Drafting A Wide Receiver Seems Paramount For The Saints

The Saints wide receiver room is going to see more players added to it, and the draft feels like a great area to look.

Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver A.T. Perry (17) / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

It's crazy to think that we're less than three weeks away from the NFL Draft. For some, it feels like it takes an eternity to get to this point. For others, it makes you reflect on just how quickly things actually move in the offseason. The Saints are a team that really needs to nail this year's draft. New Orleans simply has to put everything together to end a three-year absence from the postseason. While they've been close and competitive, it just hasn't been enough at the end of it all.

There's so many thoughts on what the Saints should do at the end of the month. There's cases to be made for a good bit of positions, but the prominent and common ones seem to be on everyone's radar. We keep diving into each spot and give an overview and outlook for New Orleans. Today is all about the wide receiver group.

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Current Depth Chart: Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, A.T. Perry, Cedric Wilson, Stanley Morgan

Saints Draft Prospect Outlook - Wide Receiver

• Day 1 Options: Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU), Adonai Mitchell (Texas), Xavier Worthy (Texas), Xavier Legette (South Carolina), Ladd McConkey (Georgia)
• Day 2 Options: Keon Coleman (Florida State), Ricky Pearsall (Florida), Roman Wilson (Michigan), Ja'Lynn Polk (Washington), Troy Franklin (Oregon), Jaylen Wright (Tennessee), Devontez Walker (UNC), Johnny Wilson (Florida State), Luke McCaffrey (Rice), Malachi Corley (Western Kentucky), Javon Baker (UCF)
• Day 3 Options: Jermaine Burton (Alabama), Ja'Lynn Polk (Washington), Malik Washington (Virginia), Brenden Rice (USC), Jamari Thrash (Louisville), Bub Means (Pitt), Jacob Cowing (Arizona), Tahj Washington (USC), Jha'Quan Jackson (Tulane), Xavier Weaver (Colorado), Cornelius Washington (Michigan), Anthony Ghould (Oregon State), Johnny Wilson (Florida State), Ryan Flournoy (Southeast Missouri), Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (Georgia)
• UDFAs: Jalen Coker (Holy Cross), Taymon Cooke (North Carolina AT&T), Marcus Riley (Florida A&M), R.J. Mobley (Winston-Salem), August Pitre III (Southern)

THE CASE FOR DRAFTING

If you just look at the numbers, then it makes a ton of sense for New Orleans to draft a receiver or two. They'll have as many as 10 heading into training camp, so there's plenty of additions that will be required. The main thing the Saints need to come away with between now and camp is a possession receiver. They already have a young corps and will have some real grooming on their hands with the trio of Rashid Shaheed, Chris Olave and A.T. Perry.

By drafting a receiver, it also helps keep New Orleans young a position that would give them an even more favorable outlook in the future. There's quite a few prospects that are appealing in this draft, and the good news is that the abundance of rich talent means you can get someone on Day 3 that could make a considerable impact. The pros just seem to outweigh the cons.

THE CASE FOR NOT DRAFTING

The Saints may be waiting to see how some things play out. For starters, where does Hunter Renfrow land? Now, signing him wouldn't solve everything for the receiving room, but it would help. What could also make things interesting are the late additions like last year. Lynn Bowden Jr. didn't get added until June and ended up making someone like Tre'Quan Smith expendable. The team was interested in bringing him back, but at the time they didn't use the RFA tag. He was also recovering from offseason surgery.

The new addition of Coach Keith Williams (Coach Dubb) is going to help the room tremendously. One of the things New Orleans felt like they lost after moving on from Curtis Johnson was the firm coaching style he brought. That's not saying anything bad about Kodi Burns, who was absolutely great at his job, but the Saints wanted to go in a different direction to get back that coaching experience. Williams can help this group in a big way, as well as DeNarius McGhee who came over from the Texans to be the assistant wide receivers coach.

There's a lot of creative elements to this Klint Kubiak offense that should get fans excited. Some of the ways you saw you Justin Jefferson used in Minnesota, like being lined up in the backfield, really makes you wonder how New Orleans can do similar things with a Rashid Shaheed. The Saints do have some good pieces in place at the receiver spot, but it's not going to hurt to add more that will truly help take this group to the next level.