Saints upgrade the offense with 32nd pick in 2017 re-draft

After the New Orleans Saints selected CB Marlon Humphrey with the 11th pick in SB Nation’s 2017 NFL re-draft, here’s how the remaining picks went before the Saints were back on the clock with the 32nd pick:

12. Cleveland Browns - WR Chris Godwin

13. Arizona Cardinals - RB Alvin Kamara

14. Philadelphia Eagles - SS Eddie Jackson

15. Indianapolis Colts - WR Kenny Golladay

16. Baltimore Ravens - WR JuJu Smith-Schusters

17. Washington - DT Jonathan Allen

18. Tennessee Titans - CB Adoree Jackson

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - RB Dalvin Cook

20. Denver Broncos - FS Budda Baker

21. Detroit Lions - WR Cooper Kupp

22. Miami Dolphins - FS Malik Hooker

23. New York Giants - OT Taylor Moton

24. Las Vegas Oakland Raiders - WR Mike Williams

25. Houston Texans - CB Desmond King

26. Seattle Seahawks - DT D.J. Jones

27. Kansas City Chiefs - CB Shaquill Griffin

28. Dallas Cowboys - FS Marcus Williams (the fourth Saint picked in the first round if you’re keeping track)

29. Green Bay Packers - RB Aaron Jones

30. Pittsburgh Steelers - TE OJ Howard

31. Atlanta Falcons - OT Dion Dawkins

Whew. That’s a lot of good players.

It was foolish for me to think players like Dalvin Cook or Budda Baker would be there at 32 for the Saints, but after losing out on Ryan Ramcyzk - originally nabbed here at 32 - I was hoping Dion Dawkins or Taylor Moton would fall. Alas, it was not to be.

Instead, we opted to improve the tight end position and add Evan Engram out of Ole Miss.

In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Saints are one year removed from Coby Fleener starting 8 games and totaling 631 receiving yards. With the benefit of hindsight, we know that 2017 was Fleener’s last year in the NFL after a series of devastating concussions, and we also know Willie Snead, currently penciled in as the #2 wide receiver, is going to miss time due to suspension. Engram can come in and immediately present a big-bodied receiving option in the red zone.

In Engram’s rookie year, he caught 64 targets for 722 yards and 6 touchdowns, and that was with Eli Manning as his quarterback. Bring in Engram to pair with Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr.’s 2017, and the Saints have a solid trio of pass-catchers.

Other players I considered at this pick were running backs Leonard Fournette, Joe Mixon, James Conner, and Austin Ekeler, but it’s likely at least one of these four will still be there when the Saints are back on the board early in Round 2. I strongly considered RB Tarik Cohen to be Darren Sproles 2.0, but again, there were too many running backs still on the board. Derek Barnett was a consideration on the other side of the ball, and David Njoku was a toss-up at tight end. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel’s name was another that popped in my mind, but Engram’s ability as both a receiver and blocker, as well as his physical presence in the red zone tipped the scale for me.

Do you agree with the selection of Evan Engram? Who would you have picked in the 2017 re-draft? Let us know in the comments. Make sure you follow Canal Street Chronicles on Twitter at @SaintsCSC, “Like” us on Facebook at Canal Street Chronicles, and make sure you’re subscribed to our new YouTube channel. As always, you can follow me on Twitter @ChrisDunnells.