By Aaron S. Miller | Sports Illustrated
We are a mere week into 2020 and, owing to a heartbreaking loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round, New Orleans Saints are on the clock for the NFL Draft at #24. For Saints' front office personnel, however, a critical piece of a nascent 2020-21 NFL season is just getting underway. Scouting future team contributors - pending free agents and incoming rookies - via the NFL Draft will be a vital component to the Saints making another bid for the Super Bowl.
The Saints have a strong team in many regards and boast a slew of talented young players to include WR Michael Thomas, RT Ryan Ramczyk, RB Alvin Kamara, C Erik McCoy and CB Marshon Lattimore, to name just a few. Recent draft success has played a large part in the Saints' return to prominence after a trifecta of losing seasons from 2014 to 2016. Indeed, going back to the 2017 draft class which featured both Kamara and Lattimore as offensive rookie of the year and defensive rookie of the year respectively, the Saints have gone 37-11 and won three consecutive NFC South division crowns. Unfortunately, those three crowns yielded three heart-breaking losses in the playoffs, and each season pundits and fans alike have been able to identify this team's vulnerabilities.
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