Where In The Draft Should The New Orleans Saints Reinforce Their Defensive Line?

The Saints defensive interior saw it lose a fairly key player in the offseason, so how should they use the draft to reinforce it?

Oct 21, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton / Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

We're almost a week out from opening night of the NFL Draft. A lot of eyes will be on the Saints, who currently hold the 14th overall pick. The anticipated run on quarterbacks certainly helps New Orleans for getting a top prospect, and they're going to have an interesting decision to make when they get there. Many project an offensive lineman, but that obviously isn't set in stone.

We've been looking at each position on the roster and checking out the possibilities of the Saints selecting them in the draft. We move to the defensive line and look at the trenches, which should see some additions throughout the process, but where is the big question.

Previous Entries: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Offensive Line | Edge Rusher

Current Depth Chart: Khalen Saunders, Nathan Shepherd, Bryan Bresee, Jack Heflin, John Penisini

Saints Draft Prospect Outlook - Defensive Tackle

• Day 1 Options: Byron Murphy II (Texas), Jer'Zhan Newton (Illinois)
• Day 2 Options: T'Vondre Sweat (Texas), Braden Fiske (Florida State), Maason Smith (LSU), Michael Hall Jr. (Ohio State), Kris Jenkins (Michigan), Brandon Dorlus (Oregon), Khristian Boyd (Northern Iowa), Jordan Jefferson (LSU)
• Day 3 Options: DeWayne Carter (Duke), Leonard Taylor III (Miami), Ruke Orhorhoro (Clemson), Mekhi Wingo (LSU), Jaden Crumedy (Mississippi State), McKinnley Jackson (TAMU), Gabe Hall (Baylor), Justin Eboigbe (Alabama), Tyler Davis (Clemson)
• UDFAs: Judge Culpepper (Toledo), James Ester (NIU), Tuli Letuligasenoa (Washington), Levi Drake Rodriguez (TAMU Commerce), Jowonn Briggs (Cincinatti), Keenan Stewart (UTEP), Hale Motu'apuaka (Utah State)

Note: Some prospects may be listed on our edge rusher article.

THE CASE FOR DRAFTING

Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders enter the second year of their three-year free agent contracts, while everyone should expect a significant leap from Bryan Bresee. With the Saints losing Malcolm Roach to the Broncos, it certainly leaves a void on the interior for the team to fill. Roach was a strong run defender and could also affect the quarterback, so New Orleans will need to see what they have in Jack Heflin or John Penisini and/or look to the draft.

There's some real top-end talent available on the first two days, but after that figures to be a bit of a question mark, especially with the Saints not having anything in the 3rd or 4th Round currently. Depending on what New Orleans does with the No. 14 pick, which is widely believed to be an offensive tackle at this point, they could look to grab an interior player at No. 45.

The Saints are a team that believes in building from the trenches within, and addressing a fairly pressing need before going for the shiny toys is a sound strategy. They absolutely nailed their evaluation of Bryan Bresee last year, and hopefully lightning can strike twice if they get another in the Top 50.

THE CASE FOR NOT DRAFTING

There's a few options on the market, but they are limited and also more on the older side. New Orleans is also crowded on the edge right now, and it begs the question on whether or not we'll see some players move inside or not. In theory, it sounds like a plan, but remains to be seen.

We mentioned Jack Heflin previously, and the team was pretty high on him. Former longstanding defensive line coach Bill Johnson certainly had a hand in it after coaching Heflin in the XFL while with the Houston Roughnecks. If the team were to play a game right now, he'd most certainly be their fourth guy in the rotation.

One thing I would throw out that we might not be thinking of at this moment is also the possibility of New Orleans finding a player in the draft via a trade. 15 of the draft trades last year involved a player, with two of them being defensive tackles (Kentavius Street and Leonard Williams). Some Day 3 deals could help the Saints find someone, which shouldn't be ruled out.

From a sheer numbers perspective, New Orleans is going to need to add to the roster. You can absolutely take it to the bank that one of the nine picks will be an interior lineman, and it might not stop there. The undrafted process will also bring more to the table, and the Saints simply need to find their next Malcolm Roach, who was an undrafted find himself. This is the second year for Todd Grantham, and he's been fairly active these past few months looking at prospects. The Saints defensive interior needs another player that can a add a punch to the line, and the draft figures to be the best way to get that.