Round 4, Pick 130:
Best players available:
- WR K.J. Hill, Ohio State
- TE Thaddeus Moss, LSU
- WR Quartney Davis, Texas A&M
- TE Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri
- WR Collin Johnson, Texas
We’ve remained patient in letting receiving talent fall until the value matches the selection, and now we’re rewarded with a wealth of options. Pass-catchers available here beyond these five include Lynn Bowden (Kentucky), Gabriel Davis (UCF), and Tyler Johnson (Minnesota).
Moss is a fascinating prospect. He’s a strong inline blocker who could work as Josh Hill’s understudy in 2020, mastering that element of the game before taking on a larger role as a receiving threat once Jared Cook’s contract expires in 2021. However, he sat out athletic testing at this year’s combine after medical exams revealed a broken bone in his foot, so it’s unclear just how high his ceiling may be in that area of the game (he broke out with 47 catches for 570 yards and four touchdown grabs last year at LSU).
This same plan might appeal to the Saints with Okwuegbunam (who also goes by “Chuks,” owing to his middle name of Chukwueneka). But his strengths and weaknesses are a bit inverted. He’s a great scoring target in the red zone with 23 touchdown catches in three years in the SEC, but his route tree is undeveloped and he probably won’t be able to handle as many blocking assignments right away as Moss or other more-physical prospects. Blocking proficiency is going to matter more than usual considering Cook is going to dominate targets to tight ends in 2020. It’s the only way a rookie tight end will get on the field.
So let’s circle back to the receivers. The Saints have waited patiently to add one in this mock draft, but it might be time to make the call before the group gets whittled down even further. Hill is the highest-rated prospect remaining, but it’s unclear where he’ll do the most damage in the NFL. He isn’t the fastest, strongest, or biggest target, and also doesn’t run the crispest routes. While he is Ohio State’s record-holder in career receptions (with 201, breaking David Boston’s mark of 191), he should expect a steep learning curve without a signature X-factor to lean on.
Davis and Johnson aren’t that far behind Hill in the positional rankings, but they couldn’t be more different. Davis is a slot specialist through-and-through, who has a good feel for navigating zone coverage to get open around the first-down marker. Johnson is a size mismatch (towering at 6-foot-6) who moves better than most taller targets, accelerating quickly with short strides. He offers the Saints receiving corps something they haven’t really had since Brandon Coleman retired, meaning he could get on the field more often than other rookies available at this pick. We’ve gone with Hill in the past, and would definitely welcome his addition again, but right now Johnson makes the most sense.
The pick: WR Collin Johnson, Texas