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What is the biggest offseason need for the New Orleans Saints? With an 11-3 record and one of the NFL’s deepest and most widely-talented rosters, there isn’t much to complain about. There’s a good chance that they struggle to find a day-one starter in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Maybe wide receiver is the position to target. While Michael Thomas has managed the tall task of running a one-man show, it’s a very bad thing that he outpaces the next-best wide receiver by 104 receptions, 1,441 receiving yards, and four touchdown catches.
Guard could be an option if the Saints focus on offense. While they have two Pro Bowlers on each side of the offensive line, they’re both hurt, and left guard Andrus Peat is going to be a free agent in March (with right guard Larry Warford on track to test free agency a year later).
Quarterback is fascinating. The Saints will get the opportunity to scout several big-name draft prospects at January’s Senior Bowl, such as Utah State’s gambling Jordan Love and unfinished Michigan project Shea Patterson. Other names worth monitoring include Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurd and his former Alabama teammate Tua Tagovailoa.
The first mock draft from ESPN senior writer Tod McShay throws the Saints a curve ball, connecting them with Iowa Hawkeyes defensive en A.J. Epenesa. McShay cites the injuries that have struck the Saints defensive front this season as a natural draw for the team to target Epenesa, though he acknowledges needs at wide receiver and quarterback, too:
The Saints’ defensive line depth has been ravaged this season, and Epenesa is a powerful end with a high ceiling. The Saints also have a need at receiver, and they could keep a close eye on the quarterback class, with Drew Brees and Teddy Bridgewater headed to free agency. But Epenesa offers the best value at No. 29, and adding a quality edge rusher is never a bad call.
It would be tough to question Epenesa being the selection. He’s a well-coached technician who has bagged 24 sacks (34.5 total tackles for loss of yards), 8 forced fumbles (1 recovery), and 7 passes defensed in his first three years for the Hawkeyes (a stretch of 36 games). The big junior is listed at 6-foot-6, 280 pounds, and could help out right away if Marcus Davenport’s recovery from Lisfranc surgery lags into the regular season.
And if Davenport does return in time for training camp, there’s absolutely room for them to both coexist behind Cameron Jordan at the top of the defensive end rotation. Trey Hendrickson will be in a contract year next season, as will be defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. Starting tackle David Onyemata is scheduled to see which offers are out there in free agency. Epenesa has the frame to bulk up further and rush from interior alignments sometimes, as do Davenport and Jordan.
The Saints ran an eight-man rotation along the defensive line in 2019; adding a talented first-rounder to the mix in 2020 makes plenty of sense despite their other needs. Still, it would be nice to see them target a position of higher need, but maybe they’ll be able to invest well in free agency and go into the draft ready to select the best players available, regardless of position. Isn’t that the goal?