There shouldn’t be much debate on which direction the Saints should go in the draft

Maybe, just maybe, this is the year when the New Orleans Saints finally acquire a No. 2 wide receiver to complement all-world pass-catcher Michael Thomas.

It appears the annual NFL draft (April 23-25 in Las Vegas) is a good place to find help. According to most analysts, the draft features a plethora of potential candidates who could become a reliable target for quarterback Drew Brees and help round out coach Sean Payton’s multi-dimensional offense.

Truth be told, the Black and Gold have been lacking in quality depth at wide receiver since 2016 when they featured Brandin Cooks (78 catches-1,173 yards-8 TDs), Willie Snead (72-895-4) and the rookie Thomas (92-1,137-9).

Oh, they’ve used tight ends (Ben Watson, Josh Jill, Jared Cook), running backs (Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram II and Latavius Murray) and “Gadget Man’‘ Taysom Hill to supplement the passing game along with wideouts Ted Ginn Jr. and Tre’Quan Smith, among others.

But Open Mike has been the workhorse/bellcow the past three seasons. He has been targeted a staggering 481 times according to Pro Football Reference, resulting in 378 receptions for 4,445 yards and 23 TDs. That includes and NFL-record 149 catches for 1,795 yards and 9 TDs last season.

No other Saints wide receiver has caught more than 30 passes in either of the past two seasons; only one has eclipsed 50 since 2016 (Ginn with 53 in ‘17).

Now you ask, so what if they don’t have a suitable No. 2 wide receiver? Who cares how the Saints move the ball as long as they move the chains, score points and win games?

Thomas, the 47th overall pick in 2016, certainly isn’t complaining. He parlayed his first three seasons into a new five-year, $96.25 million contract that featured a $20 million signing bonus and $60.6 million in guaranteed money, then went out and justified that blockbuster deal with a season for the ages.

Yes, the Saints remain one of the NFL’s top offensive units, finishing no lower than No. 4 league-wide in scoring the past three seasons. And Brees continues to play at a Pro Bowl level into his early 40s.

But Thomas can’t do it alone, at least he wasn’t able to do it alone the past two seasons when the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams placed a great deal of emphasis in the playoffs to contain Brees’ primary target.

No other wide-out stepped up and made an appreciable difference in either game.

Quality receivers are out there every year, some years more plentiful than others, but they are out there. That’s the puzzling aspect about all this. The Saints football operations is widely regarded as one of the NFL’s top departments in terms of identifying player talent but has failed to find a solid No. 2 since 2016.

Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy of Alabama will probably be off the board when the Saints pick at No. 24, but Henry Ruggs, another Crimson Tide product, Colorado’s Laviska Shenault or Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk may still be available. TCU’s Jalen Reagor and Tee Higgins of Clemson are also potential first round selections.

A good wide receiver should be available in the draft when the Saints go on the clock in the first round. Most of the early mock drafts have them taking a wide receiver, suggesting the purported talent experts see what I see — a void in the Saints receiving corps.

Open Mike needs helping hands.

If not now, then when?

This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 12:45 PM.