The talk of the draft for the New Orleans Saints has been offense, offense, offense, at least in the first round, but that's only because the top edge rushers are expected to be off the board by the time the No. 8 pick rolls around.
The NFL universe has descended on Indianapolis this week for the annual NFL scouting combine, and if some of those evaluations change in the process, don't be surprised to see the Saints turn toward the defensive line, which draft analyst Joe DeLeone of A to Z Sports broke down this week on SportsTalk.
“Those are the guys that are the premier players of the class. ... The two players that teams are going to be like, if he’s on the board, we’ve got to take him. We can’t pass this up,” DeLeone said.
Hear the full interview with Joe DeLeone in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
He's referring, of course, to Texas Tech's David Bailey and Ohio State's Arvell Reese, both of whom terrorized defense's last season on their teams' College Football Playoff runs. Bailey looks to be a more traditional edge rusher, while Reese has inside/outside flex. The wild card in the mix could be Miami's Rueben Bain, whose shorter wingspan has some questioning his ceiling at the NFL level.
“I think that David Bailey is the full package because not only is he explosive and I think he’s a lot stronger than people are giving him credit for, the kid’s really smart," DeLeone continued. "He sounds like a brilliant young man from some of the conversations he’s already had with NFL teams, they seem quite impressed with kind of the nerdiness to him. I think that Bailey and Reese are really going to dictate what happens in the top of the draft and I’d be shocked if both of them are even on the board past pick 5.”
The Saints have had bad luck of late going after the edge rusher position early in draft, including Marcus Davenport (No. 14, 2018), Payton Turner (No. 28th, 2021) and Isaiah Foskey (No. 40, 2023), none of whom remain on the roster.
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All three players are widely projected to be off the board when the Saints go on the clock at No. 8. Some other potential options:
- RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame: “I think that this is a player that’s going to be a home run threat every time he touches the ball. ... He’s shifty, he’s also physical. He runs hard. He’s got great leg churn. He’s not a power back, per se, but he’s somebody who if he has to work through contact and he has to break a tackle, he can do it because he’s strong.”
- WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State: “I feel like Carnell Tate makes the most sense. I’m not gonna pound the table for Tate being a top five or six pick for either the Browns or the Giants, but I think once you start looking at the Saints he makes a lot of sense, especially for the fact that for me with Tate I think he could be a real high end second wide receiver. I think he could be one of the best second wide receivers in the NFL. You throw him in the mix with Olave and I think you have an opportunity to see his deep route-running ability. His ability to attack up the middle of the field work within Moore’s offense, to see that progression for Shough to have a target like that.”
- WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State: "He has had a real injury-riddled career and I wonder if he goes through this whole process and doesn’t even participate at his pro day, what does that do for his stock, where does he fit. The thing for him is I think he’s the most talanted guy in the class.”
- WR Makai Lemon, USC: “I think he’s going to shine [in field drills at the combine], getting to see his footwork and his technician-level ability to create separation. I think he’s just going to have a field day out there and he’s really going to raise a lot of eyebrows.”
- S Caleb Downs, Ohio State: “Right now he’s my highest-rated prospect. I think he’s a better athlete than people give him credit for. I feel like people kind of try to make him out like he’s an average athlete. … The instincts are what you fall in love with for what you’re talking about here. He’s just reactive to the point where plays are not even happening yet and he’s already there. He’s a great tackler. He’s a sound leader. He can cover from depth but he’s probably going to thrive more in the box and near the line of scrimmage. … I think that the parallel is you can line him up all over the place and you know that he’s going to be consistent and he’s going to make plays.”