A position-by-position look at the New Orleans Saints' draft needs, ranked in order of importance from 1-14:
Current depth chart:
P Thomas Morstead. Age 29. Signed through 2017.
K Shayne Graham. Age 37. Signed through 2015.
K Dustin Hopkins. Age 24. Scheduled to become restricted free agent in 2018.
LS Justin Drescher. Age 27. Signed through 2016.
Draft possibilities: It wouldn’t be a huge shock to see the Saints draft a kicker, especially with nine picks to work with. But it seems unlikely since they already have a young kicker they like in Hopkins, whom they added late last season to the practice squad. Graham was solid last year, but the Saints brought in a group of kickers for tryouts when he went through a brief cold spell late in the season. They showed some confidence in Graham by re-signing him as a free agent, but they’re not married to him.
The Saints have always seemed perfectly happy with Drescher. They could potentially bring in some summer competition, but it would likely be an undrafted free agent.
Meanwhile, Morstead’s job is about as safe as it gets since he’s been one of the NFL’s best for a half-decade.
