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Potential Mid to Late Round Draft Targets for the Saints

If you saw my post earlier this week you know how I plan to spend the first two rounds of the NFL Draft this year. For the other five rounds, I'll be hoping to hear some of the following names called when the Saints are on the clock. Not because I'm some draft guru, like Mel Kiper; but instead because otherwise I've wasted countless hours of meticulous research poring over player backgrounds and video coverage of potential prospects.

Anyway, I've come to realize there may be such a thing as too much football. Now keep in mind I'm no NFL expert at picking talent but here's a list of potential prospects that could fill some of the more shallow positions for the Saints. I mainly used nfldraftscout.com for player profiles because they seem to have the most extensive profile database. I don't necessarily agree with all of the projected rounds but I figured I'd stay true to the source of my data.

I focused on what I believe are the Saints biggest areas of need: DT, DE, CB, S, and TE. I also tried to include players who have been invited to New Orleans for individual workouts, but I doubt I got everyone since I live too far away to stake out the Airline Dr. parking lot, and Dave said he had some thing called a life.

Defensive Tackles

Name

Ht/Wt

School

Proj. Rd.

Notes

Billy Winn

6‘4"/295

Boise State

2nd

On the off chance he's available in 3rd round

Kheeston Randall

6‘5"/295

Texas

3rd-6th

Can He Transition to 4-3? Wide projection range

Jaye Howard

6‘3"/301

Florida

4th-5th

Former walk-on; highly motivated

Travian Robertson

6‘4"/298

South Carolina

5th-7th

Strong, but slow

Matthew Masifilo

6‘3"/295

Stanford

6th-FA

Coming off knee injury; Very strong

Akiem Hicks

6‘4"/318

U of Regina

7th

Mel Kiper’s Mock pick for us in the 3rd round of his!

Defensive Ends

Name

Ht/Wt

School

Proj. Rd.

Notes

Mike Martin

6‘1"/306

Michigan

2nd-3rd

Injury lowered stock; Small, but effective;High FB IQ

Cam Johnson

6‘4"/268

Virginia

3rd-4th

Changed from OLB to DE; Hybrid Player?

Jake Bequette

6‘4"/274

Arkansas

5th

Can play OLB in 3-4 scheme

Frank Alexander

6‘3"/270

Oklahoma

5th-7th

Medically cleared from heart condition; Stock rising again

Ernest Owusu

6‘4"/277

California

7th-FA

Strong; Fast; Possible Sleeper

Tyrunn Walker

6‘3"/265

Tulsa

N/A

Odd data; Listed as DT also; Listed at 298 lbs also?

Cornerbacks

Name

Ht/Wt

School

Proj. Rd

Notes

Casey Hayward

5‘11"/185

Vanderbilt

2nd-4th

Consistent, speedy player; If available in 3rd

Dwight Bentley

5‘10/182

UL-Lafayette

3rd-4th

Special teams player; Fast

Ron Brooks

5‘10/190

LSU

3rd-4th

Rising draft stock; Doubt he’s available

Lionel Smith

6‘0"/192

Texas A&M

7th

Backup CB in college; Possible sleeper

Antonio Fenelus

5‘8"/190

Wisconsin

7th-FA

Short, but effective; Playmaker ability

Safeties

Name

Ht/ Wt

School

Proj. Rd.

Notes

Christian Thompson

6'0"/211

South Carolina State

4th-5th

FS; Auburn transfer; Fast; Decent strength
Antonio Allen

6'2"/210

South Carolina

4th-5th

SS; Aggressive; Not stupid
Duke Ihenacho

6'0"/213

San Jose State

5th-6th

SS; Good field vision; Reads QB; Foot injury
Justin Bethel

6'0"/200

Presbyterian

5th-6th

FS; Speedy; Good vertical; Small school

Winston Guy

6'1"/218

Kentucky

7th-FA

SS; Good tackling stats; Shoulder injury
Phillip Thomas

5'11"/198

Syracuse

7th-FA

FS; Junior; Good instincts; Natural leader; CB

Tight Ends

Name

Ht/Wt

School

Proj. Rd.

Notes

Ladarius Green

6‘6"/238

UL-Lafayette

3rd-4th

Good hands; Big and fast; Good route runner

James Hanna

6‘4"/252

Oklahoma

6th-7th

Fast; Underrated; Good hands and strength

Adrien Robinson

6‘4"/264

Cincinatti

7th-N/A

Natural athlete; Limited experience; Possible sleeper

Random Possibilities

Name

Ht/Wt

School

Proj. Rd.

Notes

Darrion Weems

6‘5"/292

Oregon

5th-7th

Fast, Athletic OT; Conflicting player weight reported

Donovan Robinson

6‘3"/250

Jackson State

6th-7th

Versatile OLB; Can play as light DE

Kellen Moore

5‘11"/197

Boise State

6th-7th

Too Small for NFL QB! (Sound familiar?)