3 Surprise Players the Saints Can Target in the First Round of the 2020 NFL Draft

Heading into the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, we have a pretty good idea of what players are going to be on most teams' radars. The New Orleans Saints are in a really interesting spot, however.

With no glaring needs and picking toward the end of the first round, there are a ton of different directions New Orleans can go. With that in mind, here are three surprise players the Saints can target with their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

1. Jordan Love, QB, Utah State

Jordan Love during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. / Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Saints could take advantage of their unique spot, having no pressing needs, to roll the dice on a potential replacement for Drew Brees. Taysom Hill doesn't look likely to be the long-term answer, but Jordan Love could certainly develop into a franchise QB. As a high-upside prospect that appears to need some refinement at the NFL level, Love is exactly the kind of player that could benefit from being given a season or two to develop before taking over the reins.

2. Cesar Ruiz, G/C, Michigan

Cesar Ruiz during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. / Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Offensive line is certainly a strength in New Orleans, but that doesn't mean there aren't weak spots in that unit. Larry Warford locks down one guard spot, but on the other side Andrus Peat and Nick Easton both received overall grades below 50.0 from Pro Football Focus in 2019. Michigan's Cesar Ruiz is one of the top interior offensive line prospects in the draft, and he could make this line even more dominant.

3. Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame

Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. / Joe Robbins/Getty Images

There's been some recent hype that Cole Kmet's draft stock could be skyrocketing into the first round as Thursday night approaches. The Saints aren't deep at tight end, with Josh Hill and an assortment of special teams players on the depth chart behind 33-year-old Jared Cook, who has just one year left on his contract. Rookie tight ends tend to take a season to develop, and pulling the trigger on Kmet here could go a long way to easing the transition if Cook leaves for free agency next spring.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.