Tag: Projection

Day 2 mock draft for the New Orleans Saints

Our Day 2 mock draft for the New Orleans Saints includes a trade proposal to make an on-brand move (or two) up the draft order, targeting prospects who fit their prototypes:

The New Orleans Saints addressed their most important need in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, so where do they go from here? The truth is that they could move in almost any direction and come away feeling great about the decision.

After picking Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Bryan Bresee at No. 29, the Saints could be justified in turning their attention to offense, either along the line (prioritizing a guard like Florida’s O’Cyrus Torrence or TCU’s Steve Avila) or at the skills positions (in targeting a pass-catcher such as Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer, wide receiver Cedric Tillman, or UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet).

There also a couple of talented defensive backs available in Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and Alabama safety Brian Branch. New Orleans could double down on their defensive front by prioritizing edge rushers Keion White (Georgia Tech) or Isaiah Foskey (Notre Dame), too. And let’s not overlook some long-term developmental quarterbacks like Will Levis (Kentucky) and Hendon Hooker (Tennessee), either.

The point is that it’s really tough to predict what the Saints will do on the second day of the draft. But we’ll try anyway. Here’s a quick mock draft for their picks in Rounds 2 and 3:

Final Draft Wire projection has Saints landing a big receiver in Round 1

The final three-round Draft Wire projection starts with the New Orleans Saints landing one of the draft’s biggest wide receivers in Round 1:

The final three-round Draft Wire projection from Jeff Risdon starts with the New Orleans Saints landing one of the draft’s biggest wide receivers in Round 1 before pivoting to address their defensive line and secondary depth in the second and third rounds, so let’s dive right in. There’s no time to waste with the real thing drawing closer by the minute:

Saints make a stunning pick in Peter Schrager’s updated 2023 mock draft

The Saints made a stunning pick in Peter Schrager’s updated 2023 mock draft, selecting Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta:

Well that’s something. NFL Network’s Peter Schrager caught some heat for his first 2023 mock draft, so he’s hoping his follow-up is better received. Schrager is one of the better-connected national reporters, and after speaking with his sources around the league he settled on a new name for New Orleans Saints to monitor in the hours leading up to the draft: former Iowa Hawkeyes tight end Sam LaPorta.

“A player who has picked up a lot more juice and buzz of late,” Schrager wrote of LaPorta. “LaPorta and Luke Musgrave are two tight ends who could end up going near the end of the first round.”

LaPorta is the third tight end Schrager sees being picked in the first round, trailing Dalton Kincaid (Utah) to the Washington Commanders at No. 16 and Michael Mayer (Notre Dame) to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 21. The 6-foot-3, 245 pounder has elite movement skills including a rare 4.59-second time in the 40-yard dash and impressive 6.91-second time in the three-cone drill, making for a 9.01 Relative AThletic Score.

He led the Hawkeyes in either receiving yards or receptions in each of the last three years while logging more than 1,000 snaps as a blocker, though he’ll need to put in work in the weight room to be an asset in that phase against NFL competition. It’s worth noting that his production was limited by the nation’s worst offense Iowa has run under nepotism-hire Brian Ferentz; on the rare occasions LaPorta was asked to run real routes and handle NFL-quality assignments, he excelled.

Unfortunately, that pullaway speed doesn’t show up often enough on game tape. He also wasn’t as effective on contested catches as you’d like him to be, dropping three times as many passes (14) as touchdown receptions (5). Like many tight ends coming out of school, LaPorta is still very much a work in progress. With Juwan Johnson locking down the receiving tight end role and Adam Trautman penciled in as the blocking specialist, it’s tough to see how LaPorta would get on the field as a rookie in New Orleans.

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Saints’ 53-man roster projection ahead of 2023 NFL draft

The New Orleans Saints’ 53-man roster projection will change after the 2023 NFL draft, but for now it’s a good look at which areas they need to address:

It’s almost here: the 2023 NFL draft is just days away, and the New Orleans Saints are in a good position to add some talented rookies to a roster that’s already built to compete in the wide-open NFC. With three picks in a 42-slot span (at Nos. 29, 40, and 71) they should come away with at least two players who can help out right away.

So what does the projected 53-man roster look like right now? The projection will look very different in just a few weeks once the Saints make their draft selections and finish signing more free agents, so this is a useful exercise to get an idea of their immediate needs going into the draft. One look is all it takes to get an idea of which areas should be priorities on draft day:

16 prospects most likely to be available for Saints at No. 29 overall

ESPN projects these 16 prospects as the most likely to be available for the Saints at No. 29 overall in the 2023 NFL draft:

This is an interesting tool, though time will tell how useful it is. ESPN Analytics put together a Draft Predictor which ranks prospects based on their likelihood of being available at different spots throughout the draft — and with the New Orleans Saints scheduled to pick near the end of Round 1 at No. 29 overall, odds are that many of the top prospects will not be available.

But which players could be on the board? Here are the 16 prospects that ESPN gives a 50% or better chance of making it to No. 29:

Saints reload their DL, OL in new two-round mock draft

The New Orleans Saints reloaded their defensive and offensive lines in a new two-round projection from Draft Wire, two weeks out from the 2023 draft:

Things are starting to come into focus for the New Orleans Saints with the 2023 NFL draft drawing closer by the day. The Saints always invest premium picks in their offensive and defensive lines, and that’s expected to continue when the upcoming draft kicks off in two weeks.

