This is it guys. The draft is Thursday so this is the final mock draft I’ll be turning in. No trades, I’ll just select at every spot the Saints have a pick. This comes after the Saints have signed Adrian Peterson, too, but assumes they will not be trading for Malcolm Butler.
1st round, 11th overall: Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
It’s not sexy, it’s not unique. I just keep coming back to it. He is the guy I prefer at 11 given the value, the need and the fit. This isn’t rocket science, he makes the pass rush better immediately and would actually give the Saints, top to bottom, a really good defensive line right away.
1st round, 32nd overall: Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU
I think he’ll fall here because of his size and I think the Saints would be crazy to pass. Corner is clearly the biggest need after pass rusher and the Saints make their defense much better with these two picks.
2nd round, 42nd overall: Curtis Samuel, WR, Ohio State
The Saints love taking Buckeyes in the 2nd round lately. The Saints didn’t land McCaffery but Samuel gives them a game breaking x factor on offense. Sean Payton will find creative ways to get him involved and helping the offense.
3rd round, 76th overall : Justin Evans, S, Texas A&M
One of the fastest and most physical players in this draft. I love this guy and while the return of Rafael Bush makes this signing less of a necessity, the Saints could use more safety depth.
3rd round, 103rd overall: Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado
If there was any concerns about White’s physical limitations or his ability to play on the outside, Witherspoon’s enormous frame alleviates it. He’s improved every year at Colorado and Aaron Glenn could help develop him further. Witherspoon’s combination of size and speed will make him a talented corner that could potentially match up against the Kelvin Benjamin’s, Mike Evans’s and Julio Jones’s of the world eventually.
6th round, 196th overall: Matt Milano, LB, Boston College
I was surprised to see him fall here but this former safety can cover, blitz and tackle with the best of them. He might be a little undersized but he’ll make his mark on special teams for starters while he develops as a defender. I like his future potential to develop. I liken him to Michael Mauti and Nate Stupar a bit, though I think he can make more of an impact down the road on defense.
7th round, 229th overall: Jerry Ugokwe, T, William & Mary
This is a recycled pick from my old mocks but I wasn’t able to get a tackle before now so I have to pull the trigger on Ugokwe here. The Saints are in a real pickle if Zach Strief goes down and I’d like to see Ugokwe developed as his potential replacement. He’s extremely raw but he’s enormous (6’7″, 321lbs), very athletic and very smart. Honestly, if the Saints don’t take a tackle early and they catch a whiff of teams poking around in 6th I would take him then.
Previous mocks:
5.0: Solomon Thomas, Ryan Ramczyk, Quincy Wilson, Justin Evans, Brad Kaaya, K. D. Cannon, T. J. Logan
4.0: Marshon Lattimore, Obi Melifonwu, Carl Lawson, Carlos Henderson, Duke Riley, Donnel Pumphrey, Jerry Ugokwe
3.0: Derek Barnett, Christian McCaffery, Tre’Davious White, Marcus Maye, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Jayon Brown, Jalen Robinette
2.0: Reuben Foster, Carl Lawson, Adam Shaheen, Dwayne Thomas, Trey Hendrickson, Greg Pyke
1.0: Derek Barnett, Tre’Davious White, Gerald Everett, Ethan Pocic, Hardy Nickerson, Tyus Bowser
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