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Saints Take Alontae Taylor at 49th Overall

The Saints take their first defensive player of the draft with their second round pick, selecting Tennessee's Alontae Taylor at 49th Overall.

John Hendrix

The Saints made their lone scheduled pick of Day 2, perhaps raising a few eyebrows by taking defensive back Alontae Taylor out of Tennessee with their 49th overall pick.

QUICK THOUGHTS: Corner is absolutely a subtle need for the team, mainly from a depth perspective. Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, and Bradley Roby are the top guys, so Taylor will have a chance to make his mark on special teams and then be in the rotation. Of course, remember that this might not be a set vision, as they could try to convert him to safety.

Draft Profile Notes from The Draft Bible

Wiry cornerback with good length and very good physicality in press and the run game. Taylor possesses excellent competitive toughness, processing and mental alertness, allowing him to anticipate routes and be a difference-maker in run support. His close-quarter quickness and explosiveness are below average. Taylor projects as a quality backup in a press bail scheme who has the intelligence and physicality to be a good starter early in his career. He will be a very good special teamer immediately.

Top Needs

  • Running Back
  • Linebacker
  • Safety

Saints Remaining Draft Picks

  • Round 5: No. 161
  • Round 6: No. 194 (from Colts via Eagles)

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John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net

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