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Sean Payton Breaks Down Saints' Draft Needs

I believe him!

OL, DL, LB, WR are definitely positions we need to improve. Sounds like we only draft a CB if the right guy falls within range.

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Sean Payton breaks down New Orleans Saints' draft needs - ESPN

Sean Payton was surprisingly candid Wednesday while listing the positions the New Orleans Saints still need to address in the draft or possibly free agency.

That's assuming you take Payton at his word, of course. But why not? Payton was honest when he listed the Saints' top two offseason "musts" last month -- cornerback (which they addressed by signing free agent Brandon Browner) and interior offensive line (which they addressed by trading for center Max Unger).

"I don't see us doing anything at safety with our depth," Payton said. "Corner, we'll be smart with regards to the draft. I think that certainly was a 'must' area heading into free agency. That didn't mean it had to come from free agency, but the addition of Browner allows you then to look closely at the best player with regards to defense. I think we're gonna have to draft at least one, if not two, defensive linemen and/or outside linebacker, pass rushers.

"Offensively, we went in with [a need for] an interior lineman. When you get Max Unger and you're able to move [Tim Lelito from center to guard], that's a good thing. And [the Saints plan to] rework a deal with Jahri [Evans]. Now, I would still say there's a need there for an interior lineman.

"And receiver now is a position that heading into this equation you might not have listed at any one of those areas. After Kenny [Stills] has been traded, we think it's a deep draft in receivers, so we would pay close attention there. ... We feel like we've got some depth [at running back] with some real good football players."

In other words, the Saints still have a number of areas they could address with their two first-round draft picks (No. 13 and No. 31) and their five total picks in the first three rounds. So even though Payton was being candid, other teams will still have a hard time predicting New Orleans' moves.

One position Payton did not list was quarterback. He flatly shot down the notion that the Saints might consider trading up for Marcus Mariota in Round 1. Payton said the Saints always pay attention to their depth at every position, including quarterback, but drafting one would have to depend on the grade for a specific player.

Payton said the Saints will still continue to look at free agents going forward -- specifically "some of the available players that aren't gonna get quite the number maybe they expected heading into free agency." Perhaps veteran defensive end Anthony Spencer could fall into that category after he visited New Orleans this week.

"But most of the time [between now and the draft] will be spent on workouts and draft preparation," Payton said.