Saints Post-2021 NFL Draft State of the Roster: Cornerbacks

The New Orleans Saints added a cornerback in the 2021 NFL Draft and it was a position that definitely needed help even though the Saints’ passing defense was one of the best in the league a year ago. The passing defense finished the season with the fifth-fewest passing yards allowed.

Here are all of the cornerbacks listed on the Saints’ roster:

• Paulson Adebo
• Ken Crawley
• Grant Haley
• Marshon Lattimore
• Patrick Robinson
• Bryce Thompson
• Lawrence Woods

The Saints added a cornerback in the draft to help give the position a boost.

Adebo was the Saints’ third-round pick and gives them a starter to add to their secondary. His addition to this roster could spell trouble for Robinson, who might be on his way out if Adebo really impresses but hopefully, the Saints keep both and try to keep their defense as strong as possible.

Lattimore is obviously going to be a starter and the Saints could be looking to extend their former first-rounder. Who Dat Dish’s own Justin Fried wrote that Lattimore is one of the four Saints who needs to be extended, as he’s been outstanding and is entering the final year of his rookie deal. The time is now for this deal to get done.

As for the rest of the depth chart:

• Crawley is entering his sixth year with the Saints and has been a nice depth piece for the team. He spent part of 2019 with the Dolphins before joining the Saints again shortly after.
• Haley is entering his fourth year in the league and second with New Orleans. He appeared in just one game last year.
• Thompson went undrafted out of Tennessee but provides some intrigue. He had eight interceptions in three years with the Volunteers.
• Woods is a small-school UDFA signing out of Truman State and he’ll definitely have an uphill battle when it comes to trying to stake out a spot on the roster.

Ideally, the Saints would still look to add another cornerback because this group doesn’t exactly instill confidence. There’s been a lot of buzz surrounding the Saints potentially signing Richard Sherman, but some other names to watch are Steven Nelson and Brian Poole, two other decent options to consider in free agency.

Sherman would take the Saints cornerback group from mediocre to one of the best in the league, so this is a deal that will hopefully get done sooner rather than later. Otherwise, the Saints will have to make do with what they have and hope that it’s enough to slow teams down.