Fansided

3 mistakes Saints made in NFL Draft this year

By Cole Thompson

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: A video board displays the text "ON THE CLOCK" for the New Orleans Saints during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: A video board displays the text "ON THE CLOCK" for the New Orleans Saints during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images /

2. The selection of DE Payton Turner

Payton Turner’s name began to rise up draft boards entering the final days of pre-draft prep. Considered by some a project, the former Houston star still is trying to find his footing as a well-rounded pass-rusher.

This is a stereotypical New Orleans pick, as evidenced by the 2018 trade up for defensive end Marcus Davenport. Three seasons into his time with the Saints and the jury is still out on whether he’s a solid depth piece or a full-fledged starter.

Adding a defensive end made sense considering that Trey Hendrickson left in free agency and Cam Jordan is also coming off a down season at age 32. The question is, will Turner ever transform into a top-tier pass-rusher? During his final two seasons with the Cougars, he recorded just 8.5 sacks and 18 tackles for losses.

If pass-rusher was the need, both Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari and Miami’s Gregory Rousseau are more refined at attacking the quarterback. Payton could actually turn out to be a star in Dennis Allen’s front, but for now, he’s a project. New Orleans needs plug-and-play starters, not those with immense upside.

Home/New Orleans Saints