There are going to be changes up front for the New Orleans Saints defense in 2021. That’s already clear by the departure of sacks leader Trey Hendrickson at defensive end, who earned a big free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is also likely to join a new team, and the Saints recently traded nose tackle Malcom Brown to the Jacksonville Jaguars. With little resources to spend on free agents themselves, expect the Saints to make some moves in the draft to retool their defensive line.
That process has already begun in virtual interviews with this year’s draft prospects; The Spun’s Chris Rosvoglou reported that USC big man Jay Tufele has a meeting scheduled with the Saints, in addition to a previous interview with Iowa’s Chauncey Golston reported by the Draft Network’s Justin Melo.