2017 NFL mock draft: New Orleans Saints take Derek Barnett

In trading wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the New England Patriots for the No. 32 pick, the New Orleans Saints opened up options with the No. 11 pick in the NFL draft. Pass rusher remains the team’s top need this offseason, but if they don’t like one at 11 they can go after a cornerback or wide receiver.

Kevin Skiver of Canal Street Chronicles is here to weigh those options in the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft.

Skiver: The equation that leads to Derek Barnett is simple: 27th in the league in sacks + small window for Drew Brees = take the most polished pass rusher on the board. To that end, Barnett out of Tennessee is an easy choice for the Saints. Although he may not have the upside of some of the other, rawer pass rushers in the draft, Barnett has the tools to make a day one impact, something the Saints desperately need outside of Cameron Jordan.

At 6’3 inches and 260 pounds, Barnett is a big, quick edge rusher with good jabs and lateral movement for his size. His 6.96 three-cone was fifth among defensive ends/pass rushing specialists at the combine (and he did that with the flu throughout combine activities). Where Barnett truly excels, however, is with his hands while engaged. Barnett has arguably the best hands in the draft, and he’s superb at boxing his way to the quarterback. He’s also a clean tackler that can make runners think twice about heading in his direction, as he has perfected the stand-em-up and sit-em-down.

The Saints don’t have a lot of punishers on their defense, so Barnett could instill an element of fear in opposing offenses. Barnett also has awareness that surpass his years as an edge setter, and isn’t afraid to pursue the play. He’s a quality player against both the run and pass, per Pro Football Focus his play against the run is among the best in this class. Where he can struggle is pre-snap. Barnett can sometimes get overzealous, and he jumps offsides often to compensate for a slow burst off of the ball. Good coaching can fix this, and the Saints just reupholstered their entire defensive staff.

Another knock on Barnett is his arc to the quarterback, but this can be remedied as well and, even if it remains, the Saints’ internal line of Rankins and Fairley complement that style well. All-in-all, Barnett directly addresses a need that the Saints have had for several years, and he would be a fine piece to the defensive line puzzle that New Orleans worked on by adding Sheldon Rankins and Nick Fairley in 2016.

Analysis: While you could make a case for cornerback Marlon Humphrey or wide receiver John Ross or Mike Williams, Barnett is the right pick. While Drew Brees is around, the Saints need to acquire sure thing players who can make an immediate impact. Starting three seasons at Tennessee, Barnett is ready for the NFL and in the right situation should contend for Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Saints are that right situation.

Our final pick of the day is coming up at 3 p.m. with the Cleveland Browns making the No. 12 pick. Will Chris Pokorny of Dawgs by Nature stop the fall of Jonathan Allen or will he go another direction?