New Orleans Saints preview
TEAM DRAFT NEEDS
Linebacker
Kiko Alonso and Alex Anzalone are coming off serious injuries while Demario Davis is in a contract year. The Saints don’t have a lot of draft picks, but they likely need to add a few linebackers.
Cornerback
The Saints have a solid starting tandem in Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins, with Patrick Robinson in the slot. Jenkins is 31 and the team recently extended his deal by two years. Robinson, 32, has two years left on his deal. TCU’s Jeff Gladney could be an option at No. 24.
Quarterback
Drew Brees agreed to a two-year deal but is taking his playing future one year at a time. Coach Sean Payton believes Taysom Hill has all the makings of a starting NFL QB, but Hill will be 30 by the time the season starts and never has played a full season under center at this level.
Tight end
Jared Cook (43) and Josh Hill (25) combined for 68 receptions and 12 TDs last season. Cook is 33 and in a contract year while Hill turns 30 in May. Depth behind them is extremely thin and Brees relies heavily on his tight ends.
Safety
The Saints bolstered the secondary by bringing back Malcolm Jenkins and re-signing D.J. Swearinger for depth. Free safety Marcus Williams is entering a contract year and the only young depth to develop on the roster is 2019 fourth-round pick Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
Wide receiver
Emmanuel Sanders was an excellent pickup to pair with Michael Thomas. More help is needed. After Thomas’ 149 catches, the top returning wideout on the roster is Tre’Quan Smith with 18 receptions, although five of them were for TDs.
–FIVE-YEAR DRAFT HISTORY
No team has procured more star power from the draft than the Saints, who found four elite players in a span of two years, including three — Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk and Alvin Kamara — in 2017 alone. That class is an all-timer, with another great player in Marcus Williams and contributors in injury-prone Alex Anzalone and Trey Hendrickson. Another theme is finding quality players in small classes, including 2016 (five picks, four starters) and 2019 (five picks, two major contributors already). The last pieces of the 2015 class could walk in free agency, and the 2018 class is already thinning out, but Marcus Davenport looks like a hit. The elite talent pushes this over the edge.
Best pick: WR Michael Thomas, R2 2016 — This could be Alvin Kamara or a few others, but Thomas has been historically great from the jump.
Worst pick: LB Stephone Anthony, R1 2015 — After starting all 16 games as a rookie, quickly fell out of favor and was shipped to Miami. Now back as a Saints special teamer.
–2019 STATISTICS
TOTAL OFFENSE: 373.9 (9th)
RUSHING: 108.6 (16th)
PASSING: 265.3 (7th)
TOTAL DEFENSE: 333.1 (11th)
RUSHING: 91.3 (4th)
PASSING: 241.8 (20th)
