SmashMouth

The blocking of the New Orleans Saints’ tight ends was essential to the team’s improved run game in 2017, but the tight end group offered minimal production in the pass game.
Coby Fleener, in the second year of his lucrative deal, had just 22 catches for 295 yards in 11 games before a concussion forced him on injured reserve.
Josh Hill impressed in the two playoff games with six catches for 103 yards, but in the regular season, he had just 16 catches for 125 yards. Hill and Michael Hoomanawanui played more for their blocking than their receiving ability.
Entering this offseason, the Saints needed to add a tight end. They brought back Benjamin Watson hoping he could perform as he did with New Orleans in 2015, but the 37-year-old is on a one-year deal.
Looking to the future, there’s an opportunity for a young tight end to carve out a significant role in the offense, and the Saints might look for that player in this year’s draft.
With less than two weeks remaining before the draft, we’ll analyze the Saints’ needs at each position. The 10-part series continues with tight ends.



Saints depth chart
Benjamin Watson
Coby Fleener
Josh Hill
Michael Hoomanawanui
Garrett Griffin
Alex Ellis

Potential Day 1 (first round) selections
Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State
Hayden Hurst, South Carolina
Mike Gesicki, Penn State

Potential Day 2 (rounds 2-3) selections
Ian Thomas, Indiana
Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
Dalton Schultz, Stanford

Potential Day 3 (rounds 4-7) selections
Jaylen Samuels, N.C. State
Durham Smythe, Notre Dame
Chris Herndon, Miami
Troy Fumagalli, Wisconsin
Adam Breneman, UMass
Tyler Conklin, Central Michigan
Jordan Akins, Central Florida
Ryan Izzo, Florida State
Will Dissly, Washington
Jordan Thomas, Mississippi State
Nick Keizer, Grand Valley State
Andrew Vollert, Weber State
David Wells, San Diego State
Marcus Baugh, Ohio State

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