Solid Starter
Tre’quan Smith, WR, Central Florida – Round 3 
New Orleans has been very good at taking mid-round or late-round receivers and getting good contributions out of them. Having a future Hall of Fame quarterback like Drew Brees certainly makes that easier to accomplish, and the Saints could have their next sleeper contributor to their potent passing attack with Smith.
In 2017, Smith was a dangerous receiver for Central Florida and a point-producer. He totaled 13 touchdowns on 59 receptions for 1,171 yards for the year. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder then showed some speed at the combine with a 4.49-second time in the 40-yard dash. He has a nice skill set, and sources at other teams feel he has upside to develop in the NFL. Aside from being a good receiver, Smith is also an asset as a blocker and a contributor on special teams. That combination of strengths should help Smith to become a starter on offense and special teams.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Smith starts out as a backup and works his way into being a third receiver before long. However with his size and speed, I think he could develop into a quality No. 2 receiver across from Michael Thomas. With Cam Meredith working in the slot, New Orleans could have a talented young trio of starting wideouts with Thomas, Meredith and Smith.
2017: Ryan Ramczyk, OT
2016: Sheldon Rankins, DT
2015: Hau-Oli Kikaha, LB
2014: Khairi Fortt, LB
2013: Kenny Vaccaro, S
Most Likely To Bust
Rick Leonard, OT, Florida State – Round 4 
I don’t like to select third-day players as a “most likely to bust” because the odds are that the vast majority of picks from Day 3 don’t pan out in the NFL. Thus, it is not much of a prediction. The Saints only had two selections in the first three rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft, so I faced limited options. I chose Leonard because I see more flaws in him as a player than I do either New Orleans’ first- or third-round selections.
The 6-foot-7, 314-pound Leonard is still a work in progress coming into his NFL career after starting out as a defensive lineman early on in college. He went through a lot of struggles in pass protection over the past few seasons at right tackle while Florida State’s offensive line underachieved. Leonard needs a lot of development, and many projected him to go undrafted. Thus, he was a real reach in the fourth round and was picked on his athletic potential versus how he played in college. However, the Saints have been excellent at taking tackles with athletic upside and developing them into good players.
Another reason why I think Leonard could go bust is the Saints already possessing a strong offensive line, which could make it hard for him to see the field to establish himself as a NFL player or develop. They are set with Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk as their starting tackles and have veteran Jermon Bushrod backing them up. Andrus Peat also has the flexibility to play tackle. Leonard will be in a tough battle for a backup roster spot, and having only right tackle experience will hurt his flexibility to be viewed as a swing tackle or guard backup. Of the Saints’ first three draft picks, I think Leonard is the most likely to be a bust.
2017: Alex Anzalone, LB
2016: Vonn Bell, S
2015: Stephone Anthony, LB
2014: Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB
2013: Terron Armstead, OT
Potential Boom Pick
Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA – Round 1 
One of the most shocking picks in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft was the Saints trading up for Davenport while giving up a 2019 first-round pick in the process. Davenport is a raw player who needs a lot of development after making the jump from a smaller school in UTSA. He really could use a redshirt year and some patience at the NFL level. That was given clear proof at the Senior Bowl, but there is no doubt that Davenport (6-5, 259) has a ton of upside with a superb skill set of size, speed and athleticism.
In the ground game, Davenport is excellent. He is strong at the point of attack and pushes around the blockers. Davenport also can hold his ground and stand up offensive tackles to maintain gap integrity. Davenport has the strength to shed blocks with the quickness to close on the back to make tackles outside of his gap. Entering the NFL, Davenport is an excellent run defender.
Davenport has an excellent bull rush for the passing game. For a tall defensive end who is just under 6-foot-6, Davenport plays with very good leverage. He doesn’t stand up too high, and he stays low to get underneath the pads of offensive tackles. With his leverage and strength, Davenport applies a very effective bull rush to get tackles rolling backward into the quarterback. Regularly, Davenport gets his blocker struggling backward before using his length and strength to shed the block and hit the quarterback. Davenport also possesses speed and agility off the edge. Davenport definitely needs to add more pass-rushing moves because he is too reliant on a bull rush. One striking issue when watching Davenport is he must improve his get-off. When the ball is snapped, Davenport takes a looks at what the tackle is setting up to do rather than firing out of his stance with his rush. Thus, Davenport is a real work in progress as a pass-rusher.
