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We’re nearing the end of February, and NFL Mock Drafts are officially in overdrive. The New Orleans Saints have a variety of ways to address their 11th overall pick in the draft, but there are two distinct favorites of the 39 sampled mocks for the month.
Alabama’s Reuben Foster and Stanford’s Solomon Thomas were each selected nine times, representing 46.2 percent of the respective mocks. Tennessee’s Derek Barnett was the clear favorite in January, with 9-of-26 (35 percent) sampled mocks taking the edge defender.
Saints Mock Draft Central - February
| Analyst | Site | Date | Round One - 11th Overall | Round Two - 42nd Overall | Round Three - 76th Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyst | Site | Date | Round One - 11th Overall | Round Two - 42nd Overall | Round Three - 76th Overall |
| Kristopher Knox | Bleacher Report | 2/25 | Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee | ||
| Jared Dubin | CBS Sports | 2/24 | Teez Tabor, CB, Florida | ||
| Larry Holder | NOLA.com | 2/23 | Reuben Foster, LB, Bama | Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU | Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova |
| Underhill/Erickson | The Advocate | 2/23 | Reuben Foster, LB, Bama | Takkarist McKinley, LB/DE, UCLA | Pat Elflein, OL, Ohio State |
| Lance Zierlein | NFL | 2/23 | Sidney Jones, CB, Washington | ||
| Dan Kadar | SB Nation | 2/22 | Tim Williams, LB, Alabama | ||
| Ryan Wilson | CBS Sports | 2/22 | Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford | ||
| Jeff Duncan | NOLA.com | 2/21 | Takkarist McKinley, LB/DE, UCLA | Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech | Fabian Moreau, CB, UCLA |
| Brad Weiss | FanSided | 2/17 | Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State | ||
| Kristopher Knox | Bleacher Report | 2/17 | Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford | ||
| Jared Dubin | CBS Sports | 2/17 | Reuben Foster, LB, Bama | ||
| Mel Kiper | ESPN | 2/15 | Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford | ||
| John Hendrix | SB Nation - CSC | 2/15 | Reuben Foster, LB, Bama | Carl Lawson, EDGE, Auburn | Kevin King, CB, Washington |
| Ty Anania | Who Dat Dish | 2/15 | Reuben Foster, LB, Bama | DeMarcus Walker, DL, Florida State | Taylor Moton, G/T, Western Michigan |
| Chad Reuter | NFL | 2/15 | Reuben Foster, LB, Bama | Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State | Cameron Sutton, CB, Tennessee |
| Walter Cherepinsky | Walter Football | 2/15 | Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee | Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State | Dion Dawkins, G/T, Temple |
| Andrew Juge | Saints Nation | 2/15 | Reuben Foster, LB, Bama | Carl Lawson, EDGE, Auburn | Adam Shaheen, TE, Ashland |
| John Sigler | SB Nation - CSC | 2/14 | Charles Harris, DE, Missouri | Curtis Samuel, RB, Ohio State | Pat Elflein, OL, Ohio State |
| Dan Kadar | SB Nation | 2/13 | Reuben Foster, LB, Bama | ||
| Connor Riley | SEC Country | 2/12 | Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford | Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida | |
| Charlie Casserly | NFL | 2/11 | Sidney Jones, CB, Washington | ||
| Herbie Teope | NOLA.com | 2/9 | Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State | Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State | Kevin King, CB, Washington |
| Nicholas Goss | NESN | 2/8 | Sidney Jones, CB, Washington | ||
| Todd McShay | ESPN | 2/8 | Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan | ||
| Daniel Jeremiah | NFL | 2/8 | Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida | ||
| Chris Burke | Sports Illustrated | 2/8 | Tim Williams, LB, Alabama | Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford | Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU |
| Sean Fazende | FOX 8 | 2/8 | Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee | Cameron Sutton, CB, Tennessee | Duke Riley, LB, LSU |
| Tyler Raymond | Who Dat Dish | 2/8 | Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee | ||
| John Sigler | SB Nation - CSC | 2/7 | Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee | ||
| Nate Davis | USA Today | 2/7 | Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford | ||
| Dean Mullen | Who Dat Dish | 2/7 | Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State | D'Onta Foreman, RB, Texas | Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova |
| Josh Katzenstein | NOLA.com | 2/7 | Sidney Jones, CB, Washington | T.J. Watt, EDGE, Wisconsin | Jordan Willis, DE, Kansas State |
| Dan Kadar | SB Nation | 2/6 | Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford | Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU | Tyus Bowser, LB, Houston |
| Matt Miller | Bleacher Report | 2/6 | Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford | Teez Tabor, CB, Florida | Anthony Walker, LB, Northwestern |
| Roy Anderson | Who Dat Dish | 2/4 | Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee | Jarrad Davis, LB, Florida | Gerald Everett, TE, South Alabama |
| Kristopher Knox | Bleacher Report | 2/3 | Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford | ||
| Larry Holder | NOLA.com | 2/2 | Reuben Foster, LB, Bama | Ryan Anderson, EDGE, Bama | Kevin King, CB, Washington |
| Eddie Brown | San Diego Tribune | 2/1 | Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford | Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan | Duke Riley, LB, LSU |
| Maurice Moton | Bleacher Report | 2/1 | Teez Tabor, CB, Florida |
Some 68 total mocks are in the current Saints compendium I’m tracking, and the top pick breakdown goes like this:
- Derek Barnett, DE (17)
- Reuben Foster, LB (13)
- Solomon Thomas, DE (12)
- Sidney Jones, CB (5)
Tim Williams (Alabama), Teez Tabor (Florida), and Marshon Lattimore (Ohio State) have three picks each dating back to the end of December. The good thing to see is a common emphasis on focusing on the defense. With free agency set for less than two weeks away, the strategy could absolutely change for the end of April.