgrade the blocking tight end role over Adam Trautman, but it’ll probably take some time for him to carve into Juwan Johnson’s targets as a pass-catcher. And that’s just fine. The Saints struggled to run as well as they wanted to last season, so any improvement Washington brings in the blocking up front for Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, and whichever running back they draft in the middle rounds would be worth it.
New Orleans needs to get two instant contributors with these two picks. If Kancey and Washington are giving them about 30 productive snaps each week, that’s a big win.
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