The New Orleans Saints finished the 2014 NFL season ranked 25th in the league in sacks, having managed to amass just 34 quarterback takedowns for the entirety of what amounted to a forgotten campaign for the franchise as a whole.
There's simply no denying that Rob Ryan's unit underperformed last season, but there's also no denying that Saints GM Mickey Loomis failed to provide an adequate level of talent, specifically at the pass-rush position.
Will the 2015 NFL Draft and the Saints two first-round picks - No.'s 13 and 31 - provide some much-needed help for Ryan and New Orleans moribund pass-rush?
"I'm told the New Orleans Saints, another team with two picks in round one, will consider trading up if they feel they are in striking distance of Vic Beasley. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan loves Beasley's pass rushing ability and potential in a 3-4," Tony Pauline of Draft Insider revealed.
Last season for the Saints, Junior Galette corralled 10 sacks and Cameron Jordan added another 7.5. But beyond that, the Saints really struggled to contain opposing quarterbacks which is, of course, deadly in a two-fold sense.
If your pass-rush can't get home, your back-end suffers because they're forced to stay in coverage longer than otherwise necessary, and schemes often breakdown and players shake loose and next thing you know, a wide receiver is streaking open down the sideline toward pay dirt.
Beasley, per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein's pre-draft profile, is an explosive athlete with a phenomenal first step and the ability to bend around the edge at angles which make it difficult for offensive tackles to block him.
"He's pretty much what you are looking for if you are a 3-4 team. I think he can play inside or outside because he moves so well. Out of the top-rated outside 'backers, he's the best, in my opinion," an AFC defensive coordinator told Zierlein.
In his latest mock draft offering, Mel Kiper Jr. has Beasley being snatched up by the Atlanta Falcons at eigth-overall, while Kiper's ESPN counterpart, Todd McShay, has Beasley falling to the Saints.
While Beasley - 6-foot-3, 246-pounds - lacks power and a certain physical aspect to his game, he has a frame which suggests that he can take on added pounds once he's in an NFL training program and, presumably, still retain his elite burst off the snap.
