Saints plug holes in NFL Draft

Rainey makes his collegiate choice
May 2, 2018
Tarpons among locals still alive in State Title hunt
May 2, 2018
Rainey makes his collegiate choice
May 2, 2018
Tarpons among locals still alive in State Title hunt
May 2, 2018

It’s a tradition as true as time.

The New Orleans Saints evaluate college players, find one they like, zero in on him during the draft, then trade up and get him.


That’s been a staple of the Sean Payton/Mickey Loomis tenure – so much so that Loomis admitted last week that it’s the team’s “preference” to be aggressive and trade up to make a pick.

It happened again last week.

And fans of the Black and Gold are hopeful that the target will be a game-changing player – the type of guy who can put New Orleans over the top in their quest to win the Super Bowl.


The Saints picked seven players in this past weekend’s NFL Draft – a mix of both offensive and defensive players which rounded out the holes the team has in its depth chart before starting mini-camps in the coming weeks.

The lead draftee was defensive end Marcus Davenport, which New Orleans traded up to select with the No. 14 overall pick.

A rush-end out of UT-San Antonio, Davenport had 8.5 sacks last season and was widely regarded as one of the best defensive ends in the draft by analysts.


The Saints hope that’s the case, because they gave up a lot to get him – namely their first-round pick this year and also next year, which went to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for the No. 14 pick.

But Saints coach Sean Payton said he doesn’t think the price is ever too high if you’re going to make a trade for an impactful player – something he believes Davenport is.

“Marcus was obviously a player that we targeted and had spent some time with,” Payton said. “We just didn’t know at what point in the draft that we’d felt that he was going to be taken – specifically in the first round. Like every year, we’ve discussed who were the players that we’d move forward for. And he clearly for us was a guy that we felt strongly enough about.”


And with good reason.

Davenport fills a need for the Saints opposite Cam Jordan, who is one of the top defensive ends in the NFL.

Davenport has great size, standing almost 6-feet, 6-inches. He weighs a lanky 264 pounds – a frame which looks like it can comfortably carry more weight in the future.


He is powerful enough to play run downs, but also quick enough to be an elite pass rusher, having a recorded time of 4.6 in the 40-yard dash at workouts.

Davenport has ties to Louisiana. His father is from New Orleans.

He said that the chance to be a Saint is something that he always wanted. He called New Orleans one of the teams that was on his short list of favorites – places he wished he’d be picked before the draft.


He said he plans to meet with Jordan at mini-camp and immediately begin learning from the dominant defensive presence.

“I want to get there and soak up the knowledge to get better,” Davenport said.

But while Davenport was the big fish New Orleans caught, he wasn’t the only one. The team got six other players who hope to make the roster in 2018.


New Orleans drafted Central Florida receiver Tre’Quan Smith in the third round of the draft – a guy who will have a chance to compete for immediate playing time in the Saints’ pass-happy offense.

Smith, a 6-foot, 2-inch target, caught 54 passes for 1,082 yards and 13 scores last year for a Central Florida team which went undefeated and claimed themselves national champions.

Loomis said Smith was a guy the Saints graded higher than the third round – a player who can help the team win.


“He has good size. He has decent speed,” Loomis said. “What we like about him is he is a really smart player. He’s really tough and he’s been very productive.”

In the fourth round, New Orleans beefed up its offensive line, selecting offensive tackle Rick Leonard, from Florida State.

He will have a chance to replace Zach Strief, who retired after the season.


In the late rounds on Saturday, the Saints picked four players, including two with Louisiana ties.

In the fifth round, the team picked Wisconsin safety Natrell Jamerson and in the sixth round, they snagged Boston College cornerback Kamrin Moore – two guys who will add depth to the team’s youthful secondary.

In their final two picks, New Orleans shopped local, picking Louisiana Tech running back Boston Scott in the late-sixth round, then LSU offensive guard Will Clapp in the seventh.


Scott rushed for 937 yards and 8 touchdowns last year for the Bulldogs, while Clapp was a utility lineman who played all over the field for the Tigers.

Both guys will likely face long odds to make the 53-man roster, but each can make the practice squad if they impress the team in training camp.

Sean Payton


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