Good afternoon, folks. Today I’m starting a multi-part series leading up to next Thursday that will highlight some of the potential players that could become Saints within the first couple of rounds. I’ll be covering the main positions of need. Those positions are the most likely to be filled by Mickey Loomis and Coach Sean Payton within the early rounds on Thursday and Friday. We’ll start with receivers today, then follow with offensive tackles, centers, defensive ends, outside linebackers, and corner backs. Each review will be short and to the point, giving you the generals of what areas each player succeeds in and what they could do better. Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with loads of small details. Please enjoy!
Odell Beckham Jr 
College: LSU
Height/Weight: 5’11.25″ / 198 lbs
40 yard dash: 4.43
Ball Skills: Beckham has the ability to make tough catches look very easy. His hands are very soft for the most part and he makes plucking the ball out of the air look routine. He has very good body control, giving him the ability to adjust to balls when going up in to the air to get them. He must work on pass catching efficiency. While he has the ability to come down with just about anything he can get his hands on, he drops way too many easily catchable balls. Though his leaping ability is above average, he must also work on cutting down on his mis-timed jumps.
Route Running: He’s already coming from a pro-style offense under LSU Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron, so he’s a step ahead knowing an NFL-style route tree. He has a very good initial burst coming off of the line of scrimmage. Great body control in his routes. His fluid hip movement propels him to snap quickly in and out of his routes. Has shown ability to get off of press coverage, but has struggled at time with some of the top corner backs that he has faced. Despite not having great size, he has shown the ability to be physical. Must learn not to rely on hand and body contact to get open at times.
Playmaking: Beckham is very good at getting to his top-end speed in a hurry, then keeping it up. Has the ability to beat man coverage over the top. He excels in making defenders miss once having the ball. Has the skill to take a short pass in to a long gain with just a couple of jukes.
Intangibles: In addition to being one of the best wide receiver prospects, he will step in to the NFL as an instant return threat. He returned two punts for a touchdown in his career, but he consistently set up LSU with great starting field position.
Comparison: Has been compared to players such as DeSean Jackson and Antonio Brown.
Availability: His hype has steadily risen since the combine and has been projected to go as early as #10 overall to Detroit. His more likely position will be in the late teens, so if the Saints really want him, they’ll likely have to trade up.
Marqise Lee 
College: USC
Height/Weight: 5’11.75″ / 192 lbs
40 yard dash: 4.52
Ball Skills: Lee is a natural at reeling the ball in. He can pluck it out of the air in an effortless style. Has great body control to adjust to passes and has shown great flexibility. Has also shown great ability to make acrobatic catches. Excels at getting to deep ball. Has shown very good leaping ability, but his size can prevent chances of winning jump balls.
Route Running: Very fluid and flexible in and out of his breaks. He makes coming out of his breaks look easy and smooth. Uses his cuts to create noticable separation to get himself open. Excels against zone coverage, but not as good at getting off of press coverage.
Playmaking: He has the speed to be a threat even with short routes. Takes long strides to help build speed. Can use just one cut to blow a play wide open.
Intangibles: Lee is a tough player and is willing to go over the middle without hesitation. Good run blocker, as well.
Comparison: Has been compared to Marvin Harrison and Greg Jennings.
Availability: Could go as early as the late teens/early 20s, Saints may be able to see how the draft pans out, but they may have to move up to grab him.
Brandin Cooks
College: Oregon State
Height/Weight: 5’9.75″ / 189 lbs
40 yard dash: 4.33
Ball Skills: Cooks has natural, strong hands. Due to his size, his range isn’t very large. He’s very good at using his smaller frame to come down with jump balls. Above average body control when adjusting to throws that are not on target.
Route Running: He displays the talent of a veteran receiver when running routes. Very quick burst in and out of cuts, helping to separate from the defender. Very good at slipping in to soft zones against zone coverage and recognizing defensive rotations. Uses head and shoulders to confuse defenders in cuts. Tremendous speed and quickness makes him very tough to cover.
Playmaking: Very good top-end speed. Can get behind defenders in a flash. Cooks is a true deep threat. He’s good at winning one on ones, despite his smaller size. Excels at making things happen after the catch. Has the ability to turn any short pass in to a long gain. Shows very good vision once getting the ball in his hands.
Intangibles: Cooks is a very strong leader. He was a captain for Oregon State and is a very hard worker who shows great passion for the game.
Comparison: Tavon Austin
Availability: Mostly grouped with Beckham and Lee, could go in the late teens/early 20s. Again, he could fall to #27, but Saints may have to move up to get him.
Kelvin Benjamin
College: Florida State
Height/Weight: 6’5″ / 240 lbs
40 yard dash: 4.61
Ball Skills: Huge wingspan of 83 inches gives him a very large range to be able to go and get the ball. Very good in jump ball situations. Can climb the ladder and grab the ball at it’s highest point. Has strong hands and does a great job of using his body as a shield against the defender when making catches.
Route Running: Due to his larger frame and slower speed, he’s not the greatest route runner compared to others. On the flip side, his size and range makes him more open than others when battling with a close defender. He does use his long strides to get himself open. Can also use his body to create separation.
Playmaking: He’s a physical mismatch with or without the ball. Surprisingly good with the ball after the catch. Has shown the ability to break tackles.
Intangibles: Uses his size very well when blocking. Shows the fearlessness to take on bigger players such as defensive ends with crack blocks.
