Could New Orleans fill a glaring need with a fast, intelligent, and ferocious safety from the Florida A&M Rattlers' program in Markquese Bell? I believe the answer is "yes."
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The New Orleans Saints signed Marcus Maye to fill the void left by Marcus Williams. Maye can be interchangeable as a free safety and strong safety - the latter is his strength.
Malcolm Jenkins hung up his cleats and left New Orleans with Marcus Maye, CJ Gardner-Johnson, PJ Williams, and Daniel Sorenson at the safety position. The veteran Sorenson doesn't project to be a long-term answer for the team.
In addition, CJ Gardner-Johnson excels at the nickel position, and PJ Williams is better suited in a backup-free safety role for Dennis Allen's defense.
How will the Saints address the voids left by Jenkins or Williams?
The answer could be in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft with
an outstanding prospect from Florida A&M, safety Markquese Bell. Bell has been catching the eyes of NFL scouts as of late.
Markquese Bell is someone who caught my eyes late, but I was sold on Bell after his performance against Jackson State in the Orange Blossom Classic.
Bell is someone that can come in and start right away and fill that void that Marcus Williams left. Bell, like Marcus Maye, can play both safety positions.
How Does Bell Fit The Saints' Defense?
Why does Bell fit the New Orleans Saints' defense? In two words, he's intelligent and gritty.
If you watch Bell's film, you will notice he has tremendous downhill speed, and he can fill the gaps on those safety blitzes quite well.
When scouting Markquese Bell, I found a player comparison to a younger Malcolm Jenkins, with a bit of Quandre Diggs, and a touch of Minkah Fitzpatrick. His aggressive style of play perfectly fits the Saints' defense.
Today, Bell is considered one of the top-rated safeties in the draft on that RAS Score scale. He impressed many scouts after running a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine — he one of four HBCU players invited. He's 6-3, 205 pounds, and can leap 36.5 inches. You would have to believe in Dennis Allen's system that Bell would get stronger, faster, and better as a safety.
New Orleans assistant general manager Jeff Ireland oversees the college scouting process and relies on drafting players with high RAS scores.
Markquese Bell has a higher RAS Score than the highly-touted safety Kyle Hamilton - which is very telling.
Bell's aggressiveness, intelligence, hard-hitting, and overall good character should fit in Dennis Allen's defense with ease. If the Saints Draft Markquese Bell, they will get one of the steals of the 2022 NFL Draft.
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