3 mistakes Saints made in NFL Draft this year

1. Waiting until Round 7 to draft a wide receiver

The 2021 class was truly a special one when it came to wide receiver. Any team who did not reach for a pass catcher on Day 1 certainly would’ve found a star on Day 2.

Emmanuel Sanders was released, Michael Thomas might no longer wish to be on the franchise and Tre’Quan Smith has shown to be a stable No. 3. You’d figure New Orleans would consider drafting a receiver in the first three rounds, right?

Wrong. They waited until the final pick to take Baker from South Alabama. Sure, he recorded 51 catches for 659 yards with eight touchdowns in 2020, but seventh-round picks aren’t Week 1 starters on most occasions.

Thomas and Smith are guaranteed to start on the outside, but who is the No. 3 option now? Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harris have been best-used as the No. 4 in an empty backfield set. Adam Trautman might help some as the new No. 1 tight end, but a name like UCF’s Jacob Harris in Round 4 or Houston’s Marquez Stevenson would have been high-end backups that could be starters by the season’s end.

Alvin Kamara is about to win some fantasy league as New Orleans’ lead runner, but also likely the No. 2 target in passing.