3 worst-case scenarios for New Orleans Saints in first round of 2023 NFL Draft

Saints bad scenario No. 2: Defensive Tackle prospects go too quickly

Marcus Davenport was one of the three defensive linemen that elected to leave in free agency but the Saints never seemed to make any push to bring him back. Instead, they're ready to go with Carl Granderson and Payton Turner as the primary options across from Cameron Jordan.

As for their defensive tackles, that might not be as easy of a replacement. New Orleans lost both starters as David Onyemata signed with the Atlanta Falcons and Shy Tuttle went to the Carolina Panthers. Khalen Saunders (Kansas City Chiefs) and Nathan Shepherd (New York Jets) were added in free agency but neither are sure-fire starters in the NFL.

That means the Saints are probably hoping that a starting-caliber defensive tackle is on the board for them on either Thursday or Friday night. And typically, starting defensive tackles can be found in Round 1 or Round 2 — and some of the top nose tackles that specialize in run defense are usually there in Round 3.

In this class, however, there aren't a lot of great options at defensive tackle. That could be bad news for the Saints since it means they might find themselves reaching out of necessity should the position start to come flying off the board early. That could end up throwing a wrench in their plans.