Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski predicted there will be a run on cornerbacks at the end of the first round. The New Orleans Saints may pick in the beginning of the draft, but this possibility could impact the strategy at nine.
There’s a top trio of cornerbacks in this year’s NFL draft: Travis Hunter, Will Johnson and Jahdae Barron. Sobleski viewed them as first round locks, but then the next class of corners could see themselves go off the board later in the round.
Sobleski feels “Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison, Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston, Florida State’s Azareye’h Thomas, East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr. and Ole Miss’ Tre Amos all have first-round potential.” He matches that with at least seven teams who could “rationalize a first-round investment in another cornerback” between the 20th and 32nd picks.
For New Orleans, a run on late run on cornerbacks would thin options available at 40. It’s unlikely all five of those cornerbacks go within that seven pick span, but that doesn’t account for the second round picks ahead of the Saints. There are two responses to this kind of run, a proactive response and a reactionary response.
Proactively, the Saints could draft a cornerback at ninth overall. What happens at the end of the first round has no impact if you’ve already taken a cornerback. If you think a run is possible, you may even draft for position instead of best player available.
If a run on cornerbacks begins and the Saints didn’t foresee it, this could easily lead to them trading up in the second round. Making a move into the back end of the first round shouldn’t be ruled out either, but making a move to select earlier in Day 2 feels like the most likely response.
Isaac Yiadom was signed this offseason, but the position still feels high on the list of priorities. The Saints missing out on a cornerback because of a late run in the first round would feel like a big blow despite the free agency signing.
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