Chase Young can't keep rushing the quarterback all on his own. The New Orleans Saints don't have much juice on the defensive line around him, especially in the wake of Bryan Bresee's season-ending injury back in training camp. Cameron Jordan is playing out the end of his career, Vernon Broughton has run hot-and-cold on the interior, and no one else has consistently stepped up while Carl Granderson dealt with an injury of his own. Brandon Staley's defense only has eight sacks in four games with a mediocre pressure rate (21.2%, per Pro Football Reference).
And a 1-3 start to the season has sent a lot of Saints fans looking to the 2027 NFL Draft class for answers. The latest mock draft comes from Nate Tice for Yahoo Sports, who has the Saints addressing
their biggest need by picking Texas Longhorns pass rusher Colin Simmons:
The Saints could go cornerback here, but decide to build up front and get a needle mover to pair with Chase Young, who has tapped back into the talent that made him the No. 2 overall draft pick and has been a standout player since joining New Orleans in 2024. Simmons is a twitchy pass rusher with bend and has improved his hand usage this year. His relentlessness in getting after the passer, now across from Young, will be a headache for QBs and offensive line coaches for years.
Simmons went viral on social media for a vulgar celebration against Tennessee, but he's an incredibly productive player at one of the nation's top programs. He's credited with 38.5 tackles for loss and 28.5 sacks across 33 games, forcing seven fumbles along the way. So he's earned a lot of attention for good reasons. Getting him on a defensiive line across from Young with Bresee returning to the lineup and Broughton next to him? That's exciting. We'll see if the Saints end up picking high enough to select him in 2027, but Simmons has the game-changing talent that is currently in short supply in New Orleans.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2027 mock draft: Saints address one of their top needs with big swing
