3 positions the NOLA Saints should target on Day 2 of 2022 NFL Draft
By Najy Masri
Defensive Tackle
Defensive tackle remains a position of need for New Orleans, with David Onyemata in the final year of his contract and no true starter opposite him.
The Saints shrewdly signed former San Francisco DT Kentavius Street in free agency, who along with several undrafted free agent defensive tackles led by Shy Tuttle, comprise the rest of the interior New Orleans defensive line.
The following defensive tackles would look good in black and gold next season.
- Travis Jones (Connecticut)
- DeMarvin Leal (Texas A&M)
- Phidarian Mathis (Alabama)
Jones, while not quite as massive as Jordan Davis, could provide a similar run defense gap tackle as well as keeping interior lineman from reaching standout LB Demario Davis. Some experts thought Jones could sneak into the latter part of round 1 and New Orleans could easily use his skillset on its defense.
Leal and Mathis both were standouts in the SEC this past season. Leal would provide New Orleans with an interior pass rush while Mathis, like Jones, would be more of a two-gap run stuffer on the Saints defense.