NFL.com mock draft has New Orleans Saints taking Henry Ruggs III

The New Orleans Saints have several areas of interest in the 2020 NFL Draft, and they solve a big one in a recent NFL.com mock.

Cornerback, wide receiver and offensive line are all areas the New Orleans Saints should address in the upcoming. What we don’t know is what order they’ll prioritize the three areas. Who knows if they’ll even use the 24th pick on one of the three.

Some mock drafts have them taking a Drew Brees‘ heir while others have them focusing on a cornerback. However, a recent mock draft from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has the Saints selecting Henry Ruggs III.

“Ruggs will come into the NFL as one of the fastest players in the game. He can take the top off defenses or hurt them on catch-and-runs,” Lance Zierlein said of the star Alabama wide receiver who will be leaving after his junior season.

Per most mock drafts, Zierlein has Joe Burrow going No. 1 and Chase Young at No. 2. They also have Ruggs III’s teammates, Jerry Jeudy and Tua Tagovailoa, also being selected in the top 15 picks.

As for Ruggs, the 6-foot, 190-pound receiver had a second solid season. Although Alabama didn’t accomplish all they wanted to, Ruggs performed well, totaling over 700 yards, taking his two-year total to over 1,400.

Ruggs is a speedster, and while the Saints do have Michael Thomas, they received little production behind him. If they can re-sign cornerback Eli Apple at a team-friendly price, they can truly hone in on the wide receiver position.

There’s no reason to look elsewhere as many of the league’s top free agents will either be overpaid or are aging and high risk. With Clemson’s Tee Higgins just a few selections higher, the first round of the 2020 draft could boast a plethora of top-tier talent out wide.

The Saints need a receiver, and it’ll truly boil down to who is still on the board at No. 24 and if they value that player over the top talent at other positions.