With the twelfth pick in the 2016 Buffalo Rumblings Community Mock, the New Orleans Saints, and general manager BuckyBronson, have selected Sheldon Rankins, defensive tackle from Louisville. Here's what he had to say about the pick:
I held my breath to see if Hargreaves would make it to 12, but ended up slamming my fist on my New Orleans office table. Luckily I had a board to stick to, that in this pick lines up with Dan Lavoie's.
The Saints defense has spent the last two seasons bottoming out and finding a place in the record books. Sadly these were all records in incompetence. We allowed the most passing TDs in a season (45), highest opponent passer rating (116.2) while allowing 30 points per game. The theme here is passing defense and these Saints had none of it. Hargreaves would have given us a corner to pair with the upcoming Breaux but it wouldn't have solved the biggest problem and that's attacking the quarterback. Give a quarterback enough time and eventually the coverage will break and the 2015 Saints broke often.
Rankins is an incredible interior disruptor that works quickly in small spaces and has a relentless motor. Other popular defensive linemen like A'Shawn Robinson and Jarran Reed would also help upgrade the line but Rankins will find the quarterback in less time and more often. He'll create more chaos and allow Kikaha and Cam Jordan to work better match-ups on the outside. The signing of Nick Fairley doesn't dissuade me from continuing to find talent on the line, and allows Rankins to work in a rotation in his rookie year to maximize his effort while learning the speed of the NFL. New coordinator Dennis Allen will find the right spots for Rankins in his hybrid 4-3 which might be the perfect fit for someone his size.
The Miami Dolphins are now on the clock. Remember, when it's your turn to submit a draft choice, email it to dan.r.lavoie+sbnation@gmail.com.
Draft Results
- Titans: Laremy Tunsil, OT, Mississippi
- Browns: Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State
- Chargers: Jalen Ramsey, DB, Florida State
- Cowboys: Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
- Jaguars: Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
- Ravens: DeForest Buckner, DL, Oregon
- 49ers: Jared Goff, QB, Cal
- Vikings: Shaq Lawson, DE, Clemson
- Buccaneers: Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
- Giants: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
- Bears: Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, Florida
- Saints: Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville
Dan's top five remaining
- Mackensie Alexander
- Jack Conklin
- Josh Doctson
- Noah Spence
- Cody Whitehair
What do you think of this pick? Cast your vote in the poll below!