Saints Need an Offensive Weapon

I definitely agree that we need some more talent on offense. We have some dynamic options at WR in Shaheed and Olave (when healthy). I do think Olave probably won't be with the Saints long term given the concussion risk, but we will at least have him to start next year. I think one of our biggest issues is we don't have a physical receiving threat that can consistently keep the chains moving for us. Much like guys like Michael Thomas, Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston did for us in years past.

The good news is we have all of our draft picks this year and I think there are 4 players in this draft that could immediately step in and help us next year that could fill the role of being a bigger physical receiving threat. If we land 1 of these guys I'd be very happy (if we were able to land 2 of them, I'd be absolutely thrilled).

Tetairoa McMillan- At 6'5" he obviously would be an imposing WR. He moves well for being so tall. He's probably the least likely to be available when we pick in the 1st round, so I won't spend too much time on this one, but crazier things have happened.

Tre Harris- Listed at 6'3" 210lbs. He's a guy that is ranked all over the place right now. However, I expect his rankings to climb in the coming months leading up to the draft. The tape doesn't lie. He has arguably the best hands in this draft class, has the size of a "prototype" number 1 WR. Has the athleticism to win at all levels of the field, and is excellent in contested catch/jump ball situations. Also is a threat to make plays after the catch. Had he not hurt his groin and missed 4 games, there's a good chance he would be at or near the top of the receiving yards leader in the nation. He's still second in the SEC in receiving yards despite the missed games. Won't be surprised if he's the best WR from this draft class when all is said and done.

Harold Fannin- After watching Juwan Johnson drop a number of passes the past few weeks, drafting a guy like Fannin has become a much bigger priority to me. Fannin just had the greatest season in college history for a TE. He led the nation in receiving yards (WR's included) and broke the TE record for most catches and receiving yards in a season. He's not a big imposing TE at 6'4" 235lbs (will be curious to see if he's 240+ at the combine though). However, I have little concern about that as I was a huge fan of Bowers last year and had him as my number 1 target for the Saints to draft. From a size standpoint he and Bowers aren't far off. Not saying Fannin is that caliber of player, but I do think Fannin could be a Trey Mcbride type playmaker in the NFL. I'd run up to the podium if he's still on the board in the 2nd round. He may not be a huge asset as a run blocker in the NFL (although PFF actually has him graded really high in that aspect despite his size), but his ability as a receiver could be game changing for us. He's excellent making plays with the ball in his hands, and has shown the versatility to line up in different spots for Bowling Green. Most importantly though, he has great hands. I'd argue it's between Fannin and Tre Harris for best hands in this draft class.

Tyler Warren- Another guy that could step right in and be an impact player for us at TE. He possesses more "prototypical" size at TE than Fannin, but as I mentioned before that doesn't really mean much to me. Sure it would be nice to have him probably be more effective as a run blocker, but he's also not the receiving threat that Fannin is either. I do expect Warren to get drafted in the first round given his combo of size and athleticism while also being a very good receiving threat in his own right. He also possesses some versatility to line up in different spots. I'd be happy if we drafted him, but pick 10 does seem a little rich to draft Warren. A trade down and grabbing Warren would probably be the best case scenario if we were to grab Warren in the 1st round.

A couple other intriguing options if we don't draft a WR would be making a run for either Tee Higgins or Garrett Wilson. Obviously Tee Higgins fits the bill of being a bigger receiving threat, but I'd also love to have Garrett Wilson (was so bummed he went 1 pick ahead of us when we drafted Olave). Wilson is only 6', but he is so athletic and good at high pointing the football in contested catch situations that I'd gladly take him. He's made it clear he doesn't want to play with Rodgers again next year and we have a history of trying to bring in players from Ohio State, so trading for him wouldn't be the worst thing either as he still has several years of great football ahead of him.