Saints must have defensive-minded focus in 2021 NFL Draft
The New Orleans Saints lost more on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, and they’ll need to use their extra draft picks in the 2021 NFL Draft to reload their talent defensively.
That’s not to say New Orleans didn’t lose some firepower offensively as well. Sadly, the Saints had to let go of several high-impact players that played on both sides of the ball, but the defense took the bigger blows.
Despite the New Orleans Saints losing future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees, they need to focus on defense in the 2021 NFL Draft.
On the defensive end, it was a brutal amount of players that helped them get to 12 wins a season ago and won’t be back to repeat that success. Janoris Jenkins, Kwon Alexander, Sheldon Rankins, Trey Hendrickson, Alex Anzalone, and the list goes on.
Just about every positional group was impacted outside of safety, which the Saints were forced to use most of the cap space they were able to free to franchise tag Marcus Williams. Safety is about the only defensive position that they’ll be just fine at.
Jenkins, Alexander, Hendrickson, and Rankins will deal huge blows to this team, but at least some of that talent can return in the draft.
Adding a No. 2 cornerback will be the most important issue for this team to address. While Hendrickson and Alexander will have big-time roles to fill, Marcus Davenport and Zach Baun should be able to step up in their absence.
On the offensive end, there are really only two areas the team should address, and even those aren’t overly important and can be passed to younger, up-and-coming talents. The Saints need to look into adding a veteran No. 2 wide receiver and potentially a versatile lineman.
They’d be replacing Emmanuel Sanders and Nick Easton, both players that were cap casualties for New Orleans. With Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara prevalent in the offense, adding more weapons shouldn’t be a focal point.
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Replacing offensive talent lost would be a huge mistake. Their first-round pick needs to be a cornerback or defensive tackle. If those issues aren’t taken seriously, expect this team to struggle immensely on the defensive end next season.