New Orleans Saints draft Marcus Davenport after trading up in first round
Updated
The New Orleans Saints addressed their biggest need on the first night of the 2018 NFL Draft, selecting defensive end Marcus Davenport from Texas-San Antonio.
Unwilling to wait until the 27th pick in the first round, the Saints made a huge leap to secure the 14th overall pick, originally held by the Green Bay Packers, to select Davenport, who was widely considered the second best edge rusher in this year's draft.
And Davenport's initial goal is to help the Saints reach the pinnacle of the sport.
"I want to shoot big; I want a Super Bowl," Davenport said on a teleconference after the Saints drafted him Thursday (April 26). "I just want to be able to be an impact player and be able to help out any way I can."
Although the Saints have All-Pro defensive end Cameron Jordan, the team has long desired another player who can consistently pressure the quarterback, and Thursday's trade indicates they think Davenport can be that man.
"You see disruption when you see him play -- a lot," Saints coach Sean Payton said after the selection.
The 6-foot-6, 264-pound Davenport had 21.5 sacks during his career for the Roadrunners, including 8.5 during his senior season in 2017. Davenport added nine other tackles for loss, an indication that he can defend the run well in addition to pressure the quarterback.
Davenport also had eight passes defensed and six forced fumbles in the past three seasons, a sign that he has good football instincts.
Payton said the Saints had been thinking for two weeks that Davenport was their best option in the draft. The top edge rusher, Georgia's Bradley Chubb, was going to cost too much capital, and he went fifth overall to the Denver Broncos. Moving up to No. 14, though, was within range for the Saints.
"There was a strong conviction that this might be a target range for us realistically to get into this round early," Payton said.
Sure, next year's first-round pick is a significant investment to move up for Davenport, but the Saints had no qualms about making the move, especially with the expectation that the pick will be at the end of the first round.
Unwilling to wait until the 27th pick in the first round, the Saints made a huge leap to secure the 14th overall pick, originally held by the Green Bay Packers, to select Davenport, who was widely considered the second best edge rusher in this year's draft.
And Davenport's initial goal is to help the Saints reach the pinnacle of the sport.
"I want to shoot big; I want a Super Bowl," Davenport said on a teleconference after the Saints drafted him Thursday (April 26). "I just want to be able to be an impact player and be able to help out any way I can."
Although the Saints have All-Pro defensive end Cameron Jordan, the team has long desired another player who can consistently pressure the quarterback, and Thursday's trade indicates they think Davenport can be that man.
"You see disruption when you see him play -- a lot," Saints coach Sean Payton said after the selection.
The 6-foot-6, 264-pound Davenport had 21.5 sacks during his career for the Roadrunners, including 8.5 during his senior season in 2017. Davenport added nine other tackles for loss, an indication that he can defend the run well in addition to pressure the quarterback.
Davenport also had eight passes defensed and six forced fumbles in the past three seasons, a sign that he has good football instincts.
"There was a strong conviction that this might be a target range for us realistically to get into this round early," Payton said.
Sure, next year's first-round pick is a significant investment to move up for Davenport, but the Saints had no qualms about making the move, especially with the expectation that the pick will be at the end of the first round.
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