New Orleans Saints Mock Draft Roundup 2.0

Shades of the 2021 NFL Draft, when Travis Etienne and Najee Harris went back-to-back late in the first round. Gibbs has Kamara-like explosiveness and receiving capabilities.

Bresee is coming off a tough season -- he recorded just 3.5 sacks and dealt with a kidney infection and the death of his sister -- but we can see the talent on the tape. At 6-6 and 298 pounds, he displays great upper-body strength and quick hands. I like the fit as a run-plugger in the middle of the Saints' defense, replacing free agent David Onyemata. The Saints' run D gave up 4.5 yards per carry last season, which ranked 20th.

Smith only performed the bench press in Indianapolis, tossing up the bar 34 times -- the highest total for any defender at this year's combine. But that's just the beginning, as he'll blow the doors off of testing at his pro day. For a team in need of DT help, this is a slam-dunk pick.

The Saints need to address the defensive line this offseason, and the draft might be their best chance to do that. At 6-5 and 298 pounds, Bresee has the size and athletic profile that will interest New Orleans. His tape is inconsistent, but injuries and personal circumstances are the main reasons for that.

New Orleans picked up this peripatetic pick by letting Payton go to Denver. Murphy totaled 18½ sacks and 36 TFLs in three seasons in Death Valley and should be an every-down player. And with this D-line set to lose David Onyemata, Marcus Davenport and Shy Tuttle, Murphy would provide welcome support to aging DE Cam Jordan, 33, and possibly serve as his eventual successor. Murphy didn't work out at the combine but should at Clemson's pro day next week.

The Saints land a pass rusher that has talent and upside to develop. Myles Murphy did not work at the combine, so his pro day will be very important to showcase his abilities.

The New Orleans Saints have already benefitted on two fronts this offseason.

First, they landed a first-round pick when the Denver Broncos signed former head coach Sean Payton. Previously, New Orleans lacked draft capital, particularly in the first round, after it traded up last year for wide receiver Chris Olave.

Secondly, Derek Carr's addition after his release by the Las Vegas Raiders addressed the team's biggest need. With quarterback now settled, the Saints can build the rest of the roster.

The defensive front would be a good starting point.

"The Saints have two very big needs heading into this draft: defensive line help and pass-rushers," Holder said. "They can obtain both with one selection. Pittsburgh's Calijah Kancey is one of the quickest and best pass-rushing tackles in the class. He even broke Aaron Donald's record for the fastest 40-yard dash among defensive tackles at the combine with a blazing 4.67-second effort."

Despite his obvious upfield explosiveness and pass-rush potential, Kancey is severely undersized at 281 pounds with 30⅝-inch arms. He could struggle to hold the point of attack and become a three-down defender.

In the short term, Kancey would help in sub-packages to take pressure off the team's primary pass-rusher, Cameron Jordan.

The Saints could use a little help with their linebacker group and with their pass rush, so let's help them out with Simpson, who can do all kinds of freaky athletic things when he's off-ball, and can also get to the quarterback from wide alignments on the line. Last season, Simpson had two sacks, three quarterback hits, and 11 quarterback hurries in just 109 pass-rushing reps, and he played credibly from the line to the box to the slot. The only risk for Simpson is if he goes to a team that doesn't understand how best to utilize his versatility; we'll post a bit of faith in head coach and defensive mind Dennis Allen in this case.

Gibbs has drawn a lot of comparisons to Alvin Kamara, and that type of player would work well for the Saints.

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