Sitting out the first round, Saints ready for rest of draft

METAIRIE — The New Orleans Saints had the NFL Draft equivalent of a bye week on Thursday night.

The Saints did not make any of the 32 picks that comprised the first round Thursday. They used their pick, which would have been No. 30, a year ago when they sent it to the Green Bay Packers for the opportunity to move up 13 spots and select Texas-San Antonio defensive end Marcus Davenport with the 14th pick in the 2018 draft.

The lack of a first-round pick didn’t mean the Saints were idle. Their primary decision-makers congregated in the war room, monitored the selections on television and held trade conversations.

Though nothing came to fruition involving the first round, New Orleans got a clearer picture of who will be available when its first scheduled pick arrives with the 30th pick of the second round Friday night. The Saints also could have laid the groundwork for potential trades during the final two days.

New Orleans also is scheduled to be a spectator in the third round tonight before getting busier on Saturday when it holds a fifth-round pick (No. 168), two sixth-round picks (177 and 202) and two seventh-round picks (231 and 244).

General manager Mickey Loomis said on Monday that the Saints view this as “a pretty deep draft” and he expected the team get a good prospect in the second-round.

He noted pass rusher, tight end, quarterback and wide receiver as positions of particularly high quality.

After finishing 13-3, claiming the NFC South championship and the top seed in the conference playoffs as well as coming within a whisker of reaching the Super Bowl last season, the Saints don’t have any glaring needs that have to be addressed in the draft.

“It’s harder for young players to make a team when you have a good roster,” Loomis said.

But most positions on the team are still in need of bolstered depth, including the defensive and offensive lines, tight end, wide receiver and defensive back.

The defensive line, especially defensive tackle, is the most complicated position because of uncertainty surrounding two key players.

Sheldon Rankins, who blossomed into a team leader in his third year last season, suffered a torn Achilles in the divisional playoff victory against Philadelphia in January. General manager Mickey Loomis said Monday that the organization is pleased with Rankins’ rehabilitation from surgery, but he’s still likely to miss time at the start of the season.

David Onyemata, who backs up Rankins and was a key part of the line rotation in his third year last season, could face disciplinary action after being issued a misdemeanor summons for marijuana possession by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in February.

Additionally, starting nose tackle Tyeler Davison signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an unrestricted free agent. New Orleans has added former Patriots tackle Malcolm Brown and former Giants end Mario Edwards Jr. as unrestricted free agents.

The offensive line received a blow earlier in the off-season when starting center Max Unger announced his retirement. The Saints signed former Vikings center/guard Nick Easton as an unrestricted free agent, but the offensive line has mostly inexperienced depth.

New Orleans addressed a glaring need when it signed former Raider Jared Cook, the highest-rated free agent tight end, but the position still lacks experienced depth.

The Saints also have limited experienced depth behind starting wide receivers Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr.

The team could also use additional depth in the defensive backfield, especially at safety.

The positions in least need of additional personal are quarterback, running back, place-kicker and punter where the team appears set, although it only has three quarterbacks and four running backs on the roster. The Saints will need to add more players at both positions before training camp.