2012 NFL Draft New Orleans Saints: Overview of Team Needs
Now that the NFL season is officially over the focus has shifted to the NFL Draft. The New Orleans Saints are still licking their wounds from their defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. Despite the disappointing end to the Saints season there is a lot to look forward to next season, particularly with the overhaul of the defensive coaching staff. The Saints probably do not want to change much on the offensive end but they could use some help defensively. Furthermore, the NFL Draft will prove to be crucial for the Saints as one of their key concerns is to solidify their roster and establish a defensive identity.
With the new coaching additions I would look for the Saints to draft some defensive players. In addition, some of the team needs that the Saints need to fill via the draft are the linebacker, cornerback, defensive tackle, wide receiver, and offensive lineman.
Linebacker: The Saints have some good linebackers in Jonathan Vilma, Jonathan Casillas, and Jo-Lonn Dunbar, but when some of these guys went down during the season the Saints defense struggled. Also, too often these linebackers are playing heavy minutes and that could be a cause of injury. I know it is the NFL and guys need to “stick it out” but if the Saints could draft a young linebacker that would help get captain Vilma and the other LBs some rest when needed and avoid injuries. Furthermore, Spagnuolo’s coaching style is based on rotation so having another linebacker to rotate would provide fresh legs for the defense.
Cornerback: The Saints top two cornerbacks are Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer, beyond that the Saints do not have much. While these two corners are some of the best in the league I think adding another corner could not hurt, especially when the team is going through a defensive makeover. I would look for the Saints to draft a corner that they can develop and give them some defensive insurance in the secondary.
Defensive Tackle: With Aubrayo Franklin and Shaun Rogers being free agents the Saints can definitely can afford to draft a defensive tackle or two. Also, there should be a good amount of defensive tackles available that can help the Saints right away. If Franklin and Rogers do decide to stay the Saints should draft a defensive tackle anyway to give them some depth at the DT position.
Wide Receiver: While I do not feel this is an immediate concern I still think the Saints can benefit from drafting a wide receiver. Marques Colston and Robert Meachem are two Saints players that are unrestricted free agents and with all of the team’s other unrestricted free agents it might be difficult to resign both players. The Saints number one priority is to resign Drew Brees, who will have a massive contract. With that said the Saints might only be able to afford to sign one of these wide receivers, Colston or Meachem. Therefore, the Saints should look to pick up a wide receiver in the draft in case they lose Colston or Meachem. Also, no matter who they draft at wide receiver Brees should be able to help develop them into a better player, just ask Jimmy Graham.
Offensive Lineman: Saints fans have to face the fact that they might lose Carl Nicks to free agency. Nicks is one of the star-studded unrestricted free agents the Saints are looking to resign. However, no one is getting signed until Brees gets his contract taken care of first as he is the most important player on the team. With that in mind, Nicks is probably the most important player on the best offensive line in the NFL. The Saints would obviously love to keep Nicks and I think Nicks wants to stay in New Orleans as well. But, the NFL is a business and money talks, so it would behoove the Saints to draft an offensive lineman for insurance just in case they lose Nicks to free agency.
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