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NFC South’s first round went well enough to worry Saints

By Dayton Brown

Sep 30, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) rushes the ball against the Washington Huskies during the second half at Husky Stadium. Washington won 44-6. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 30, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) rushes the ball against the Washington Huskies during the second half at Husky Stadium. Washington won 44-6. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Marshon Lattimore poses after being selected as the number 11 overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Marshon Lattimore poses after being selected as the number 11 overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

New Orleans Saints

Round 1, Pick 11: Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
Round 1, Pick 32: Ryan Ramczyk, OT, Wisconsin
Round 2, Pick 42: Marcus Williams, S, Utah
Round 3, Pick 67: Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee
Round 3, Pick 76: Alex Anzalone, LB, Florida
Round 3, Pick 103: Trey Hendrickson, LB, Florida Atlantic
Round 6, Pick 196: Al-Quadin Muhammad, DE, Miami

A 4th losing season may spell the end for this Saints dynasty. Head coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis are far too talented and intelligent to let it happen again. Their first needs were defensive, next were surrounding aging quarterback Drew Brees. It seems as though Payton, Loomis, assistant GM Jeff Ireland and every other front office personnel had a game plan for the draft and executed it to near-perfection.

Not only did New Orleans address every need, they acquired some cherries on top as well. Lattimore, easily the highest-graded and safest cornerback in this draft, was somehow still available when the Saints were on the clock at 11. Lattimore was an absolute gift, and he’ll play huge minutes right away. He could potentially start right away as well and help the Saints get turnovers and stops after years of not getting too many of either.

Williams also looks to create turnovers as an athletic and ball hawking safety. Anzalone, Hendrickson and Muhammad address New Orleans’ pass rush needs (somewhat) for a fraction of the price. Kamara was an absolute steal as well in the third round, as his role will be to provide Reggie Bush/Darren Sproles-type production and style for Brees and the offense. Saints fans are, and should be, ecstatic after this draft. On the surface, it seems to give the Saints a very large extra push towards competing for it all.

As great as the Saints’ draft was, every other team in their division also took care of major business.

An already highly competitive division just got even better, younger and more exciting. The NFC South-NFC Champion trend could continue through any four of these teams, especially Tampa Bay and New Orleans.

Don’t doubt these four teams. Buckle up, fans around the world. It will be a battle to the end.

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