Still, Davenport has an excellent combination of size and speed. He also is going to a talented defensive line with Cam Jordan on the other side. Davenport can learn a lot from Jordan, and the Saints have an athletic interior defender in Sheldon Rankins to go with them. If Davenport works hard to improve, he has real boom potential for the NFL.
2017: Marshon Lattimore, CB
2016: Michael Thomas, WR
2015: Andrus Peat, OT
2014: Brandin Cooks, WR
2013: John Jenkins, DT
Future Depth Player
Natrell Jamerson, S, Wisconsin – Round 5 
I was tempted to select Jamerson for a solid starter, but the Saints’ depth chart is what prevented me from doing it. They have their starting safety combination set with Marcus Williams and Vonn Bell. However, the New Orleans moved on from Kenny Vaccaro this offseason, so Jamerson could be the team’s third safety who rotates into the game.
Jamerson turned in a quality 2017 season for the Badgers with 51 tackles, 10 passes broken up and two interceptions. He has some versatility from having played some cornerback for Wisconsin as well as having returned kicks on special teams. He is extremely fast, and illustrated that with a 4.40-second time in the 40-yard dash in college. With his speed and build, Jamerson (5-11, 201) could be a special teams asset in the NFL. I think he is going to emerge as a quality backup safety and core special teams player for New Orleans. He was an astute fifth-round pick by the Saints.
2017: Alvin Kamara, RB
2016: David Onyemata, DL
2015: Garrett Grayson, QB
2014: Ron Powell, OLB
2013: Kenny Stills, WR
Walt’s 2018 NFL Draft Grades:
14. Marcus Davenport, DE, UTSA MILLEN DAVENPORT Grade
What…??? You don’t trade a future first-round pick for a non-quarterback, especially in a draft class that is absolutely loaded on the defensive line! This is absolutely atrocious. I wouldn’t have minded this pick at all if the Saints were stationed at No. 14, but to give up this much for a raw edge rusher. Ugh.
I don’t get it. The Saints had such a great 2017 NFL Draft class. How could they screw up this much? The only way this makes any sense is if the Saints know the world is going to come to an end before the 2019 season. This is a Millen grade all the way.
91. Tre’Quan Smith, WR, Central Florida B Grade
The Saints signed Cameron Meredith, but they can’t be overly confident about his health. Tre’Quan Smith has the potential to be a solid, No. 2 possession receiver in the NFL. His best attribute might be his blocking, so he’ll help Alvin Kamara break for more long runs. Smith makes sense in this range.
127. Rick Leonard, OT, Florida State MILLEN DISAPPOINTED THE PARROT DIDN’T SPEAK Grade
Uhh… what? Rick Leonard was not a draftable prospect. He’s a super-raw tackle who’s still learning the position. He wasn’t on many teams’ radar as a non-UDFA player. He could’ve been acquired following the draft.
164. Natrell Jamerson, S, Wisconsin B Grade
Natrell Jamerson is going to play special teams for a while, but he’s a smart, instinctive player who could eventually develop into a starter. This is a logical pick, as Jamerson was drawing fifth-round grades.
189. Kamrin Moore, CB, Boston College B Grade
Kamrin Moore seems like he could be a solid slot cornerback in the NFL one day. He fits the range in the fifth or sixth round, and New Orleans may want him to take over for Patrick Robinson in a couple of seasons. Moore will play special teams in the meantime.
201. Boston Scott, RB, Louisiana Tech C- Grade
This is a reach, but we’re in the 200s now, so it’s not a huge deal. I didn’t have Boston Scott as a draftable prospect, and there were better running backs available.
245. Will Clapp, C/G, LSU A Grade
I had Will Clapp in the fifth round. He’s a smart, versatile interior lineman who can play both guard and center. He needs to work on pass protection, but could be a stout run blocker. I could see him starting one day.
2018 NFL Draft Team Grade: D . Follow Walter @walterfootball for updates.
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