New Orleans top priority heading into the draft will be adding another piece to their depth chart to the interior of their defensive front. The Saints are going to potentially losing several key players to free agency that will make the defensive tackle rotation thin. It is a position group that was gashed on the ground frequently during the 2022 season as New Orleans averaged giving up 130.5 yards/game. In the latest CBS Sports Mock Draft, the Saints are able to fill that void and draft Pittsburgh’s Calijah Kancey.
Calijah Kancey Can Provide an Instant Impact to the Saints:
This is the second mock draft in a row where New Orleans lands a defensive tackle and is starting to become more of a consensus of what the Saints need to do with their first-round selection. New Orleans has to bolster the interior and Kancey can provide an instant impact even as a rookie. CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards explains what Kancey can bring to the next level:
“Folks are still higher on Calijah Kancey than I am because he is a bit too one-dimensional for the first round, but this is the buzz. New Orleans adds a bit of pass rush ability up the middle."
During the 2022 season, Kancey would start in 11 games at defensive tackle at Pittsburgh. Kancey registered 31 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He would lead all interior defenders in the nation with 14.5 tackles for loss (1.32 per game). Kancey would be named ACC Co-Defensive Lineman of the Week after his performance against Virginia where he had a career-high in sacks (3.5).
He would continue to pick up accolades after the season wrapped up as Kancey was a unanimous All-American and a first-team selection. Kancey would be the only player in college football to be selected as a 2022 finalist for the Outland Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Trophy. The Pittsburgh product would also be named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year after a dominating performance on the field during the 2022 season.
Calijah Kancey Scouting Report:
Hear from the Draft Network on what Kancey’s strengths are and how he developed as one of the most dynamic defensive lineman in college football:
“Kancey is a spark plug on the interior of the defensive line. He plays with incredible urgency and fires into the neutral zone with quickness and intent. He’s extremely physical and tough, willing to exchange power with blockers that have 30-plus pounds on him on a weekly basis. He does well to take advantage of his quickness and built-in leverage to win with first contact, shoot gaps, and work to the edges of blocks. Kancey is slippery working off contact and he’s pretty flexible. Overall, his contact balance is very impressive given his size.
His style of play lends itself well to gap penetration, which gives him chances to make plays behind the line of scrimmage against the run and pass. His motor always runs hot and he battles to be around the football. Kancey keeps his hands engaged and showcases the ability to string together moves and get off blocks.”
Kancey was impressive during his last year at Pittsburgh as a pass rusher as he produced 47 total pressures, which included 30 quarterback hurries, nine quarterback hits and eight sacks on the year. He has all of the pass rushing moves that you see from veterans in the NFL. The Pittsburgh product showed throughout his collegiate career that he is able to explode off the line with a quick first step in order to finish plays. Kancey show initial quickness to beat opposing blockers on the inside.
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