4 NFL Draft replacements for potential Saints salary cap casualties

The New Orleans Saints face tough salary cap cuts, opening the door for cheap replacements through prospects picked in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The New Orleans Saints are headed for an offseason full of difficult decisions, and they’ll struggle to address all of their needs even if the 2020 salary cap reaches the high-end estimates of $200 million. Some players will restructure or renegotiate contracts — we previous discussed four big candidates — but others could get released outright.

If the Saints go that route, here are several potential replacements in the 2020 NFL Draft. We’ll be focused on prospects available in rounds two through four, because the Saints will probably be targeting a position of greater need with their first-round selection.

Potential loss: CB Janoris Jenkins

Salary cap savings: $11.25 million

Replacement: A.J. Terrell, Clemson

Terrell hasn’t made a decision yet on whether he’ll declare, but he’s someone the Saints should keep an eye on even if “Jackrabbit” does stick around for 2020. Terrell is an accomplished man-cover corner who can run with anyone, even if Ja’Marr Chase won that matchup in Monday night’s national title game (and it’s not like Terrell was the first cornerback Chase beat this season). There isn’t a team in the NFL that has enough cornerbacks, and the Saints should be mindful of that with so many pending free agents at the position.

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7 National Championship game players Jets could take with their first 2 picks

Tee Higgins and Justin Jefferson are among seven players from the National Championship game that the Jets could take in the 1st two rounds.

The Jets, like every other team, were keeping a close eye on LSU’s 42-25 victory over Clemson in Monday night’s National Championship game.

The game provided a chance to take in draft-eligible players that should be on the Jets’ radar. Among those players are potential No. 1 wide receivers, future starting running backs, sideline to sideline linebackers and shutdown cornerbacks that New York could target in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL draft.

With that said, here are seven College Football Playoff National Championship game players that the Jets should consider in April.

Clemson: WR Tee Higgins

If the Jets prioritize a wide receiver in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, it’s likely because there has been a run on offensive linemen before they pick at No. 11.

With Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb likely off the board within the top-10, that leaves Clemson’s Tee Higgins as a viable option if the Jets elect to stay at No. 11 or trade down and stock up on draft capital.

In Monday’s National Championship, Higgins wasn’t a major factor in the passing game, but his 36-yard rushing touchdown kept Clemson alive in the first half.

His basketball background surely shows in the way he plays wide receiver. Higgins is big, tall and long-bodied, standing at 6-foot-4. He has an outstanding catch radius with the ability to make impressive catches in tight coverage.

Higgins projects as the type of big body wide receiver that Sam Darnold has been lacking and could replace Robby Anderson as the Jets’ top target on the outside.

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2020 NFL Draft: Top prospects to watch in National Championship Game

Here are a few of the top prospects that could help the Bears to watch in Monday’s National Championship Game between LSU and Clemson.

All eyes will be glued to Monday night’s National Championship Game, where the LSU Tigers and Clemson Tigers will battle for the collegiate championship glory.

There will be plenty of scouts in attendance, and the Bears have plenty of needs they need to address this offseason. Monday night’s game will feature some of the best prospects heading into the 2020 NFL Draft.

Here are a few of the top prospects that could help the Bears to watch courtesy of Draft Wire:

EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson

LSU

With Leonard Floyd’s future in question, Chicago needs an edge rusher that can thrive opposite Khalil Mack. Chaisson’s explosiveness coming off the weakside is something that should make him an attractive option for teams.

In 2019, Chaisson had 58 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and one forced fumble. His freakish athleticism and natural ability shows he can be effective as a speed rusher off the edge.

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2020 NFL draft: Top prospects to watch in National Championship Game

On Monday night, the eyes of the college and NFL world will be on the Louisiana Superdome as LSU and Clemson battle for the College Football National Championship.

There will be plenty NFL scouts in attendance and with the Eagles have several needs, Monday night will be a prime opportunity to scout some of college football best athletes.

Here are a few of the top prospects that can help the Eagles to watch courtesy of the Draft Wire:

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1. Justin Jefferson — WR — LSU

The Eagles can use an explosive playmaker on the outside and Justin Jefferson is a huge reason that Joe Burrow will be the No. 1 pick. Jefferson can run every route, he creates big plays and his explosiveness would put the Eagles offense on another level.

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2020 NFL draft: Top prospects to watch in National Championship Game

Monday night’s national title showdown between LSU and Clemson is loaded with top prospects for the 2020 NFL draft

This coming Monday all eyes will be on the National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana. While both teams are playing for college football immortality, for select players it goes beyond their final game in a college uniform.

There will be plenty NFL scouts in attendance as they get one final opportunity to put their notes together in a game before the offseason bowl games, combines and pro day workouts.

LSU TIGERS

QB Joe Burrow

At this point it seems like a foregone conclusion that Burrow will be the number one overall selection at this point. His Heisman season put him on the map and with the Cincinnati Bengals likely done with the Andy Dalton era all but over, look for Burrow to take off one tigers jersey and trade it for one in orange and black.

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Which quarterback are Bears targeting in latest 2020 NFL mock draft?

The Bears will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason, and they’ll likely turn to the 2020 NFL Draft for their next QB.

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The Chicago Bears will be looking to improve the quarterback position in 2020, and the NFL Draft would be a good place to start.

While you could argue the Bears are in win-now mode and can’t afford to start over with a young quarterback, free agency isn’t necessarily a cost-effective, production-guaranteed investment.

The Bears will likely turn to the 2020 NFL Draft for their next quarterback, which features a strong class rich with Day 2 talent.

In Draft Wire‘s latest three-round 2020 mock draft, they have the Bears using their first selection — No. 45 in the second round — on Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts.

While Hurts has gotten some first-round love, it’s likely that he falls to Day 2, where the Bears will be waiting with a pair of second round picks. This season, Hurts is completing 73% of his passes for 2,742 yards and 24 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions.

Hurts is also producing on the ground, where he added 125 rushes for 869 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Hurts isn’t a quarterback that the Bears would insert immediately, which makes sense for 2020, where Mitchell Trubisky will likely still be on the roster potentially with a free agent addition.

The Bears have another pick in the second round just three picks later at No. 48 — which was acquired from the Oakland Raiders in the Khalil Mack trade — where Draft Wire has them going defense with Clemson cornerback A.J. Terrell.

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