Saints 2022 Pre-Draft Depth Chart

With less than a month before the 2022 NFL Draft and still plenty of player movement to come, here is a look at the New Orleans Saints current projected depth chart.

Bob Rose | Apr 1, 2022

In this story:

New Orleans Saints

Four straight years of NFC South championships and playoff appearances came to an end for the New Orleans Saints in 2021. New Orleans finished an injury-marred campaign with a 9-8 record and barely missed the postseason for the first time since 2016.

The Saints also ushered in the end of the most successful era in franchise history this offseason.

A year after the retirement of future Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees, head coach Sean Payton surprisingly announced his retirement in January. The last player remaining from their Super Bowl XLIV championship team, S Malcolm Jenkins, also announced his retirement earlier this week.

New Orleans also lost two key starters in free agency. Pro Bowl LT Terron Armstead and S Marcus Williams each signed lucrative contracts with other teams. They responded by adding free agent S Marcus Maye and DT Kentavius Street and restructured several contracts to avoid releasing players.

The Saints will also welcome back several key contributors after they missed most or all of 2021. Jameis Winston, Michael Thomas, Ryan Ramczyk, Andrus Peat, Wil Lutz, and Peyton Turner return and are expected to play big roles in the team's success.

The 2022 NFL Draft is less than a month away. New Orleans currently has seven selections, including the 18th pick in the first round. The Saints have several holes to fill on their talented roster. Here is a look at their current projected depth chart.

QUARTERBACK

Jameis Winston
Andy Dalton
Ian Book

(Others: Blake Bortles)

New Orleans re-signed Winston to a team-friendly two-year deal. The experienced Dalton is an upgrade over last years backup, Trevor Siemian. Bortles is nothing more than a camp arm, unless he can beat out second-year project Book.

Winston's return doesn't necessarily rule out the Saints using a first-round pick on a quarterback. With the team restructuring so many players to keep its core mostly intact, it seems unlikely.

Incredibly, the Saints were the only team without a 300-yard passer in 2021. Expect that to change with a healthy Winston surrounded by better targets.

RUNNING BACK

Alvin Kamara
Mark Ingram
Tony Jones Jr.
Adam Prentice (FB)

This offense revolves around the versatile talents of Kamara. However, his February arrest in Las Vegas creates a strong possibility of a suspension from the league. Ingram showed that he still has some juice left after 11 NFL seasons. Jones disappointed after a promising preseason.

With Kamara's possible suspension, the Saints would be wise to add another back to lighten the load on the 32-year-old Ingram. Talent free agents Marlon Mack, Melvin Gordon, and Sony Michel are all still available.

New Orleans could spend a mid-round draft choice on a runner. A veteran on a one-year deal seems the more logical solution. Mack, Gordon, and Michel are proven featured runners who have also shown the willingness to share time and still be effective.

WIDE RECEIVER

Michael Thomas
Marquez Callaway
Deonte Harty
Tre'Quan Smith
Lil'Jordan Humphrey
Easop Winston

(Others: Jalen McCleskey, Kawaan Baker, Kevin White)

The return of Michael Thomas will bolster the entire offense. New Orleans ranked last in the NFL in passing production and had just one 100-yard outing from a wideout last season.

Callaway and Harty are each capable receivers. However, they are best suited as complementary weapons rather than a primary target. Smith was brought back because of his experience in the offense. Humphrey, Winston, and McCleskey all have the potential to provide adequate depth.

As long as Thomas is on the roster, the Saints were never going to spend big money on a free-agent wideout. Instead, expect New Orleans to use at least one high draft choice to pull from a deep draft class of receivers.

TIGHT END

New Orleans Saints Taysom Hill (7) scores a touchdown past Atlanta Falcons safety Ricardo Allen (37). Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY

Adam Trautman
Taysom Hill

Juwan Johnson
Nick Vannett

Easily the worst position on the Saints roster in 2021. This unit needs a major upgrade. New Orleans sat idly while several free-agent tight ends were signed to reasonable contracts. Trautman has potential as a blocker, while Vannett has been a solid backup throughout his career.

Converted wideout Juwan Johnson could provide better production in his second season at the position. The move of Taysom Hill from quarterback gives the team a viable athletic threat as a runner and receiver in open space.

Veteran TE Kyle Rudolph is on the downside of his career, but is the only decent free-agent option still available. There are some solid draft prospects that should be available late in Day 2 and early in Day 3. However, a rookie tight end rarely has an impact in their first season.

OFFENSIVE LINE

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) stands over center against the Seattle Seahawks. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Ramczyk (T)
Cesar Ruiz (G)
Erik McCoy (C)
Andrus Peat (G)
James Hurst (T/G)
Calvin Throckmorton (G)
Forrest Lamp (G)
Landon Young (T)
Ethan Greenidge (T)

(Others: Cohl Cabral, Jerald Hawkins)

Injuries decimated this usually dominant unit in 2021. New Orleans allowed 37 QB sacks and averaged only 3.9 per rushing attempt, ranking 28th in the league. The Saints starting five up front played only five snaps together last season.

