NFL Mock Draft: Post-Divisional Round shakeups

Shaq Lawson. 12. player. 15. <p>The New Orleans Saints feel like a team that is stuck in purgatory. Even worse, they have the feel that they’ll be there for a long time. A myriad of backlogged contracts and risky deals have made them a cap nightmare. If they were winning that wouldn’t be too bad, but this is a team that has underperformed for several seasons now.</p> <p>It’s been a slow decline for Sean Payton, but the team has made a decision to give things one more go-round between the head coach and quarterback Drew Brees. Quite frankly, 2016 could be the last rodeo for both individuals down in NOLA.</p> <p>And while the Saints have a ton of needs, for the billionth (slight exaggeration) year in a row they desperately require some help on defense. Enter this year’s pick, Shaq Lawson.</p> <p>Lawson is a whole lotta man. Moreover, he anchored one of the nation’s best defenses while at Clemson and ranked fifth in total sacks for the year (12.5). At 6’3, 270 lbs he’s a load off the end. Even better for New Orleans is that Lawson is just now starting to harness his potential. His sack number jumped by nine and he more than doubled his total tackles for a loss between 2014 and 2015 (25.5 this past year). He’s active enough to disrupt the run game, and carries a really high ceiling.</p>. DL. Clemson