MOBILE, Ala. – The New Orleans Saints have a bit of a home-field advantage when it comes to the Senior Bowl, as the college all-star game is held about 150 miles east down Interstate 10. As a result, the Saints usually come out in full force, with all of their coaches and scouts attending the first few days of practice.
This year is no exception, with coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis and their full staffs in town. Here are five players they will likely be watching closely this week, with heights and weights from Tuesday morning’s weigh-ins:
LB Reggie Ragland, Alabama: As I’ve said all month, the Saints’ top priorities this offseason should be defense, defense, defense. And the 6-foot-1, 259-pound Ragland might be the best defense prospect in Mobile this week. The only problem is that he projects as an inside linebacker – one of the few defensive positions where the Saints are set for the future with last year’s first-round draft pick Stephone Anthony (assuming New Orleans sticks with a base 4-3 defense). The Saints will have to determine if Ragland has enough versatility to play alongside Anthony, especially in their nickel packages. Alabama’s leading tackler last year, Ragland was solid in coverage and was occasionally used to rush the passer. The Saints could absolutely use more players with skills like that at linebacker.
DT Jarran Reed, Alabama: If only the Saints could just draft the entire Alabama defense. The 6-3, 311-pound Reed is a likely first-round pick and might be the best nose tackle in this year’s draft. Last year, both of those statements were true of Washington’s Danny Shelton during Senior Bowl week. And the Saints liked what they saw of Shelton enough that they were prepared to draft him at No. 13 if the Cleveland Browns had snagged tackle Andrus Peat at No. 12.
DL Sheldon Rankins, Louisville: The 6-1, 304-pound Rankins would probably fit best as a three-technique prospect in a 4-3 defense (or an end in a 3-4). He’s a great run defender, but also athletic enough to provide some pass rush. That’s a big need for the Saints, who used veteran Kevin Williams in that role for most of last season and need to become more disruptive up front.
DE/OLB Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky: One of the biggest wild-cards in the draft, Spence was an elite pass-rusher at Ohio State before he got kicked out for two failed drug tests and admitted to an addiction to the drug Ecstasy. Then Spence reportedly got cleaned up and continued to be an elite pass-rusher at Eastern Kentucky. The 6-2, 254-pound Spence will have to impress teams both on the field and in interviews.
G Cody Whitehair, Kansas State: This is by far my top offensive prospect for the Saints because I think guard is their top offensive need. And the 6-4, 300-pounder could be the top guard in this year’s draft after playing left tackle in college (think former Senior Bowl standout turned NFL stud Zack Martin, among others, who have made the same switch). The Saints will eventually need to replace six-time Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans, and a top prospect like Whitehair could push Tim Lelito for the starting left guard job right away.
WR Braxton Miller, Ohio State: I couldn’t resist adding Miller to the list, as the quarterback-turned-receiver will be one of the most exciting players for anyone to watch this week. I don’t rank receiver among the Saints’ top priorities, as they have proven time and again that they can produce one of the NFL’s top passing games without elite talent. But Miller (6-1, 204) is a Day 2 prospect because he’s still raw at the position, with tremendous upside because of his speed and athleticism. So the risk-reward price might be right.
