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We are officially one week away from the start of the 2016 NFL Draft. Number one and two overall have changed in a flurry of swapped draft picks, whereby most analysts are expecting rookie Quarterbacks to go off the board with the top two picks.
ESPN has released their post-trade Mock Draft, and the Saints stand firm with the consensus mock pick: Louisville DT Sheldon Rankins. About Rankins, ESPN's Todd McShay says this:
Getting stronger along the front four should be the Saints' biggest priority in this draft. Enter Rankins, who has very good quickness and lower-body explosiveness. An exceptional run defender, he flashed as a pass-rusher in his final two college seasons (14.0 sacks).
Interesting enough, the Miami Dolphins (now picking for the Philadelphia Eagles directly behind the Saints) selected Clemson's DE Shaq Lawson. More interesting still, the Atlanta Falcons (picking all the way down at #17 overall) were able to land falling Cal LB Myles Jack after "anonymous" reports came out citing knee injury-risk.
Would the Saints really pass on Jack, injury concerns and all, to stick with Rankins? I highly doubt it, but it wouldn't be the first time the Saints brass has unpleasantly surprised me.