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What’s the biggest roster need for the New Orleans Saints? Right now, probably quarterback — the team doesn’t have a single passer under contract for the 2020 season, with Drew Brees considering retirement, Teddy Bridgewater facing a busy buyer’s market in free agency, and Taysom Hill working to build himself up as a legitimate quarterback.
Other positions that need to be addressed include wide receiver and the offensive line; Michael Thomas is a repeat first-team All-Pro, but he shouldn’t be asked to do everything by himself again this year. Life at left guard after Andrus Peat (an often-injured, two-time Pro Bowler) is uncertain, and the Saints need a better backup plan when all-world left tackle Terron Armstead misses time. They’ve invested high picks in the offensive line in recent years with center Erik McCoy and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, but wide receiver remains the most-popular Saints pick in mock drafts.
However, cornerback shouldn’t be overlooked. Two of the three Saints corners under contract (Janoris Jenkins and Patrick Robinson) could be salary cap cuts, which is bad news at a position the Saints usually dress five or six players for on game days. With that in mind, ESPN’s Mel Kiper connected the Saints to Auburn Tigers cornerback Noah Igbinoghene in his 2020 NFL Mock Draft 2.0:
Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn
This is a really tough pick to project. Like the Patriots, the Saints’ quarterback situation is murky, with Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater unrestricted free agents and Taysom Hill a restricted free agent. Luckily this position will be sorted before the draft, so we’ll know by then whether New Orleans will be a team to watch for the quarterbacks in Round 1. For now, I’ll stay away from QBs in this mock draft and focus on another need with Eli Apple and P.J. Williams free agents. Veteran Janoris Jenkins is the other starter at cornerback opposite Marshon Lattimore, but the Saints can get a young player to compete with Jenkins. Igbinoghene is a track athlete who is still developing his technique, but he has the traits to be a star.
Igbinoghene would be an interesting addition; as Kiper pointed out, he’s still learning the ropes at cornerback after starting out as a receiver for Auburn back in 2017. While he’s intercepted just one pass in two years on defense, Igbinoghene has been credited with 18 passes defensed in 25 games, which is a terrific rate. If his athletic testing lives up to the billing at the NFL Scouting Combine, he could be a real option at the end of the first round.
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