New Orleans Saints mock draft after massive trade with Eagles
By Najy Masri
. Running Back. Gators . Dameon Pierce. 98. player. 840
Round 3: Pick 98 – Dameon Pierce, RB (Florida)
Alvin Kamara’s looming suspension leaves the Saints in a delicate position going into the 2022 season. With Mark Ingram in the last year of his contract and Tony Jones Jr. not showing much in limited regular-season action, NOLA needs to plan for the present as well as the future in getting a running back in this year’s draft.
Dameon Pierce is yet another Senior Bowl standout, who like Alvin Kamara, was underutilized in college while still being productive, averaging a touchdown every seven touches in his last season at Florida.
The selection of Pierce will give the Saints a true complement to Ingram while Kamara is suspended and would serve as an Ingram replacement for the near future, as the former Heisman Trophy winner enters the last year of his deal in his age-32 season.
Tight End. Cavaliers . Jelani Woods. 120. player. 888.
Round 4: Pick 120 – Jelani Woods, TE (Virginia)
Jelani Woods would provide the Saints with another offensive weapon in the upcoming season from the tight end position, alongside Adam Trautman and Taysom Hill. Woods posted a nearly perfect Relative Athletic Score and would elicit comparisons to another former ACC athletic tight end in Jimmy Graham.
Jelani Woods is a TE prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.97 RAS at the Combine out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 4 out of 941 TE from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/U4Ysrmq76y #RAS via @Mathbomb pic.twitter.com/ln2SC2vW0K
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 4, 2022
At 6’7″ and 259 pounds with a 4.61 40-yard time, Woods would be a nice chess piece for Pete Carmichael and the Saints.