2017 NFL Draft: New Orleans Saints final grade
By John Buhler
The New Orleans Saints lucked into grabbing cornerback Marshon Lattimore at No. 11 in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Here’s the Saints’ draft grade.
The New Orleans Saints were one of a few teams that had more than one first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. They used their No. 11 overall pick on Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Marshon Lattimore and the No. 32 overall pick that they got from the New England Patriots was used on Wisconsin Badgers offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk.
It was nice to see the Saints address non-sexy position groups with their first-round picks. Cornerbacks are fast, but not the attention grabbers of wide receivers. Keeping Drew Brees upright for as long as possible was definitely a smart move.
Did the Saints stay smart through the entire 2017 NFL Draft or did they do some dumb things in days two and three? Here is New Orleans’ 2017 NFL Draft grade.
First Round
Marshon Lattimore
Cornerback, Ohio State Buckeyes
Lattimore falling to the Saints at No. 11 was one of the most shocking revelations of Thursday night in Philadelphia. He could have gone as high as No. 3 to the Chicago Bears, but Mitchell Trubisky was the guy that they Shamlessly moved up for like Gallaghers.
Getting a talent in the defensive backfield as gifted as Lattimore is a stroke of good fortune for the Saints. That being said, he has a terrifying track record with his hamstrings. Lattimore has had surgery on his hamstrings. He’s not even in his mid-20s yet. Plus, can we really trust the Saints defensive coaching staff to put its star cornerback in a position to succeed? There is a lot to like about the player, but a lot to question about the landing spot for him in New Orleans.
Ryan Ramczyk
Offensive Tackle, Wisconsin Badgers
This was an embarrassingly weak offensive line class. However, the Saints needed help up front and didn’t reach for Ramczyk. Having him fall to them at No. 32 looks to be one of the better value picks New Orleans will have made in the draft. Anything to help Brees play forever is a good thing for the Saints.
If New Orleans is banking on Ramczyk being a franchise left tackle, then the Saints wasted money. If they are cool with him in multiple positions up front, then they might have gotten something pretty good at the end of round one.