Officially, I have gone through every single prospect the New Orleans Saints can realistically select at the top of the draft. So, with that being the case, I’m going to focus on the second round is this edition.
With their win against the Carolina Panthers, the Saints are now slated to select at pick #2 in the first round, and in the second round, their projected pick is #36.
After the Saints traded away Rashid Shaheed at the deadline, WR became a much bigger need, and the Saints need more contested catch threats in that room. Here enters Jakobi Lane. At USC, Lane is a premier pass catcher who can make spectacular catches look easy. He can adjust to any throw and box out defenders to make a catch. He is the perfect redzone threat and is actually pretty good running after the catch. His most significant issue is going to be separation, but that won’t be what the Saints need him for.
As I mentioned, the Saints are missing size in the WR room. Yes, Devaughn Vele would be a bit of a similar receiver, but Lane has the top-end potential to be a WR1 in the league. Still, it’s more realistic for him to be WR2, which is the perfect opposite of Chris Olave.
This is a bit of a new name to the second round, but CB Chris Jonson deserves it. This season, Johnson has been a playmaker all over the field, with three interceptions, six pass deflections, and one forced fumble. His strength lies in zone coverage, where he is highly talented at reading the play and breaking up the catch. Man coverage is not his strong suit, but that is fine for what the Saints would be drafting him for. Perhaps my favorite part of his game actually comes from special teams, where he is a difference-maker.
Zone coverage is a staple of the Saints’ defense, but the issue is that most of the Saints’ CBs are not great in that area. It is a personnel issue right now, and with Alontae Taylor possibly leaving in free agency, New Orleans will need another CB before next season starts.