The New Orleans Saints Need Wide Receivers In 2014 NFL Draft
By Erik Lambert
Jan 11, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) reacts after a play as Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett (72) celebrates during the second half of the 2013 NFC divisional playoff football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Everybody knows that Drew Brees is a future Hall of Fame quarterback, but not even he can beat top teams without quality weapons.
Seattle Seahawks expose Saints fatal flaw again
For the record the Saints offense averaged 25 points and 307 passing yards for the season in 2013. However, against the Seattle Seahawks they’ve managed a total of 22 points in two games with Drew Brees posting well under 300 yards passing in both contests. It’s not all that surprising really. New Orleans, for all their offensive wizardry in terms of scheming by Sean Payton, seemed to lack true explosion at the wide receiver position. Their best pass target was tight end Jimmy Graham while their top outside threat, Marques Colston had a modest 973 yards and five touchdowns. As the season wore on defenses began to figure out that by blanketed the All-Pro Graham they could limit the big play ability of the Saints offense. Seattle proved that late in the regular season and again in their 23-15 victory in the NFC divisional playoff. Hard as it is to believe, the big need moving forward for the Saints offense may not be offensive line or defensive back. It may be a go-to receiver.
Addition of an Allen Robinson or Jordan Matthews would help
Colston has been a tremendous player for New Orleans for a long time but his game breaking ability has slackened recently and Graham can’t carry the load alone. More than anything New Orleans needs another big target on the outside who can create matchup problems. Luckily the 2014 NFL draft has a rather deep class of receivers to choose from, many of them boasting a good deal of size. Holding a pick in the late 20s doesn’t help, but that doesn’t mean options won’t be there. One to consider is PennState star Allen Robinson. At 6’3″ he has the height but where it becomes a problem for defense is in his lower body strength. The power is there for him to explode towards the football in the air and bring in down over the head of a corner or safety. It also gives him deceptive acceleration which allows for gaining separation off the line. Another option is Vanderbilt product Jordan Matthews. Like Robinson he is not a deep threat but he has found a way to make it a moot point. He has excellent hands and a photographic memory of the route tree. His technical understanding is rare for his level, and he uses it to constantly get himself open. Add in a 6’3″ frame and it’s no wonder he’s breaking records.
Arguments can be made that the New Orleans Saints have other needs on the roster, but it’s clear if they want to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the future they will need more firepower at receiver.