Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU

Drew Brees’ career is coming to a close and while the defense is in need of talent, I feel like New Orleans is going to go with more offense in the form of SMU wideout Courtland Sutton. Before we get to Sutton, let’s take a look at what the wide receiver position consists of.

Cameron Meredith comes over from Chicago and will finally get to see what it’s like having a solid quarterback throw him the ball. The former Bear came over after the team chose not to match New Orleans’ offer. The 6’3 player has 77 career catches for just over 1,000 yards in three seasons. He’s only played in 25 contests so I think there’s potential for him to get even better.

Michael Thomas is the lead dog after registering 104 receptions and 1,245 yards in 2017. Thomas only had five touchdowns though so he wasn’t as effective in the red zone. Willie Snead is a question mark as he hasn’t signed his tender yet although he did report to the team’s offseason workouts on Monday. Snead is a solid veteran, but also inconsistent.

Austin Carr, Ted Ginn Jr and Tommylee Lewis are the other WRs listed on the Saints website. Ginn is a burner, but didn’t exactly break out like people thought he might on the indoor turf of New Orleans. He had just 53 receptions for 787 yards.

All of this above tells me that the team needs to go with Courtland Sutton who secretly I wouldn’t mind the Eagles picking up. The SMU wideout was incredible his last two seasons at the school picking up 22 touchdowns while averaging over 16 yards per catch. Sutton often had nothing around him and quarterbacks that weren’t very good. No matter where I looked, everyone mentioned his ability to catch a contested ball. Sometimes you need someone who will go up and get bad passes and Courtland can do that. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com said that Sutton could be the first wide receiver drafted in an article on Monday. He added:

”Teams are enamored with Sutton’s combination of size and ball skills. He was impressive at SMU’s pro day last month, and teams have enjoyed visiting with him throughout the evaluation process. It wouldn’t shock me if he ended up being the first wide receiver off the board.”

Sutton will help in the red zone for Drew Brees especially since they don’t have a tight end that demands attention down there. With the signal caller’s career coming to a close soon, why not put another weapon around him and make it tougher to cover these guys. The Mustangs wide receiver had four games with two catches or less in 2017 and we know that would never happen in this offense.

Other players that I considered here were quarterback Lamar Jackson who would benefit from a year or two of learning before taking over the position. I also think Ohio State defensive end Sam Hubbard could get a look here as the defensive line needs some work. Finally, they could actually go the tight end route with Dallas Goedert who was a loud for teams to cover at South Dakota State. Goedert’s ability to block makes him more of a complete player then some of the others being mentioned at the position.

2018 BGN Community Mock Draft Order

1) Browns (GMinTraining): Saquon Barkley

2) Giants (ablesser88): Quenton Nelson

3) Jets (20Safety_Hazards): Sam Darnold

4) Browns (MJ1893): Josh Rosen

5) Broncos (drc242): Baker Mayfield

6) Colts (I Need a Username): Bradley Chubb

7) Buccaneers (dunc123): Minkah Fitzpatrick

8) Bears (NVEagleShark): Tremaine Edmunds

9) 49ers (Doug Pederson’s Pair of Balls): Calvin Ridley

10) Raiders (Milehighbirds): Derwin James

11) Dolphins (danishdynamite_): Roquan Smith

12) Bills (LAOJoe): Denzel Ward

13) Washington (Eagle1987): Vita Vea

14) Packers (89Tremaine): Mike Hughes

15) Cardinals (RimoDawkins): Josh Allen

16) Ravens (PhillyEagles2011): Mike McGlinchey

17) Chargers (LBCeaglesFan!): Da’Ron Payne

18) Seahawks (KEZHOG): Marcus Davenport

19) Cowboys (Brawnybalboa): Rashaan Evans

20) Lions (dshelton5): Derrius Guice

21) Bengals (Palaniappan K M): Connor Williams

22) Bills (BeamerWentzorBentley): Lamar Jackson

23) Patriots (jy1187): Harold Landry

24) Panthers (dceagles): Justin Reid

25) Titans (ei78): Leighton Vander Esch

26) Falcons (SakPrescott): Taven Bryan

27) Saints (MidMajorMatt): Courtland Sutton

28) Steelers (SummersInVA):

29) Jaguars (RecarTabmok):

30) Vikings (AnthroEagle):

31) Patriots (PhilaWolverine):

32) Eagles (JALupowitz):

---

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think the Falcons should pick in the 2018 BGN Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Browns: Saquon Barkley

2) Giants: Sam Darnold

3) Jets: Josh Rosen

4) Browns: Josh Allen

5) Broncos: Baker Mayfield

6) Colts: Bradley Chubb

7) Buccaneers: Minkah Fitzpatrick

8) Bears: Quenton Nelson

9) 49ers: Tremaine Edmunds

10) Raiders: Derwin James

11) Dolphins: Roquan Smith

12) Bills: Lamar Jackson

13) Washington: Vita Vea

14) Packers: Denzel Ward

15) Cardinals: Mason Rudolph

16) Ravens: Mike McGlinchey

17) Chargers: Da’Ron Payne

18) Seahawks: Marcus Davenport

19) Cowboys: Rashaan Evans

20) Lions: Derrius Guice

21) Bengals: Connor Williams

22) Bills: Calvin Ridley

23) Patriots: Harold Landry

24) Panthers: Courtland Sutton

25) Titans: Leighton Vander Esch

26) Falcons: Maurice Hurst

27) Saints: