Betting the NFL Draft is all about information. And who better to tell us about what the Saints might do than recently-retired head coach Sean Payton.
Payton joined the Great Dane Nation podcast presented by VegasInsider with former NFL kicker Morten Anderson to talk about a wide variety of topics, including who the Saints will take in the first round.
"I know they want to add a receiver, I think they're probably going to add an offensive lineman," Payton said. "They'll probably add a safety or a corner, you're always looking at that depth. But I would definitely say they're going to look at a tackle, look at a receiver."
"But it's hard to answer those types of questions when you don't know the grades of the players that are in this draft."
Payton did not mention quarterback, which is where some believe New Orleans might go in this draft. The Saints have Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton, Taysom Hill and Ian Book on the roster at QB right now. They drafted Book in the fourth round last year, and have not taken a quarterback in the first two rounds since Archie Manning in 1971.
The Saints have two first-round picks at Nos. 16 and 19. The consensus mock draft from MockDraftDatabase has the Saints taking Northern Iowa OT Trevor Penning as the most likely option with their first pick, and Ohio State WR Chris Olave as the most likely choice at No. 19.
It also has quarterbacks Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett as likely options at No. 16 and No. 19.
FanDuel has a prop on which position the Saints will draft first:
- Wide receiver +210
- Quarterback +210
- Offensive lineman +300
If you're OK laying a bigger price, Bet365 has the Saints taking an offensive player first at -330, which seems likely based on the consensus mock draft from MDD.
Payton also talked about the balance of need vs. taking the best available player, and referenced the fact that the Saints normally prefer best available over team need.
"Most valuable player on the grade system is what we pay attention to…we're not going to ignore need, but the mistake sometimes can be squeezing a player in."
