Potential left tackle prospects for Saints in each round of 2022 NFL draft
With the NFL Draft right around the corner, the New Orleans Saints are expected to invest heavily in their offense. One big hole they will likely look to fill is offensive tackle. After the departure of All-Pro Terron Armstead, the Saints could look to find their left tackle of the future that can start immediately in 2022 to protect quarter Jameis Winston’s blindside.
While New Orleans could band-aid the situation this season with James Hurst, investing in young talent would be valuable. Whether that talent is expected to start Week 1 or provide depth throughout the season may be determined by where that player is selected. Here is one tackle in each round of the NFL draft to know.
Round 1: Mississippi State's Charles Cross
AP Photo/John Amis
Cross would be an immediate starter and impact player for the Saints if selected. This selection could mean another trade up into or around the top ten. Cross may be the best pure pass protector in this class playing in Mike Leech’s air raid offense. But has shown he has the physical toughness and mean personality to get going in the run game. His athleticism is hard to miss at his size and hard to find elsewhere.
Round 2: Washington State's Abraham Lucas
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Lucas packs a ton of athleticism as well. While he may not step in and start right away at left tackle, he could provide the Saints with the talent they need to move Ryan Ramczyk to the left side and plus Lucas in on the right. He’s big at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, which matched the Saints physical prototype when it comes to tackles drafted since 2015. His 5-second 40 yard dash, 4.4 short shuttle, and 7.25 three-cone both let to elite speed and agility scores, contributing to his 9.73 overall RAS.
Round 3: Penn State's Rasheed Walker
Walker is a fantastic pass blocker who can get physical in the run game. He also packs a lot of athleticism, which will always be important to New Orleans. He’s an extremely intelligent player as well as a natural leader. One of the biggest element lost with Armstead signing in Miami is leadership. It’s not hard to see Walker eventually stepping into that role.
Round 4: Arizona State's Kellen Diesch
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Looking for a big and fast tackle that can help run the Saints zone run scheme? Diesch is your guy. At 6-foot-7 and 301 pounds, the former Sun Devil blazed a 4.89-second 40 yard dash. To that he also added a 32.5-inch vertical lead and a 110-inch broad jump. His combination of speed and explosion wound be a steal in round four.
Round 5: Louisiana's Max Mitchell
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I actually expected more from Mitchell this offseason, but he could still be valuable depth. His 5.32-second time in the 40-yard dash is underwhelming but on tape he plays much faster and much more smooth than we saw in his draft process testing. He also has experience on both sides of the line, so versatility is an added bonus. The Ragin’ Cajun would be a welcome addition to the pro team down the way.
Round 6: Kentucky's Dare Rosenthal
The Courier Journal
Rosenthal will need to put in some weight at only 290 pounds, but that shouldn’t be a problem with his 6-foot-6 frame. If he can do that and maintain his 4.88 speed or something close to it, that would be a huge win for his stock and ability to hit the field. Rosenthal was a part of the “Big Blue Wall” with last year’s Saints selection from Kentucky, offensive lineman Landon Young
Round 7: Southern's Ja'Tyre Carter
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My hope is that Carter goes earlier in Day 3, but as an HBCU, small-school prospect, he may fall here. Carter is an excellent tackle with inside versatility. He was a Senior Bowl standout where he showcased his ability to play on the interior. While his future may be best realized there at just 6-foot-3, he’s often classified as a tackle and worth watching.
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