The thing about the NFL Draft is fan reaction to the pick is largely dependent on who is on the board. There's many New Orleans Saints fans who would be happy with the selection of wide receiver Carnell Tate in isolation. That number would dwindle if Tate's teammate Caleb Downs and edge rusher David Bailey was on the board.
The board set up well for the Saints in Pro Football Focus' Gordon McGuinness' mock draft. The way the picks played out, they saw three players who very well could be off the board before the Saints are on the clock still available to be chosen.
McGuinness could only go with one, and he saw Tate as best choice. It's hard to argue either of them as the pick, but Tate seems like the least likely selection here, due to the available options.
Saints would be forced into the best dilemma possible
Tate versus Bailey could simply come down to which position do you find more valuable. Wide receiver and edge rusher are both premier positions on their side of the ball. The question is more direct from a Saints perspective. Is it more important to get another weapon for Tyler Shough to throw to, or do the Saints need to find another pass rusher to get after the quarterback?
The Saints are in pretty similar positions in each room. Chase Young leads the pass rushers, and Chris Olave leads the pass catchers. Behind them it's question marks. Devaughn Vele showed some flashes, but needs to show consistency. You'd also like to have more than two receivers to count on. As it currently stands, Cam Jordan isn't on the team. That's 10.5 sacks and strong run defense the Saints will have to count on.
Addressing each position is important, and if there is a talented prospect at both positions with the Saints on the clock, it's a great problem to have. It's hard to say which has the advantage, but the top edge rushers are expected to be off the board. Wide receiver is also one of the deeper positions. It just feels like a recipe to go Bailey over Tate.
The argument in favor of Downs is different than Bailey. When it comes down to Downs, it's simply player to player. Downs is a difficult player to pass up on, and if he was viewed as highly as a pass rusher as he is as a safety, Downs would be a shoe in for the second overall pick.
You could make a strong argument that there's not a better player for the Saints to pick at eighth overall than Downs. Even if one of the top three edge rushers were left on the board, it may be difficult to turn down the opportunity to land Downs. He's a prospect that defies conversations of positional value, and it's hard to see the Saints passing on Downs in favor of Tate. If they did, let's just say the reaction would be less than pleasant from Saints fans.