NOLA Saints 7-Round Mock Draft: Offense biggest priority
Tigers . Calvin Austin III. 98. player. 858. . Wide Receiver
Round 3: Pick 98 – Calvin Austin III, WR (Memphis)
Waiting until the third round of the draft would be a risky move for the Saints considering how bad the position has been for them this year but adding an offensive tackle and a quarterback made sense with who was remaining on the board at those respective picks.
New Orleans might not add a wideout until the third round but they manage to find a decent option in Calvin Austin III out of Memphis. The Tiger has had over 1,000 yards receiving the past two years including grabbing 74 receptions for 1,149 yards in the 2021 season.
The Saints will hopefully get a fully healthy Michael Thomas back for the 2022 season and Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey showed they’re good enough to be WR3/4/5 options for this offense. All they need now is a solid WR2 option and Austin could be that guy.
Tight End. Bearcats . Josh Whyle. 99. player. 830.
Round 3: Pick 99 – Josh Whyle, TE (Cincinnati)
One pick after addressing the wide receiver spot, the Saints move to filling the tight end position. Adam Trautman hasn’t looked good in his two years with the team and while Juwan Johnson has shown flashes here and there, it hasn’t been enough to commit to him long-term.
Josh Whyle was one of Desmond Ridder’s favorite red-zone targets this past season, finding the end zone six times while hauling in a total of 26 catches for 332 yards. The Saints need a tight end who their quarterback can look for in the red zone and Whyle would be that guy.