For the first time since 2005, the New Orleans Saints will be playing without their future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees after he announced his retirement. While that is the headline for the New Orleans offseason, the team has to face some key departures and could address them in a positive manner with the NFL Draft quickly approaching at the end of April
Below are three options for the Saints in the Draft that may help the team strengthen the areas necessary.
1. Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
Cornerback used to be a position of strength for New Orleans, but this changed with the departure of Janoris Jenkins. The team needs someone to play opposite Marshon Lattimore, who had a down year by his standards.
Farley was considered one of the top corners in this class, but his stock fell as he recently had back surgery that has a recovery time of around seven weeks. Further, he has quite the injury history and tore his ACL in 2017.
Farley has ideal size and length for the position and stands at 6'2, 207 pounds. He is a fluid athlete and possesses great ball skills. He is excellent at recognizing routes, which could be partly attributed to his time as a high school quarterback. This could be a good pick for the Saints.
Farley makes the most of his size and physicality as he bullies opposing receivers starting from the line of scrimmage.
2. Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama
With tackles Sheldon Rankins and Malcom Brown now gone, the position suddenly became one of the Saints' more pressing needs. The defensive line was a strength of the defense with pass rushers Cameron Jordan and trey Hendrickson generating pressure from the edges. Now, the unit is looking more and more like a question mark with only Jordan remaining from the group.
The defensive line can be bolstered with the addition of the top interior defensive lineman in this class in Barmore. At 6'5, 310 pounds, he plays with a lot of power and uses his heavy hands to beat blockers. Barmore will constantly be a source of pressure from the inside. He does better in passing situations compared to the run.
He tends to play too high, which offensive linemen readily take advantage of and win the leverage battle. His technique could use some polish and he did not play that many snaps in college, but could be a nice addition to the Saints.
3. Terrace Marshall, Jr., WR, LSU
Wide receiver may not be the biggest need for New Orleans, but with Jameis Winston and gadget player Taysom Hill playing under center next season, the two could use all the help they can get. Number one wideout Michael Thomas missed significant time last season with ankle issues.
The pecking order for wide receivers varies after the top tier of LSU's Ja'Marr Chase and Alabama's Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle. With the 28th pick, the Saints front office can select Marshall.
He is an explosive athlete and has the size to be a matchup problem at 6'3, 200 pounds. Marshall has an excellent release and will not be jammed into next week by defensive backs. He does his best work on the outside.
Marshall is a fairly raw prospect and could use some more polish.
It is important to note that Minnesota's Rashod Bateman usually grades out better than Marshall. However, Bateman's playstyle is similar to Thomas, so his fit with the Saints may not be optimal.
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