3 players the Saints could and maybe should have drafted in the first round

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

Going into the offseason the biggest need that the New Orleans Saints had was a wide receiver. After Michael Thomas caught over 40% of Drew Brees’ passes last year, that first stated fact was made evident to the team.

Therefore, there was much speculation about the Saints going with a wide receiver in the first round. Brandon Aiyuk wasn’t a front-runner at the beginning of the offseason. However, at the time of the draft, Aiyuk was a top-five wide receiver prospect despite some injury history.

He was a prospect on all Saints fans’ minds.

However, the team reached out and signed former San Francisco 49ers receiver Emmanuel Sanders. At that point is when the team shifted its focus to other positions, as we noted the shift when towards offensive lineman.

Sanders might not be a long term solution though, they still could have used a wide receiver to solidify the future. Coincidentally, Aiyuk ended up being drafted the position right after the Saints draft slot to the Niners.