Comparison: Has been compared to Calvin Johnson with the way he uses his size and ability to snatch the ball from the air. Vincent Jackson is also a good comparison.
Availability: Benjamin is the most likely out of the receivers I’ve highlighted to be available at #27. Saints are likely looking for a receiver with the skills more like Beckham, Lee, or Cooks, but Benjamin could be a dangerous weapon with Brees just like Jimmy Graham.
Cody Latimer
College: Indiana
Height/Weight: 6’2.5″ / 215 lbs
40 yard dash: 4.45
Ball Skills: Large catching radius due to good size and wingspan. Displays strong hands and very good hand/eye coordination. He is a natural at adjusting to balls over the shoulder. Pretty good body control considering his nice size. Excels in getting upfield once making the catch. Very good in contested catches against defenders.
Route Running: Very good short to intermediate route runner. Again, given his size, he showed very good ability to get in and out of his breaks with fluidity. Very good acceleration coming out of his cuts. Like Benjamin, can use his body to box out defenders.
Playmaking: Excels in gaining yards on short route, but also has very good straight line speed. Good at moving through defenders once having the ball in his hands. Very good at falling forward to picking up extra yards when being tackled.
Intangibles: Very good leader. Has shown consistent improvement since arriving at Indiana.
Comparison: Size and skills are similar to Josh Gordon and Demaryius Thomas. Both can make big things happen with short to intermediate routes, but also have the ability to go deep.
Availability: His recent rise may allow him to sneak in to the late first round. Like Benjamin, very good chance Latimer is available at #27.
Jarvis Landry 
College: LSU
Height/Weight: 5’11.5″ / 205 lbs
40 yard dash: 4.65
Ball Skills: Tremendous ability to go up and snatch the ball out of the air. Exceptional hand/eye coordination, giving him the ability to leave the ground and still make the catch as if was standing still. Very good body control. Excels in one on ones with coming down with the ball. Can make tough catches in traffic look very easy.
Route Running: Coming from Cam Cameron’s pro-style offense like Beckham, Landry is well prepared for the NFL route tree. Doesn’t have very good top-end speed, but has shown ability to get away from man coverage and get himself open. Does a good job of using hands to separate when the ball is in the air. Is very good at finding soft spots in zone coverage. Also has the ability to get off of press coverage.
Playmaking: Landry plays bigger than what he is. His speed is better than what his 40 time suggests. He and Beckham seemingly took turns making ridiculous catches at LSU, especially in 2013. Landry will come down with a good bit of jump balls that others wouldn’t be able to coral.
Intangibles: Very experienced leader and player. Started the past two years at LSU facing very stiff SEC competition. Former team captain who shows very good moral conduct.
Comparison: My favorite comparison for Landry is Anquan Boldin. Doesn’t have blazing speed, but despite his size, he can go up and make a tough catch and plays physical.
Availability: If teams go receiver happy in the first round, Landy has a chance to sneak in to the end of the round if someone falls in love with him, but being selected in the second round is much more likely. He could end up being a steal as a second round pick, likely to go anywhere from the early to middle of the round. If the Saints choose to wait till the second to get a receiver, they may have to try and move up from #58 overall.
Davante Adams
College: Fresno State
Height/Weight: 6’2″ / 212 lbs
40 yard dash: 4.51
Ball Skills: Very good ability to track the ball down over either of his shoulders. Can go up and pluck the ball from the air when looking at the quarterback. Very good leaping ability and is strong at winning one on ones with defenders in jump ball situations.
Route Running: Very good body control to set up his routes. Has deceptive straight line speed, helping beat defenders deep. Good strength when getting himself open. Very good going across the middle. Not afraid to run through traffic to get to a ball.
Playmaking: Takes in passes in a hurry and quickly turns up field. Shows great vision to set up blocks, while also being able to break tackles. Has good moves to make defenders miss.
Intangibles: Pretty good run blocker. Shows good strength for his size. Former basketball player that has been able to translate athletic leaping skills to his football skill set.
Comparison: Has been compared to Michael Crabtree with his athleticism and ability to make things happen with the ball.
Availability: Will likely be a second round pick, possibly being available at #58 overall.
Jordan Matthews
College: Vanderbilt
Height/Weight: 6’3″ / 212 lbs
40 yard dash: 4.46
Ball Skills: Very good length with the ability to reel in a large range of passes. Has the ability to track down balls and make the catch. Shows very soft hands and sticky fingers, being able to make tough catches and hold on to passes. Has good leaping ability to go up and make catches.
Route Running: Has very good form as a route runner. His size provides a big target. Is very quick in and out of his breaks with fluid hips. Takes long strides and uses them to separate himself from the defender. Uses his above average strength with his body to get himself open.
Playmaking: Uses his smarts to make big plays. Great field awareness. Plays with a high intensity, showing the ability to make big plays. He’s a tough player that will go all out to make a play.
Intangibles: Four year starter at Vanderbilt, growing in to a very smart, mature player. Was a team captain. Also has the ability to return kicks and punts. Gives extra effort as a run blocker.
Comparison: Has drawn great comparisons to Jordy Nelson. While very athletic, his maturity and awareness give him an edge on others.
Availability: Another second round receiver that could be on the Saints’ radar with his draft position highly depending on the trend of receivers in the first round.
Thanks for reading, see you next time for offensive lineman!
Who Dat?!