Even with the departure of Armstead, this line is not in the dire situation that some believe.

All-Pro Ramczyk will man one tackle spot, while reliable veteran Hurst is capable of starting at either guard or tackle. McCoy and Peat are considered among the league's best at their positions, but massive improvement is needed from the disappointing Ruiz.

If Hurst starts, Throckmorton and Lamp are capable backups. The coaching staff is also high on Young after a promising rookie training camp. If a blue-chip prospect like Trevor Penning or Charles Cross fall to them in the first-round, the Saints could still make the move.

DEFENSIVE END

Cameron Jordan
Marcus Davenport
Tanoh Kpassagnon
Carl Granderson
Peyton Turner

Perhaps the team's deepest position, this unit played well despite a constant shuffling because of injuries. Jordan had one of the best stretches of his career late in the year. Davenport has developed into a dominant player.

Kpassagnon had a productive year cut short by injury. Turner was beginning to show why the Saints invested a first-round pick in him before suffering his own season-ending injury. Granderson is a capable pass rusher who's improved against the run.

This would seem the one spot that we can definitively rule out the Saints spending a high pick. However, Jordan turns 33 in July, and both Davenport and Kpassagnon are in the final years of their contracts.

Don't be shocked if New Orleans brings in a raw edge rusher with a mid or late-round selection. First-round prospect David Ojabo of Michigan could slip into the middle rounds after suffering an Achilles injury during the Scouting Combine.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

David Onyemata
Shy Tuttle
Kentavius Street
Jalen Dalton
Albert Huggins
Malcolm Roach

This unit was stout against the run, but provided little disruption as pass rushers. Onyemata's two sacks were the only sacks from the team's defensive tackles last season. Additionally, the tackle position accounted for just nine QB hits outside of Onyemata and combined for just 10 tackles for loss.

Onyemata and Tuttle both head into the last year of their contracts. Dalton showed disruptive potential in training camp before going down with injury. Davenport, Kpassagnon, and Turner all had success inside in obvious passing situations. However, the Saints need more interior disruption on early downs.

Georgia tackles Devonte Wyatt or Jordan Davis could be surprise selections at Number 18 if either are available. It seems more likely that the Saints draft a tackle in the middle rounds from an underrated class of tackles.

LINEBACKER

Demario Davis
Pete Werner
Kaden Elliss
Zack Baun
Andrew Dowell

(Others: Sharif Finch)

Davis is one of the NFL's best defensive players at any position and is the key to the defense. Werner showed great potential as an every down linebacker as a rookie. Elliss is a solid run defender, but Baun remains a liability in space.

Depth is a potential problem behind Davis and Werner. The best solution would be to re-sign Kwon Alexander, an unrestricted free agent.

Alexander has terrific chemistry with Davis and played perhaps the best football of his career over the second half of 2021.

CORNERBACK

Marshon Lattimore
Paulson Adebo
Bradley Roby
KeiVarae Russell

(Others: Bryce Thompson, Dylan Mabin, Jordan Miller)

Lattimore solidified his place as one of the NFL's best shutdown corners. Rookie third-round pick Adebo was an ideal complement and looks like a future Pro Bowler. His play limited the snaps for Roby, a solid veteran starter.

Depth may look problematic here, but remember that Chauncey Gardner-Johnson holds the role of the team’s top slot corner. The coverage skills of Lattimore, Adebo, Gardner-Johnson, and Roby allows the Saints to be extremely aggressive with their defensive packages.

Unless a top corner like Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner or Derek Stingley of LSU fall in the first, it’s highly improbable that the Saints select a corner with their first few picks. Don't rule out the addition of one in free agency or late in the draft for depth purposes and special teams value.

SAFETY

Detroit Lions receiver Kenny Golladay (19) against New Orleans Saints cornerback Chauncey Gardner-Johnson(22). Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (S/CB)
Marcus Maye
Daniel Sorensen
J.T. Gray

As with defensive tackle, safety is a vastly underrated need for the Saints. Marcus Williams and Malcolm Jenkins were playmakers who provided reliable deep support behind the cornerbacks.

Maye is a suitable replacement on the back end and one of the better safeties in the league. Gardner-Johnson is one of the defense's most valuable players. However, he’s most effective when his versatility can be used all around the formation.

Sorensen brings experience and special teams value, but is a huge liability in coverage. Re-signing versatile veteran P.J. Williams would be a big plus, but the Saints simply cannot ignore the position.

There are some veteran free agents still available. New Orleans could just as likely add one from a solid group of rookies with a Day 2 draft choice.

SPECIAL TEAMS

New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz (3) Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Wil Lutz (K)
Blake Gillikin (P)
Zach Wood (LS)

Gillikin was a perfect replacement for beloved veteran Thomas Morstead. Losing Lutz was a glaring problem, as the Saints struggled with kicking woes all season. If healthy, he’s one of the league's most reliable kickers.