New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - NOLA.com 2019 New Orleans Saints draft outlook: Cornerbacks

At one of the game’s most important positions, the New Orleans Saints boast an impressive mix of skilled young players and experienced depth.

The starting positions on the outside are held down by a pair of former first-round picks out of Ohio State, Marshon Lattimore and Eli Apple. Veteran cornerback Patrick Robinson is expected to be back to full strength to man the slot after an ankle injury cost him the majority the 2018 season.

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Behind them, P.J. Williams and Ken Crawley each agreed to return on one-year deals this offseason, bringing back to New Orleans a combined 38 career starts in the fourth and fifth corner spots.

Outside of Lattimore, who is one of the NFL’s brightest young players at the position, this group does not come without its question marks.

Apple was a disappointment in New York, which is why the Saints were able to pry him away for a mid-round draft pick midseason. While the change of scenery appeared to benefit him with New Orleans, he still peppered some struggles between a few exemplary games. The Saints may not truly know what they have in him until he has had a full year in the defense.

Robinson turns 32 in September and has finished three of the last six seasons on injured reserve.

Crawley, a starter on a playoff team two seasons ago, was banished to the bench early last season after a woeful start.

Williams picked up his play while filling in for Robinson on the inside, but was torched by Falcons rookie Calvin Ridley in his lone start on the outside.

So, cornerback appears to be a position of strength for the Saints, but that is dependent on nobody taking a step back and a few rediscovering where they were prior to last season.

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CORNERBACKS

Saints depth chart

Marshon Lattimore

Eli Apple

Patrick Robinson

P.J. Williams

Ken Crawley

Marcus Sherels

Justin Hardee

Chris Campbell

Potential Day 1 (first round) selections

Greedy Williams, LSU

Deandre Baker, Georgia

Byron Murphy, Washington

Potential Day 2 (rounds 2-3) selections

Amani Oruwariye, Penn State

Rock Ya-Sin, Temple

Julian Love, Notre Dame

Trayvon Mullen, Clemson

Joejuan Williams, Vanderbilt

Lonnie Johnson, Kentucky

Justin Layne, Michigan State

Jamel Dean, Auburn

Potential Day 3 (rounds 4-7) selections

Iman Marshall, USC

Kris Boyd, Texas

David Long, Michigan

Corey Ballentine, Washburn

Kendall Sheffield, Ohio State

Hamp Cheevers, Boston College

Montre Hartage, Northwestern

Sean Bunting, Central Michigan

Isaiah Johnson, Houston

Saivion Smith, Alabama

Michael Jackson, Miami

Blace Brown, Troy

Derrick Baity, Kentucky

Jimmy Moreland, James Madison

Alijah Holder, Stanford

Mark Fields, Clemson

Ken Webster, Ole Miss

Jordan Brown, South Dakota State

Jordan Miller, Washington