Ranking the New Orleans Saints’ top draft needs. At No. 4 is guard/center:
Current depth chart:
C Max Unger, age 30
G/C Tim Lelito, age 26
G/C Senio Kelemete, age 25
OT/G Andrus Peat, age 22
G Cyril Lemon, age 23
Outlook: A case could be made for guard as high as No. 1 on this list, since the Saints have less experienced talent there than anywhere else on the roster. As of now, Lelito and Kelemete are penciled in as the projected starters after the Saints released six-time Pro Bowler Jahri Evans in February.
But I’m still ranking it fourth for a few reasons. First and foremost, there is virtually no way the Saints will draft a guard with the 12th overall pick, since no guard prospects are rated highly enough.
Second, I still think it’s more important for the Saints to add an impact player on defense (my top three needs all are in the defensive front seven).
Of course the Saints could use an upgrade at guard. And I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see them target someone like Kansas State's Cody Whitehair, Stanford's Joshua Garnett or Arizona State's Christian Westerman in Round 2 or Vadal Alexander from neighboring LSU in Round 3. It’s entirely possible for someone from that group to come in and compete for a starting job right away.
But if that doesn’t happen, I still trust the Saints’ ability to field one of the NFL’s elite offenses – just like last year, when they had the No. 2 offense and No. 1 passing offense despite Evans battling injuries and missing five games.
Lelito is a solid option at left guard who should only get better after starting 13 games there last year. Lelito temporarily lost his grip on the starting job late in the season, when he rotated with Kelemete and Peat. But he’s a strong run-blocker who is still on the rise.
Kelemete, more of an athletic big man, has a legitimate chance to win the job at right guard after impressing in a utility backup role the last two years. And Peat is not out of the question. The Saints still view their top draft choice from 2015 as a right tackle, where they hope he will eventually be ready to replace veteran Zach Strief. But if Strief is the starter for one more year, Peat could play guard with the idea of getting the best five guys on the field.
Previous rankings: