2018 NFL mock draft: Baker Mayfield heads to Jets

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ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 02: Oklahoma Sooners defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (#31) rushes the quarterback during the Big 12 Championship game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the TCU Horned Frogs on December 2, 2017 at AT&T Stadiu in Arlington, Texas. Oklahoma won the game 41-17. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

player. 15. . Edge. Oklahoma. Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. 27

The New Orleans Saints finally won more than seven games this season, which they had not been able to do over the last three seasons. Instead of making star quarterback Drew Brees throw the ball 50 times a day, the Saints utilized a running game in 2017, as their two-headed monster of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram set the NFC on fire. The Saints also were much-improved on defense, especially the play of rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who became a leader in the secondary.

Heading into next season, the Saints need to continue to get better on the defensive side of the ball. They made serious strides in 2017, and bringing in a player to help with the pass rush may be the way to go come draft time. Oklahoma’s Ogbonnia Okoronkwo is a player who really turned heads during the Senior Bowl, and should hear his name called in the first round in April.

Okoronkwo can do a lot of things on a football field, and he stood out as a man amongst boys during the Senior Bowl. If the Saints continue to build up their defense, and pound the ball with Kamara and Ingram, they should be a force in the NFC for years to come. They have to lock up Brees this offseason, but both sides want that to happen, as they continue to build themselves back up into a Super Bowl contender.

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