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It is always fun going back and asking yourself “what if?” when looking at past NFL drafts. Pro Football Network’s Oliver Hodgkinson did just that. Notoriously one of the weakest draft classes in memory for the New Orleans Saints, PFN’s do-over of the 2018 NFL draft made much more sense.
According to PFN, the Saints should have drafted Oklahoma State tight end Mark Andrews, a savvy pass catcher, rather than trading up and selecting defensive end Marcus Davenport. Here is what Hodgkinson had to say about the re-draft:
“Although Marcus Davenport earned All-Rookie honors in 2018, I think it’s fair to say the Saints have yet to see a decent return on their investment. Let’s not forget, New Orleans traded up to 14 to select the former UTSA pass rusher. Considering that their biggest needs ahead of the draft were thought to be tight end and wide receiver, selecting a pass catcher at No. 27 seems much more sensible.
Originally a third-round pick for Baltimore, Oklahoma’s Mark Andrews broke Ravens records for single-season touchdowns, most receiving yards by a rookie tight end, and snagged a 74-yard catch to break the record for longest reception by a tight end.”
Because the Saints did not address tight end in this draft, they were stuck with 38-year old Ben Watson on top of the depth chart, and he finished the year with just 35 catches for 400 yards. With the selection of Andrews, it likely would have meant that Jared Cook would have never signed with New Orleans the following offseason, and the Saints could have avoided burning a late-round pick on Alize Mack, who they cut before he ever appeared in a game.
Instead, a young, reliable tight end that would have fit perfectly in with Sean Payton’s scheme is now breaking franchise records with the Baltimore Ravens. And he’s been doing it since he stepped on the field, when Andrews’ 558 receiving yards were the most-ever by a Ravens rookie tight end.
It’s easy to make these sort of criticisms in hindsight, but the Saints were widely negged for trading up to get Davenport. There’s quite a butterfly effect at play here in asking what may have happened if they’d been less aggressive on draft day: Davenport’s disappointing saga and Cook’s stint with the Saints may have never happened. Here’s hoping for a better approach to the 2021 draft.
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