That approach was echoed in a new two-round projection from Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon, who has the Saints upgrading their defensive tackles depth chart before pivoting to a succession plan at guard in the second round. It’s a promising proposition. Let’s break down each pick and see whether they were the best prospects available for New Orleans:

Saints make some uncharacteristic picks in 3-round Draft Wire projection

The Saints made some uncharacteristic picks in this 3-round Draft Wire projection, adding a TE who needs to get stronger and an undersized DE who needs to get his weight up:

The New Orleans Saints made some uncharacteristic picks in the latest three-round Draft Wire projection, adding a tight end who needs to get stronger and an undersized defensive end who needs to get his weight up. So we’ve got some interesting choices in front of us. Let’s break them down:

New Orleans Saints 2023 NFL draft scouting report: DL Jaquelin Roy

New Orleans Saints 2023 NFL draft scouting report: LSU Tigers defensive lineman Jaquelin Roy can do well in the right role, via @DillySanders:

The New Orleans Saints entered free agency with at least one major hole on their defense, the interior of the defensive line. They’ve since added a couple of free agents in Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd, but they could still look to add more talent in the draft. One option is a homegrown option in Jaquelin Roy who grew up in Baton Rouge and played his college ball at LSU. He’s scheduled a private workout with the Saints.

Roy seemed more athletic on film than he did during testing, but doesn’t add much in terms of a pass rusher. He did have four career sacks at LSU and 20 hurries last season, but it’s not something you can consistently out of him. Where he shines is as a run stopper. He has very good instincts in the run game that allows him to get stops, while not having a ton of moves in his repertoire yet.

Roy was at one point considered to be a guy with first-round potential, but has not slid down to a common Day 3 projection. He hasn’t tested well and hasn’t completely lived up to the hype, but certainly flashes the talent. If the Saints want to add more depth without committing a top pick, he’d be a rotational guy that could be immediately used in certain situations.

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Todd McShay’s two-round mock draft brings big upgrades for the Saints

Todd McShay’s two-round mock draft brought big upgrades for the Saints defensive line and tight ends depth chart:

We’re closing in on the final stretch to the 2023 NFL draft, which means a new series of mock drafts are dropping all around the league’s orbit. And the latest take is a two-round projection from ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay, who has some on-brand picks in mind for the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints need more depth along their defensive line, which McShay made their top priority. But they could also get more dynamic offensively, and there are ample opportunities for accomplishing that in the second round of this projection. Here’s who he has going to New Orleans:

The Athletic’s latest NFL mock draft brings the Saints a mold-breaking defensive tackle

The Athletic’s latest NFL mock draft brings the Saints a mold-breaking defensive tackle in Pitt Panthers standout Calijah Kancey:

How many mock draft writers does it take to figure out what the New Orleans Saints are going to do in April’s 2023 NFL draft? The Athletic’s Diante Lee and Nate Tice collaborated on a first-round mock draft, which brought an unconventional (if wise) pick to the Saints in Pitt Panthers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. Tice wrote of the match:

The Saints could go in several directions with this pick. But with several interior defensive linemen leaving in free agency, they need reinforcements. Enter the undersized but disruptive Kancey. Kancey is a different type of player than what the Saints have trotted out up front in recent years, but his gap-shooting style will fit perfectly in Dennis Allen’s preferred four-down fronts.

Kancey is a heck of player — he bagged 34.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks for Pitt, with Pro Football Focus charting crediting him with 111 pressures over three years and 33 games. He’s very disruptive up front and beats opponents with a lightning-fast first step much like Sheldon Rankins once did in New Orleans.

But he’s undersized by the Saints’ strict standards at 6-foot-1 and just 281 pounds, with 30.625-inch arms. Here’s how that compares to some other Saints defensive tackles (past and present) coming out of college:

  • Khalen Saunders: 6-foot-0, 324 pounds, 32.25-inch arms
  • Nathan Shepherd: 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, 32.375-inch arms
  • Albert Huggins: 6-foot-2, 305 pounds, 33.5-inch arms
  • David Onyemata: 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, 33.25-inch arms
  • Malcolm Roach: 6-foot-2, 297 pounds, 31.875-inch arms
  • Prince Emili: 6-foot-0, 295 pounds, 32.625-inch arms
  • Shy Tuttle: 6-foot-2, 290 pounds, 33.375-inch arms
  • Kentavius Street: 6-foot-2, 280 pounds, 32.875-inch arms

That’s an average size of 6-foot-1.75 and 300.75 pounds, with arms of 32.75 inches — none of which are standards Kancey makes. The Saints have shown us that they’ll make exceptions for players in the right situation, as with Street, but he played on a veteran’s minimum salary last year. Committing a first round draft pick to Kancey might not be a risk that Dennis Allen is willing to take.

The Saints head coach has spoken often about a desire to want to “play a big man’s game” in the trenches by emphasizing size and length, which aren’t qualities Kancey brings to the table. He might reach the threshold for height or weight, but his comparatively-short arms could be a deal-breaker when taken with those other physical shortcomings.

But, hey: he’s a special talent with rare athletic gifts, able to knife past blockers before they can react and chase down runners in the open field. Maybe Kancey shows the Saints enough in the weeks ahead to convince Allen to make a mold-breaking selection in the first round while addressing his team’s top draft need. Stranger things have happened, right?

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