New Orleans Saints Depth Chart
- NFC South
- Stadium
- Mercedes-Benz Superdome
- Head Coach
- Sean Payton
- Offensive Coordinator
- Pete Carmichael
- Defensive Coordinator
- Dennis Allen
- Special Teams Coach
- Darren Rizzi
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
With the 255th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints have selected South Alabama wide receiver Kawaan Baker. A slot receiver with some nice speed, Baker had 51 receptions for 659 yards and eight touchdowns last year. He could be used as a gadget player and see some work in the backfield, but he'll be facing an uphill battle to get touches on this team. He should probably not be on your fantasy radar.
With the 133rd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Saints have finally addressed their quarterback position, grabbing Notre Dame passer Ian Book. With all-time great quarterback Drew Brees retiring, there are lots of questions about what the post-Brees era looks like. The expectation is Jameis Winston starts in 2021, but there's no guarantee that he's a long-term option for the franchise. Could Book be the guy? He completed 63.8 percent of his passes in college with 72 touchdowns and 20 interceptions, plus added 17 rushing scores. He's an athletic player, but there are valid concerns about how he plays from the pocket. He's probably not the future for the Saints, though he could be a valuable backup.
The New Orleans Saints selected Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo with the No. 76 overall pick in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft on Friday night. Adebo is a lengthy ball hawk at 6-foot-1, 192 pounds. He isn't all that agile, but he makes up for it by reading the opposing quarterbacks eyes and is very savvy at picking up route combinations. Adebo's best season in college came back in 2018, though, and he opted out of the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19. The Saints traded up to get him in the third round after he slipped in this draft because there was no tape on him from last year. Despite a down season in 2019, Adebo is underrated and could push for immediate playing time in his rookie season given New Orleans' need at cornerback.
The New Orleans Saints selected Houston defensive end Payton Turner with the No. 28 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. Turner had an excellent Senior Bowl week by getting after the quarterback, but there are durability concerns. He has plenty of length and ability off the edge while rushing the quarterback, though. Turner has plenty of effort and hustle and chases the football all over the field. He has first-step explosiveness despite having long limbs. The Saints were widely expected to take a cornerback with their first-round pick and were even thought to be interested in trading up in the first round to do so, but they decided to go with a pass-rusher instead. Look for them to address their corner need on Friday.
The Miami Dolphins selected University of Miami edge rusher Jaelan Phillips with the No. 18 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft on Thursday night. If Phillips can just avoid injuries, this could be a home run pick for the Dolphins defense. The pass-rusher won't overwhelm offensive linemen with his pure overall strength, but he has the swim moves and hands to do plenty of damage in opposing backfields. Phillips is a much better pass-rusher than he is in run defense. Head injuries in college made him consider retirement at an early age, so hopefully he can avoid concussions in the NFL. Phillips has an incredibly high ceiling if he stays healthy, and we could see double-digit sacks in just his rookie season.