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2018 NFL Draft: Biggest need for each team

By Conor Dorney

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell speaks during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 27: Commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell speaks during the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 02: Oklahoma Sooners tight end Mark Andrews (#81) runs up field 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)
ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 02: Oklahoma Sooners tight end Mark Andrews (#81) runs up field 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) /

New Orleans Saints: Tight end

Perhaps no team nailed their 2017 draft class quite like the New Orleans Saints. First-round picks Marshon Lattimore and Ryan Ramczyk both were integral parts of their respective units, third-round pick Alvin Kamara electrified the Saints’ backfield en route to NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. With Drew Brees now re-upped for two more seasons, Sean Payton and company should turn to improving the tight end position in this year’s draft.

The Saints’ offense was at its best in recent years when Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston provided massive targets in the red zone, but it’s an area that has been lacking as of late. Josh Hill and Colby Fleener have been nothing to write home about and adding a true number one threat at tight end would add yet another gear to an already-solid New Orleans offensive attack.

There were rumors that the team would look to bring back Jimmy Graham in free agency, but after Graham signed with the Packers, the Saints must now turn to the draft to add another pass-catching tight end. The team has met with several tight ends already during the draft process, including Oklahoma’s Mark Andrews, Notre Dame’s Durham Smythe, and Tennessee’s Ethan Wolf.

New Orleans could very well be a viable landing spot for two of the top players in the class, South Dakota State’s Dallas Goedert and Penn State’s Mike Gesicki. Both possess the size and speed that would make Drew Brees and company even more dangerous in the red zone.

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