The Athletic’s Dane Brugler is one of the most clued-in analysts covering the NFL draft, so it’s important to pay attention to the players he links to the New Orleans Saints. And Brugler recently published an extensive seven-round mock draft that put a couple of new names on our radar (while reinforcing the consensus that’s starting to build surrounding some early-round prospects).
Let’s quickly break down the picks and see how each prospect would fit in New Orleans:
Round 1, Pick 29: DT Mazi Smith, Michigan
Smith has become something of a consensus pick for the Saints in recent mock drafts, but it remains to be seen how highly they’ll value a player better known for his run-stopping ability than his pass-rush contributions this early on draft day. Brugler’s take on the match:
One of the more well-traveled prospects over the last month, Smith has visited more than half the teams in the league, including the Saints. New Orleans has several question marks on defense, starting up front, but Smith would help solve those issues from Day One.
Round 2, Pick 40: WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
Hyatt has also been a popular pick for the Saints in the second round. He’d add more playmaking ability as a vertical threat to the offense, though the Saints already have a couple players who can do that well in Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. But you can never have enough speedsters. Hyatt is going to need to expand his route tree in the NFL so it’s a good thing the Saints hired his old college coach Kodi Burns.
Round 3, Pick 71: DE Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame
Foskey has been pretty badly underrated in this draft class as other edge players without as much production climb the board thanks to their workouts and NFL teams projecting what they might do at the next level. He isn’t as flexible in his lower body as some of his peers, but Foskey checks every box and looks like someone with a high floor. The Saints need another defensive end after they let Marcus Davenport leave in free agency.
Round 4, Pick 115: RB DeWayne McBride, UAC
McBride was a very effective runner in college, but he has almost no experience on passing downs — just 130 snaps in pass protection over the last three years, with 5 career receptions (off of 10 targets). His third-down contributions are almost entirely projection. But he runs very well and the Saints need to reinforce their depth chart at running back. They’ve done a lot of work on the position, including hosting McBride at the team facility.
Round 5, Pick 146: OG Sidy Sow, Eastern Michigan
Here’s a new name. Sow stands 6-foot-4, 324 pounds and brings 33.6-inch arms, so he might be long enough to play left tackle in the NFL (where he lined up on 587 career snaps in college) but he’s probably at his best staying at left guard (3,033 snaps). He was bigger and faster than anyone he faced at Eastern Michigan and played really well against a lower level of competition. He would be a good pick at this point in the draft. He has the movement skills the Saints value, as seen in his 9.72 Relative Athletic Score. Brugler’s take:
For a team looking for guard depth in the middle rounds, Sow would be the player I’d target. I’ll bet on the Canadian native’s play strength and movement skills as foundational traits for the next level.
Round 5, Pick 165: TE Payne Durham, Purdue
Durham isn’t a great fit for the Saints, between his modest receiving numbers (56 receptions for 560 yards and 8 touchdown catches last year) and middling Relative Athletic Score of 6.58. He does have ample experience as a blocker with 762 career run-blocking snaps and that’s probably his path to earning minutes in the NFL. How big of an upgrade can he be over Adam Trautman in that role?
Round 7, Pick 227: DE Mike Morris, Michigan
Morris is a tough evaluation. He only had one year of serious college production (racking up 37 pressures last season, with 7.5 sacks in 12 games) and he’s a low-end NFL athlete with a 4.78 Relative Athletic Score at 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, with 33.5-inch arms. That isn’t a great recipe for success. He has the size the Saints look for but not the speed, and his limited college experience makes it tough to forecast his pro potential.
Round 7, Pick 257: LB Isaiah Land, Florida A&M
Land fits what the Saints look for across the board (6-foot-3, 236 pounds with 32.5-inch arms and a 4.62-second time in the 40-yard dash), though his agility drill results are a little beneath their usual standards. He’s also going to be playing more of an off-ball linebacker role in the NFL rather than lining up with his hand in the dirt as a defensive end. But he was very disruptive with 42 career tackles for loss and 28.5 sacks in just 30 games against FCS competition.
Analysis
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- 1 (29): Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
- 2 (40): Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
- 3 (71): Isaiah Foskey, Edge, Notre Dame
- 4 (115): DeWayne McBride, RB, UAB
- 5 (146): Sidy Sow, G, Eastern Michigan
- 5 (165): Payne Durham, TE, Purdue
- 7 (227): Mike Morris, DL, Michigan
- 7 (257): Isaiah Land, LB, Florida A&M
There’s a lot to like here. Smith, Hyatt, and Foskey can immediately contribute (as can McBride if Alvin Kamara is suspended for multiple games). Sow could compete for a starting job next season if Andrus Peat or Cesar Ruiz don’t return. Durham and Morris don’t quite fit what the Saints usually value in the later rounds, and Land has a tough transition ahead of him, but it’s really tough to criticize late-round picks that deeply. If the Saints can look back on this draft in a few years and see three starters and three or four prominent backups, it’s a success.
