The New Orleans Saints find themselves within the muddy middle of the NFL. They are not necessarily close to being a true contender in the NFC. But at the same time, they are still far from the bottom of the league. During the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, the Saints will look to address a plethora of holes. Some of those, including in the trenches, are quite obvious as the selections near.
With the trenches in mind, we will focus on the defensive end/EDGE defender spot, as well as the offensive line in today’s piece. From the defensive side, New Orleans has continued to take swings of the bat at EDGE defender for years. It just has not panned out, with Payton Turner being the latest disappointment. Elsewhere, Cam Jordan is not going to be around forever, despite his stellar career. On the offensive line, Trevor Penning has failed as a first-round pick. Meanwhile, stud blocker Ryan Ramczyk is dealing with injury concerns.
Who are some prospects that could fit those needs for the Saints in round one? Assuming they choose to address one of those spots, which player is the best fit for New Orleans, far and away? Let’s kick it off.
How Top EDGE Defenders Could Fit With Saints
Dallas Turner
The main positives from Dallas Turner are his explosiveness, quickness as a pass rusher and length. By all accounts, if the Saints were to add Turner, he may be the best speed option New Orleans has had at pass rusher in quite some time. His hand counter moves and ability to play the run will be a work in progress. But just with what he adds initially in first step explosiveness, that would be a different stylistic complement to Jordan than what the Saints have largely gone with.
Jared Verse
Jared Verse wins off of instincts, combative hands and adequate movement skills. He may not have the exact mass that New Orleans has typically gone after. But compared to Turner, Verse fits the build more for what the Saints have previously looked for. Verse is probably best suited as a defensive end in a 4-3 defensive scheme at the NFL level. Overall, the Saints have run that scheme the last couple of years. Verse would maintain the play style that this New Orleans team is accustomed to.
Laiatu Latu
Out of all three of these pass rushers, you could argue that Laiatu Latu is the most polished and technically refined. You can visually see the adjustments and plans of attack that he incorporates into each pass rush plan. His hand usage and ability to convert speed to power is unique among this draft class. Simply put, blockers had a challenging time of getting their arms fully extended against him. His polished game could offset the power and physicality of the rest of the Saints defensive line greatly.
Final Verdict
For my money, it comes down to Verse or Latu for the Saints. If New Orleans opts to go edge defender in round one once again, which flavor are they going with? Do they stick with the style they are used to, in Verse? Or, could the Saints look for a different skill set to instill in the pass rush group? If I had to choose one, give me Verse for the New Orleans defense in this spot. The Saints would be getting someone who can offer solid run defense, beyond his pass rush skills. New Orleans may also look for Verse to be the perfect kind of player to essentially receive a passing of the torch from Jordan.
How Offensive Tackles Could Fit With Saints
Barring a surprise, it would be a bit far-fetched to think that Notre Dame’s Joe Alt would last long enough for the Saints to take him. We will not be including him on this list, with the expectation that he will be going too early for New Orleans’ draft range. As a result, there are five other offensive tackles that we will focus on for the Saints.
Taliese Fuaga
The name of the game with Taliese Fuaga is power and aggressiveness. He may not always lock his hands into the chest of the opposition. Though, his ability to displace and drive defenders off of their spot is tantalizing. There is also a smoothness to his hand placement. All told, Fuaga may offer the same baseline skill set that the Saints thought they were getting in Penning, with perhaps a higher ceiling.
Olu Fashanu
Olu Fashanu may not jump out with anything flashy, per se. However, the Penn State product is more precise and consistent with his fundamentals. Items like footwork, body positioning and hand placement seem to look the same from snap to snap. If anything, the hand timing could be a slight area of improvement. But if the Saints want a blocker who is more fundamentally sound, Fashanu is their guy.
Troy Fautanu
Similar to Fuaga, Troy Fautanu can be a feisty blocker who is not afraid to get in the opponent’s face. He is an absolute road grader in the run game. On top of that, Fautanu has the versatility that is coveted by NFL teams, having experience at tackle and guard. His mix of anchor and athleticism is such a benefit, compared to other blockers in this class. If anything, more polish in hand technique may be necessary. But for the Saints, he could improve many weaknesses upfront.
JC Latham
JC Latham offers unbelievable size as a blocker. But even with that frame, the Alabama product maintains adequate pad level and balance. He is able to keep a solid angle and body positioning, with help of impressive footwork at his size. And most of all, his power and hand pop may be the most explosive of the top group of offensive tackles. The Saints could quickly frustrate opposing defenders with Latham’s grip strength.
Amarius Mims
Obviously, the lack of experience is a question mark for Amarius Mims. But with his gargantuan size and length, the Saints may see him as an ideal developmental piece. His hand technique and strength are already key components of his success. Can he improve, in terms of movement skills and footwork? If so, the Saints may find Mims as a rare prospect in this offensive tackle class.
Final Verdict
There are many different skill sets to look into among this group. Quite frankly, the New Orleans Saints probably should not be choosy in finding another option at offensive tackle. But if we had to pick the best option for them, it likely comes down to Fuaga or Fashanu. Fuaga’s aggressiveness and power or Fashanu’s fundamentally sound game is the determining factor. Given the pieces on the current Saints offense, Fuaga is who projects as the more seamless fit for New Orleans.
More must-reads: