2020 Free agent & Draft Wide Receiver thread. (1 Viewer)

Im fine with getting a possession WR if he’s the best WR. I just think that getting a possession for the sake of Drew Brees is really short sighted.
I understand you but I don't think that Pittman or a guy like Mike Thomas would Not qualify as your typical possession wr.

These guys make plays.

Pittman even got behind the D with long outstretched arms on several of those plays.
 
There will be top shelf WRs still available in Round 2... The Saints could skip one in Round 1, grab BPA, then trade into Round 2 and get their WR... that fits their MO
BPA in all likelihood could be a wr in RD 1 as well.
 
The best thing about Perriman is his experience and even physical skillset is superior to every receiver in this draft, even Jeudy.

I would say that he is a better option than picking a wr in rd 1 or 2.


I would rather go defense or oline in 1-2

Perriman's skills are superior right now to any wr in this draft, even Jeudy and Lamb.

My preference would be to sign Perriman and draft a guy like Bryan Edwards in rd 3 who can play slot or outside right away in a dominant fashion.
Im with you. Saints simply don’t have the time to draft a WR and wonder if they are getting Stills/Thomas or if they’ll get Meachem/Toon. They need a veteran contributor at #2 and he fits the bill.

After watching Tre’Quan he oddly enough seems to be better catching in traffic and hanging on after big shots than being a Z or winning jump balls down field. I’d try him out in the slot + draft a slot type receiver for competition. If he loses he becomes your #4 aka more of a Meachem role which appears to be his ceiling for now


Plenty of Tackles that can play G available as the Saints need a superior pass protector at LG more than they need a mauler. I’d also take a DB with the 1st too but T/G seems to be a safer pick.
 
Robby Anderson and Rashard Higgins are two guys i’d love to have this team

I just don’t know. Anderson’s off the field stuff scares me. He’s also completely worthless when not running go routes. He’ll probably find a team to pay him at least $8 million/yr. That’s a whole lot with a QB who probably won’t be able to throw him the ball.

Higgins seems more practical.

I still think that getting a budget 1-yr rental type receiver like Sanders to go along with a rookie WR is the way to go.
 
Im with you. Saints simply don’t have the time to draft a WR and wonder if they are getting Stills/Thomas or if they’ll get Meachem/Toon. They need a veteran contributor at #2 and he fits the bill.

Plenty of Tackles that can play G available as the Saints need a superior pass protector at LG more than they need a mauler. I’d also take a DB with the 1st too but T/G seems to be a safer pick.
I'm fine with picking picking a more athletic Peat replacement in the first round, Austin Jackson out of USC is a good candidate he's an amazing foot athlete for his size, great first step in pass protection, plus young and moldable. No one suspects Corner, but it could absolutely be in play especially if Eli Apple walks in FA, and the team has to cut Jenkins because of his $ 11 mil cap hit. CJ Henderson out of Florida could be a good fit, a lot of people think of him as the 2nd best cover corner in this draft and he played in the same secondary as Chauncey-Gardner.

To your first point though...
I'm not so sure about that.. teams are having Rookie Receivers come in and establish themselves right away much quicker than in the past.
just this year we saw Deebo Samuel, AJ Brown, and DK Metcalf be huge contributors on contending teams.
the year before was: Calvin Ridley, DJ Moore, and Courtland Sutton.

this whole "3 year window to develop a WR" notion could be a thing of the past...
 
I don't think Jefferson is a reach at 24, and that's mainly because of scheme fit. Right now Jefferson projects as a round 2 guy but I really think most years he'd be viewed as a 1st rounder, it's just that this is a legendary WR class so it pushes his value down

He's just an all around solid receiver, good routes, good hands, he's not an extra-ordinary athlete like Lamb or Ruggs are but you could plug him into the Slot week 1 and expect solid production. All the Saints need is somey who can reliably run routes, and not drop the ball .. CGM will take care of the rest.

Jefferson is far from a reach at 24. He might be BPA at that spot, and that’s without considering that he fits New Orleans‘ need right now. What has kept Jefferson out of a lot of round 1 conversation is the fact that he operates almost solely out of the slot, but that’s also why AJ Brown fell to mid round 2 last season and there’s 30 teams kicking themselves for letting that happen.

I am not saying they are similar players at all. As y’all know I’m obsessed with comps and whereas AJ Brown was Juju, Justin Jefferson is Cooper Kupp. But just like Kupp, they can poke holes in his athletic profile until they’re blue in the face, but the guy gets open against what was at times the best DBs in college football.
 
I'm fine with picking picking a more athletic Peat replacement in the first round, Austin Jackson out of USC is a good candidate he's an amazing foot athlete for his size, great first step in pass protection, plus young and moldable. No one suspects Corner, but it could absolutely be in play especially if Eli Apple walks in FA, and the team has to cut Jenkins because of his $ 11 mil cap hit. CJ Henderson out of Florida could be a good fit, a lot of people think of him as the 2nd best cover corner in this draft and he played in the same secondary as Chauncey-Gardner.

To your first point though...
I'm not so sure about that.. teams are having Rookie Receivers come in and establish themselves right away much quicker than in the past.
just this year we saw Deebo Samuel, AJ Brown, and DK Metcalf be huge contributors on contending teams.
the year before was: Calvin Ridley, DJ Moore, and Courtland Sutton.

this whole "3 year window to develop a WR" notion could be a thing of the past...

The problem with rookie WRs is making sure they can A pick up the system and B get on the same page with Drew.

I understand what other teams get but I also understand Drew is a Qb that throws to spots. So a simple rookie mistake of not running the right route based on coverage could result in an INT or a ball that hits the ground in a critical situation.

Good teams don’t ask their #1 draft picks to come in and start and provide significant snaps day 1 and good teams fill as many holes as possible prior to the draft.

if a 1st round receiver is BPA then sure but we’ll have already signed a potential or expected #2 vs again relying on a a rookie to be that guy in what could he Drew’s last year.
 
The problem with rookie WRs is making sure they can A pick up the system and B get on the same page with Drew.

I understand what other teams get but I also understand Drew is a Qb that throws to spots. So a simple rookie mistake of not running the right route based on coverage could result in an INT or a ball that hits the ground in a critical situation.

Good teams don’t ask their #1 draft picks to come in and start and provide significant snaps day 1 and good teams fill as many holes as possible prior to the draft.

if a 1st round receiver is BPA then sure but we’ll have already signed a potential or expected #2 vs again relying on a a rookie to be that guy in what could he Drew’s last year.
Right I get that with Drew it becomes trickier to work in a rookie WR because he's so cerebral and nuanced. That's why (and I hate to keep pounding my own drum) Justin Jefferson gets even more points in my book; because he already is familiar and ran the same style of passing concepts the Saints run. The Double Slants one side field, the switch release "Scissor route" concepts with the inside slot releasing outside and running vertical, flanker drive, 4 verts from a 3x1 with the inside 3 running a deep crosser... so on so forth.

and he was a guy that didn't win primarily with physical gifts, but more so his Football IQ knowing spacing, understanding and reading corners leverages, and zone principles, just overall understanding of the Wide receiver position; going back to even Destrehan High School. I don't doubt that he could get on the same page with Drew quicker, than some other Rookie receivers could.
 
Right I get that with Drew it becomes trickier to work in a rookie WR because he's so cerebral and nuanced. That's why (and I hate to keep pounding my own drum) Justin Jefferson gets even more points in my book; because he already is familiar and ran the same style of passing concepts the Saints run. The Double Slants one side field, the switch release "Scissor route" concepts with the inside slot releasing outside and running vertical, flanker drive, 4 verts from a 3x1 with the inside 3 running a deep crosser... so on so forth.

and he was a guy that didn't win primarily with physical gifts, but more so his Football IQ knowing spacing, understanding and reading corners leverages, and zone principles, just overall understanding of the Wide receiver position; going back to even Destrehan High School. I don't doubt that he could get on the same page with Drew quicker, than some other Rookie receivers could.

ah, I see your argument is based on your excitement for Jefferson. Still prefer a vet + draft pick vs let’s just draft a WR 1st. I’m not willing to rely on just a rookie to come in and solidify the #2 position by himself is my point. Not that we shouldn’t choose one at 24.

regards
 
ah, I see your argument is based on your excitement for Jefferson. Still prefer a vet + draft pick vs let’s just draft a WR 1st. I’m not willing to rely on just a rookie to come in and solidify the #2 position by himself is my point. Not that we shouldn’t choose one at 24.

regards
There are more "talented" receivers than Jefferson in this Draft that I would be just as excited for the Saints to take, I just think if you're looking for the most ready to come in and produce player from Day 1 for the Saints you would just have to say him based off the college Offense he ran.

Ideally you can get the best of both worlds like you said and sign a Veteran receiver + Draft a talented one. So the veteran could mentor and coach up the younger receivers in the room, and the rookie wouldn't have as much on his plate right away.

I just don't see who that Veteran presence is going to be for the Saints this off-season. Considering how tight their cap is, and that they won't have a lot of "play" money after working out the QB situation.

So that probably already eliminates: Amari Cooper, AJ Green and Emmanuel Sanders who are all probably looking for pretty big long term deals, and will want to be paid WR1 type money.

Perriman is probably the most promising player in this FA class, as he's still only 26 and looks to have finally turned the corner. So he might get paid based on his upside.


The only reasonably priced options I see for the Saints are: Tajae Sharpe, Rashard Higgins, Phillip Dorsett, Jarius Wright, Seth Roberts, Cody Latimer, or Amendola.

those guys can provide the veteran mentorship.. but they won't really be your instant solution to the WR2 issues either they would just be rotational role players.
 
Just because I’ve done a lot of WR watching and haven’t shared a ton of thoughts yet, this would be my observation fit-wise for New Orleans on a few of these guys:

1. Jerry Jeudy - If it were possible, no doubt he would be the pick. He will work all over the formation wherever he ends up, but most of his damage will almost surely be from the slot. He’s a virtuoso and the Saints would not unlock him as a downfield burner in a way that a couple teams could, but the pairing of Jeudy’s short area quickness and off the snap separation ability with Michael Thomas’ mismatch size and well rounded game would be dominant. Really too bad. Jeudy will be an elite NFL WR.

Comparison - Jerry Rice (Bring it on, he’s this good)

2. Justin Jefferson - I will take it head on, but Jefferson would be the second most productive WR in today’s New Orleans Saints. Whether you want to draft talent and mold your offense to fit or draft fits and develop the talent depends on thought process, but with Drew at QB and the current personnel being what it is, Jefferson would be fantastic. Experienced in a modern west coast offense and from experience, technical route running translates to the next level. I think Jefferson is going to be a very good NFL slot, and the Saints could maximize his skill set immediately.

Comparison - Cooper Kupp

3. Henry Ruggs - This would be the side where if you’re looking for talent over fit, Ruggs would make more sense for current New Orleans than Jefferson. He’s a deep threat, but he’s also extremely smooth-hipped. Some slot capability, but will likely play the Z. His ceiling in my opinion is as high as anyone but Jeudy, and I think he has the higher floor than a guy like CeeDee Lamb because he’s better in and out of breaks.

Comparison - Marquise Brown

4. CeeDee Lamb - I think he’s a bad fit for New Orleans and that may be part of the reason I’m more sour on him than most. He’s an X and I think he could end up being a team’s #1 WR, sure. I just don’t know about his route tree, his hips don’t look near as smooth as I would’ve thought given his stock, and I don’t know that he is as dominant of a high point WR as he would need to be. I have seen him likened to DeAndre Hopkins, but I want to see the combine numbers to compare. Maybe he can run and leap and I need to change my tune.

Comparison - A better Robby Anderson

5. Laviska Shenault - Inside the right offense, this guy could be scary. Strength, speed and big play ability should all be off the chart. Would likely play the Z in a Sean Payton offense, and would be a massive upgrade over a Tre’Quan Smith or Ted Ginn. Upside would likely be heavy on utilization out of the backfield, getting behind a defense and boxing out down the field. I think he’s a bit rounded, but I think the talent is real and the ceiling is up there. I think in the wrong offense, he could be a disappointment and I would worry about the Saints ability to use him right now.

Comparison - Deebo Samuel

6. Tee Higgins - Another guy that I see the appeal, but I have my own doubts. Maybe it’s not fair to question the guy’s toughness, but I was not a fan of the fact that he temporarily bowed out of both playoff games. Not the only issue I see though. I think his ability to use his frame in heavy traffic, box out and win on inside routes is not great. Really, Clemson’s offense conceptually does not allow it’s outside WRs to show a lot inside the hashes. I would be concerned he’s only an outside the numbers, downfield winner. I don’t know if that’s round one worthy.

Comparison - Courtland Sutton

7. Michael Pittman - I will absolutely admit that I need to watch more of him. There’s a lot of him playing out of the slot, which I’m interested in seeing, but he doesn’t look particular sudden off the snap. USC has underdeveloped talented guys at an alarming rate recently, so I don’t want to hold too much against him as a player. One thing noticeable is that he looks extremely physical. The thing with having a dynamic and well rounded #1 in MT, is that having another talented guy that can run the X or the slot, could be very useful for the Saints.

Comparison - At his ceiling, Vincent Jackson (I need to watch more to be more accurate)

8. KJ Hill - I’ve spoken at length about how high I am on Hill, admittedly because I’ve watched him since high school (he’s an Arkansas guy). He fits New Orleans’ offense like a glove right now. Off the snap winner from the slot, smooth in and out of breaks, fearless over the middle, and he has a high IQ to find the sticks. A fantastic third down/red zone asset. Better athlete than Jefferson but doesn’t have the size. He also went to CSP’s favorite school. Don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t have near the ceiling as most of these guys as a pure slot without a dominant physical frame.

Comparison - Golden Tate

9. Tyler Johnson - Was kind of ashamed that it took him torching Auburn for me to take notice of him. He was an extremely explosive player for a not very explosive offense at times. He looks plenty fast and dynamic with the ball in his hands. Need to find more instances of him attacking the ball in the air. A bit of a bubble route runner, but I think he’s got quite a bit of room for growth. Overall, he’s pretty impressive at times but there’s some fine tuning aspects that you can isolate as issues.

Comparison - Chris Conley

10. Brandon Aiyuk - One of the most athletic of the bunch, but also probably the most raw of the 10. You can see the twitchiness in his routes, but you can also see him get jammed up and look fearful over the middle at times. Basically, he’s more athlete than NFL receiver right now. I have seen it go different ways, where guys have always had the mentality but don’t necessarily have the football IQ when going through traffic. Or sometimes, they’re just not physical. He has a great ceiling but Leonte Carroo is the cautionary tale here.

Comparison - Antonio Callaway
 
Just because I’ve done a lot of WR watching and haven’t shared a ton of thoughts yet, this would be my observation fit-wise for New Orleans on a few of these guys:

1. Jerry Jeudy - If it were possible, no doubt he would be the pick. He will work all over the formation wherever he ends up, but most of his damage will almost surely be from the slot. He’s a virtuoso and the Saints would not unlock him as a downfield burner in a way that a couple teams could, but the pairing of Jeudy’s short area quickness and off the snap separation ability with Michael Thomas’ mismatch size and well rounded game would be dominant. Really too bad. Jeudy will be an elite NFL WR.

Comparison - Jerry Rice (Bring it on, he’s this good)

2. Justin Jefferson - I will take it head on, but Jefferson would be the second most productive WR in today’s New Orleans Saints. Whether you want to draft talent and mold your offense to fit or draft fits and develop the talent depends on thought process, but with Drew at QB and the current personnel being what it is, Jefferson would be fantastic. Experienced in a modern west coast offense and from experience, technical route running translates to the next level. I think Jefferson is going to be a very good NFL slot, and the Saints could maximize his skill set immediately.

Comparison - Cooper Kupp

3. Henry Ruggs - This would be the side where if you’re looking for talent over fit, Ruggs would make more sense for current New Orleans than Jefferson. He’s a deep threat, but he’s also extremely smooth-hipped. Some slot capability, but will likely play the Z. His ceiling in my opinion is as high as anyone but Jeudy, and I think he has the higher floor than a guy like CeeDee Lamb because he’s better in and out of breaks.

Comparison - Marquise Brown

4. CeeDee Lamb - I think he’s a bad fit for New Orleans and that may be part of the reason I’m more sour on him than most. He’s an X and I think he could end up being a team’s #1 WR, sure. I just don’t know about his route tree, his hips don’t look near as smooth as I would’ve thought given his stock, and I don’t know that he is as dominant of a high point WR as he would need to be. I have seen him likened to DeAndre Hopkins, but I want to see the combine numbers to compare. Maybe he can run and leap and I need to change my tune.

Comparison - A better Robby Anderson

5. Laviska Shenault - Inside the right offense, this guy could be scary. Strength, speed and big play ability should all be off the chart. Would likely play the Z in a Sean Payton offense, and would be a massive upgrade over a Tre’Quan Smith or Ted Ginn. Upside would likely be heavy on utilization out of the backfield, getting behind a defense and boxing out down the field. I think he’s a bit rounded, but I think the talent is real and the ceiling is up there. I think in the wrong offense, he could be a disappointment and I would worry about the Saints ability to use him right now.

Comparison - Deebo Samuel

6. Tee Higgins - Another guy that I see the appeal, but I have my own doubts. Maybe it’s not fair to question the guy’s toughness, but I was not a fan of the fact that he temporarily bowed out of both playoff games. Not the only issue I see though. I think his ability to use his frame in heavy traffic, box out and win on inside routes is not great. Really, Clemson’s offense conceptually does not allow it’s outside WRs to show a lot inside the hashes. I would be concerned he’s only an outside the numbers, downfield winner. I don’t know if that’s round one worthy.

Comparison - Courtland Sutton

7. Michael Pittman - I will absolutely admit that I need to watch more of him. There’s a lot of him playing out of the slot, which I’m interested in seeing, but he doesn’t look particular sudden off the snap. USC has underdeveloped talented guys at an alarming rate recently, so I don’t want to hold too much against him as a player. One thing noticeable is that he looks extremely physical. The thing with having a dynamic and well rounded #1 in MT, is that having another talented guy that can run the X or the slot, could be very useful for the Saints.

Comparison - At his ceiling, Vincent Jackson (I need to watch more to be more accurate)

8. KJ Hill - I’ve spoken at length about how high I am on Hill, admittedly because I’ve watched him since high school (he’s an Arkansas guy). He fits New Orleans’ offense like a glove right now. Off the snap winner from the slot, smooth in and out of breaks, fearless over the middle, and he has a high IQ to find the sticks. A fantastic third down/red zone asset. Better athlete than Jefferson but doesn’t have the size. He also went to CSP’s favorite school. Don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t have near the ceiling as most of these guys as a pure slot without a dominant physical frame.

Comparison - Golden Tate

9. Tyler Johnson - Was kind of ashamed that it took him torching Auburn for me to take notice of him. He was an extremely explosive player for a not very explosive offense at times. He looks plenty fast and dynamic with the ball in his hands. Need to find more instances of him attacking the ball in the air. A bit of a bubble route runner, but I think he’s got quite a bit of room for growth. Overall, he’s pretty impressive at times but there’s some fine tuning aspects that you can isolate as issues.

Comparison - Chris Conley

10. Brandon Aiyuk - One of the most athletic of the bunch, but also probably the most raw of the 10. You can see the twitchiness in his routes, but you can also see him get jammed up and look fearful over the middle at times. Basically, he’s more athlete than NFL receiver right now. I have seen it go different ways, where guys have always had the mentality but don’t necessarily have the football IQ when going through traffic. Or sometimes, they’re just not physical. He has a great ceiling but Leonte Carroo is the cautionary tale here.

Comparison - Antonio Callaway

+rep for the good post and for leaving out Jalen "Tavon Austin" Reagor
 
+rep for the good post and for leaving out Jalen "Tavon Austin" Reagor

Not big at all on Reagor, especially for New Orleans. I think we’ve got the guys to go deep.

I love Van Jefferson, and should’ve slotted him over Aiyuk & Johnson. He’s apparently been crushing it in Mobile.
 

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