Vadal Alexander’s versatility would allow him to contribute heavily for the Saints as a rookie

With back to back 7-9 records in the last two NFL seasons, the New Orleans Saints are stuck in mediocrity and now have the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers to deal with in their division. If the Saints want to make it back to the playoffs soon, they need to improve one of the worst defenses in the league.

Last season, the Saints tried to address some of those needs through the draft. Six of the Saints’ nine 2015 NFL Draft picks were defensive players. Let’s take a look back at their 2015 draft.

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2015 Draft Picks

• Round 1, Pick 13: Andrus Peat (OT –  Stanford)
• Round 1, Pick 31: Stephone Anthony (LB – Clemson)
• Round 2, Pick 44: Hau’oli Kikaha (LB – Washington)
• Round 3, Pick 75: Garrett Grayson (QB – Colorado State)
• Round 3, Pick 78: P.J. Williams (DB – Florida State)
• Round 5, Pick 148: Davis Tull (LB – Tennessee-Chattanooga)
• Round 5, Pick 154: Tyeler Davison (DT – Fresno State)
• Round 5, Pick 167: Damian Swann (CB – Georgia)
  
• Round 7, Pick 230: Marcus Murphy (RB – Missouri)

The Saints struck gold with their first three picks as Peat, Anthony and Kikaha all had significant playing time. Grayson could be the QB of the future as he learns behind Drew Brees. Tull and Williams did not see the field due to injuries, but could be key contributors down the line.

The last two picks the Saints made could be their most promising, but injuries shortened their seasons. Swann started the year as their nickel corner (but only played in seven games), and Murphy won the kickoff and punt returner job and returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown in Week 3. But Murphy’s season was also cut short due to an injury.

2016 Draft Picks

This year the Saints currently have six draft picks:

• First round: 12th overall selection
• Second round: 47th overall selection
• Third round: 78th overall selection
• Fourth round: 112th overall selection
• Fifth round: 152nd overall selection
• Seventh round: 237th overall selection

Top Draft Needs

Defensive Line
The Saints were one of the worst teams in the NFL at sacking the QB. It’s their top priority this off-season, and it could be addressed in the first round of this year’s draft. They will probably draft outside edge rushers and defensive tackles who can bring pressure.

First Round Fit: Shaq Lawson (Clemson)
If one of the best pass rushers in college last season is still on the board at 12, the Saints will draft him. They need an impact player, and Lawson fits the bill.

Day Two Pick: Sheldon Day (Notre Dame)
In the second round, the Saints will probably go with the best DT available. If Day is there, he is one of the best at getting pressure on the QB. Austin Johnson (Penn State) and Vernon Butler (Louisiana Tech) could also be solid options.

Deeper Selection: Jihad Ward (Illinois)
Ward can play both DT and DE and could be a nice fit for a team that needs a lot of help on the defensive line.

Offensive Line
Jahari Evans is gone, and the Saints now have a gaping hole at guard. They could also use another tackle for depth and to eventually replace Zach Strief.

First Round Fit: No one
The Saints will likely not spend a first round pick on an offensive lineman with all the holes on defense. Look for the team to address this position on the second day of the draft.

Day Two Pick: Vadal Alexander (LSU)
Alexander is projected as a guard in the NFL, but the Saints could use him at right guard. He was a second-team All-American at tackle but did play a few games at guard in his career at LSU. The Saints like drafting guys who can play multiple spots on the line (like last year’s first round pick Peat) and Alexander could have an immediate impact.

Deeper Selection: Joshua Garnet (Stanford)
Garnet could be joining former Standford Cardinal Peat on the Saints’ offensive line. The Outland Trophy winner could fill the hole left by Evans at guard.

Wide Receiver
The Saints don’t have a true No. 1 WR on the roster. Marques Colston is gone, and Brandin Cooks is more of a No. 2 type WR. Don’t look for the Saints to address this need early for two reasons.

First, the talent at the WR position in this year’s draft is not that great. Second, the Saints have NEVER had a true No. 1 WR with Sean Payton as head coach, so don’t expect them to invest a high draft pick on the position. The Saints, like the Patriots, always seem to have one of the top offenses in the league despite the fact they’ve never had a top tier WR.

Laquon Treadwell (Ole Miss) has the size the Saints are looking for, but will be off the board when they finally start looking for WRs during the draft. Kenny Lawler (Cal) may be a better fit for the Saints. The first-team All-Pac-12 selection had a solid season at Cal with Jared Goff throwing him the ball. Lawler has good size and is very good at catching the ball. A late round option for the Saints could be Dom Williams (Washington State). He has some big play ability and could help stretch the defense for Brees and the Saints.

Quarterback
One rumor that won’t go away is the Saints are considering drafting a QB to be the successor to Brees. The Saints have worked out some QBs the last couple of days leading up to the draft (Goff, Paxton Lynch and Cody Kessler) but will they actually draft a QB? They spent a third round pick on Grayson last year and Brees could still play at a high level for a couple of more years. It very well may be a smoke screen to get other teams thinking they will go that route, but they need too much help on defense to spend an early round pick on a QB.

Those are some of the most pressing needs for the Saints this draft. They could also look for a DB somewhere in the draft. But don’t be surprised if the Saints spend multiple picks on both defensive and offensive lines. If the Saints can have another solid draft like they did in 2015, they could be on their way to battling the Panthers for a divisional title and playoff berth in the next few years.

Hilton Guidry is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Hilton, check out his archive and follow him @fantasygumbo.