NFL Mock Draft 7.0: Round 1 of the 2018 NFL Draft

What a long way the Saints have come in such little time.

Just a couple years ago, the Saints’ defense was a laughing stock. Drew Brees was carrying dead weight week in and week out, and it was fair to wonder if the team would ever be relevant in the Brees-Payton era again.

Last year, the team quelled those concerns rather quickly.

A last-second exit in the divisional round of the playoffs left the Saints with a bad taste in their mouth, but the team will undoubtedly be the favorite to win the NFC South next year, and through the NFL Draft, they can only get stronger.

The Saints could pick a tight end here, but with how well their offense functioned without a No. 1 option, they could opt to go for defensive talent instead. On the edges, the Saints already have Cameron Jordan and Alex Okafor. But they’d do well to add another rotational playmaker. UTSA’s Marcus Davenport could fill this role early. Here’s what I said about Davenport in my NFL Mock Draft 4.0:

"Davenport, standing at 6-foot-7, 255, is an incredibly disruptive player. In his senior season, he amassed an incredible pass rushing productivity score of 21.6, per Pro Football Focus. He puts to use his abnormal length, pushing offensive linemen back right at the start of the snap. He uses his burst to build momentum, and his motor seems to speed up as the play goes along. The UTSA product is a specialist at finding his way into the backfield, whether it’s against the run or the pass. He has a bevy of moves at his disposal. He can beat you with his speed, or he can send the offensive lineman onto the ground with a ruthless bull rush."

Davenport’s level of competition at UTSA could be questioned a bit more often, but the talent Davenport possesses is hard to ignore. With Davenport in the fold, the Saints’ edge rushing unit would instantly have a valuable influx of depth, and in time, Davenport could succeed Cameron Jordan as the starter.