Saints go for defensive help in first three rounds of NFL draft

Coming into the 2017 NFL draft, the New Orleans Saints were looking to upgrade a defense that has been atrocious the past three years.
In that time frame, the Saints defense has been ranked last in overall efficiency and has given up numerous yards, especially through the air.
So, to hopefully alleviate that situation, New Orleans used the first three rounds to sure up the back end of a defense that gave up 4,380 yards through the air in 2016.
In the first round of this year’s draft, New Orleans had the fortune of owning two picks, No. 11 and No. 32; the latter coming from a trade with the New England Patriots.
The Saints decided to go straight for what they hoped to be a shut down cornerback by picking Ohio State’s Marcus Lattimore as they first choice for 2017.
Lattimore redshirted in 2014 and only appeared in seven games in 2015 at Ohio State due to hamstring issues that were resolved with surgery -- leading to an injury-free 2016 campaign. He made 41 total tackles in 2016, collected four interceptions and defended nine passes for the Buckeyes last year.
Despite the fact that Lattimore has had some injury issues, New Orleans head coach Sean Payton was excited to get the Buckeye corner.
“We value the prototype, we value the size, we value the speed, he’s got tremendous ball skills,” said New Orleans head coach Sean Payton. “When you get a high-graded player at a position of need, it becomes an easier selection.”
For their second selection in the first round, the Saints decided to add some offensive line help by choosing Wisconsin offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk. The 6’6, 310 pound lineman helped lead the Badgers to an 11-3 record and 5,350 yards of total offense.
Round two saw New Orleans use its only pick to further bolster their secondary by selecting Utah safety Marcus Williams. The Ute defensive back had 10 interceptions, racked up 130 tackles and earned All-Pac-12 honors in his final two seasons at Utah.
Williams instantly offers the Saints the type of ball-hawking, centerfielder-type of safety that Jairus Byrd was supposed to be in his three seasons in New Orleans.
The third round gave the Saints an opportunity to utilize three more picks. In this round, New Orleans chose to pick players from both sides of the ball.
The Saints chose Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara with their first pick of the third round. Kamara, a 5’10”, 214 pound back who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds, caught 74 passes for 683 yards and five touchdowns in his two seasons at Tennessee, and he represents another talented weapon for Drew Brees out of the backfield.
Kamara is well aware of the Saints’ history of carving out roles for backs with his unique talents.
“Those guys catch a lot of balls and did a lot of things with their versatility,” Kamara said. “I feel like I am kind of the same type of player, just versatile and able to catch and run the ball well. Just excited to see how it will unfold.”
With the 76th pick of the draft, the Saints took Alex Anzalone, a 6’3”, 241 lb. linebacker from Florida. Anzalone, a 6-foot-3, 241-pounder who ran the 40 in an impressive 4.63 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, can play any of the three linebacker positions.
He collected 53 tackles in 2016 and three sacks. However, Anzalone was sidelined with a broken arm at the end of the season.
The final pick of round three saw New Orleans take Florida Atlantic outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson. The 6’4” 266 pound player was named first-team All-C-USA again in 2016. He recorded 51 tackles, 15 for loss and 9.5 sacks. Hendrickson also tied for the FBS lead in blocked kicks last year with four.
The Gazette will give completed coverage of the New Orleans Saints draft on Thursday, as the final rounds were not available for press time.