I had originally planned for Dupree to be my final draft profile for the 13th overall pick. The only offensive players I had even the slightest intention of highlighting were Scherff and Collins because of the Saints great need for better talent on the interior offensive line. I am now forced to conclude that Mickey Loomis was fully aware of this intention and he wanted to remind me who is in charge, after all, why else would he have traded Graham (I am obviously joking here)? Due to the Graham trade I now have to acknowledge the slim possibility that the Saints use their first pick on a weapon for Brees and Sean to enjoy (slim though those chances are). In my opinion there are only 4 players the Saints would even possibly consider drafting at 13 (or packaging 31 with something and moving up to the late teens or early twenties) to get. Those players are Kevin White out of West Virginia, Amari Cooper out of Alabama, Devante Parker out of Louisville, and Jaelen Strong out of Arizona State. I don’t think it is likely, but since I acknowledge the possibility now exists I should at least give you guys a little bit of info on how I perceive their strengths/weaknesses to be as it pertains to the Saints. I will rank them in order of both fit and talent; in other words this isn’t a ranking of who is the best in a vacuum, but who is best for the Saints and likely to get picked.
- Kevin White: 6-3, 215 lb’s, 4.35 40.
White is the most physically gifted receiver in this draft. He has great range, more than adequate speed, excellent hands, and a real ability to ‘go get it’. White is flat out a stud and if you were to go by pure upside and potential he would be the overall number one, not just mine. There are some questions with him though; can he run routes, can he get open consistently, is he always focused, is he as fast on the field as he is on the track. With that said; White has a ton of talent, a good work ethic, a ton of self-confidence (without going full TO), and perhaps most importantly he is BIG.
The Saints know as well as any of us that Colston is declining and his time as Drew’s safety valve/number 1 is nearing the end. The Saints already have an extremely versatile player in Cooks who I believe is going to be a Pro-bowl caliber player sooner rather than later. However, the best way to ensure that Cooks sees frequent one-on-one match ups he is able to exploit is to give the offense a guy who MUST be accounted for at all times. The fact that White has both size and the ability to make plays down the field gives them both a redzone threat and a playmaker to develop. If I were the Saints I would have White at the top of my board at WR simply because of what he brings to the table, and I would gamble that he can develop into a true top tier STAR, rather than just ‘really good’ (which I will take btw). His frame as well as his catch radius are the biggest reasons I have him above Cooper for the Saints, but he is much more than just a ‘big guy’.
- Amari Cooper: 6-1, 211 lb’s, 4.42 40.
The best way I can possibly define Cooper as a prospect is ‘the total package’. It’s what makes him special. Cooper really doesn’t have a flaw in his game beyond nitpicks and areas where he can get even better. He runs solid routes, has a diverse route tree, has more than adequate athleticism, phenomenal hands, solid YAC ability, solid blocker, just as ‘quick’ as he is ‘fast’, and a true game-changer. As a pure WR Cooper is as good as this draft has. He is below White ONLY because I think White is a better fit for the Saints and White might have marginally better top-end potential.
Outside of that Cooper is a beast and there is no two ways about it. He can make plays from virtually anywhere on the field, can break tackles, and most importantly is consistent. If by some crazy circumstance Cooper is there at 13 I would find it very hard not to pull the trigger on him. It would obviously depend on who ELSE was available (if for example Shelton is there you pick him immediately), but Cooper in my opinion is the most ‘solid’ pick in this draft. I simply think he is too good to not be anything but great.
- Jaelen Strong: 6-2, 217 lb’s, 4.44 40.
Strong deserves that last name. He is a physical receiver who uses his body to either absorb blows or to ward off defenders while he fights for extra yards. Strong runs solid routes and has consistently displayed excellent hands while going up for contested catches. His body control and awareness along the sideline are exceptional. He doesn’t have the best straight line speed, but his hands, toughness, and savvy allow him to be very productive in spite of that. Stop me when this sounds familiar…he is Marques Colston.
Those are huge shoes to fill on the team, but Strong is known by his coaches as the hardest worker on the team and has the right kind of build and play style to take over for Colston when he is gone. I can’t think of a better player for Strong to learn under than the ‘quiet storm’, and he well could be the ideal player to take his place in a year or two (if not sooner). I don’t think the Saints would take him at 13, but if Strong were somehow available at 31 (or even 25) I wouldn’t doubt that Payton would be VERY tempted to bring him in. Strong is just the kind of tough and consistent possession receiver that Payton’s offense has used to such devastating effect for nearly a decade…why not let the trend continue?
- Devante Parker: 6-3, 209 lb’s, 4.45 40.
Parker is a scoring machine who is deceptively strong, long in the limbs, and who has more than a little YAC ability. He could be an ideal grab as a hybrid field stretcher and replacement for Colston. Parker is for sure a red-zone threat, but he also brings the long ball to the equation so Payton can definitely call his ‘shot’ plays with Parker in mind.
What worries me about him is that he has a pretty slight frame and he could have some injury issues going forward. In particular that could be a problem in NO if he is taking Colston and Jimmy’s job as the ‘middle of the field’ guy. Payton’s offense practically requires a player who can take a beating and keep on going and I don’t know if Parker can be that guy. I do think he could take on the role formerly occupied by Devery Henderson though and the idea of him and Cooks both going deep would probably scare safeties right into retirement (especially if they’re on the Niners). Parker is definitely an elite talent with a ton of upside, but my only real question with him is whether or not he can fill a role with the Saints, and which role it will be.
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