2015 NFL Mock Draft: New Orleans Saints Select Shaq Thompson

It's the final day of our 2015 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft, and we're back to the New Orleans Saints with pick #31. This pick, obviously, belonged to the Seattle Seahawks until just hours before NFL free agency got underway, when they traded this pick to the Saints in exchange for tight end Jimmy Graham (who, as you may know, used to play basketball). The team solidified their offensive line at #13 with the selection of Brandon Scherff, and GM Austin Blanch has turned his attention to the defensive side of the ball with this selection.

With the 31st pick in the 2015 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft, the New Orleans Saints select. . .

Shaq Thompson, linebacker, University of Washington

Here's what Blanch had to say about the selection.

The saints shored up the o-line with the scherff pick earlier in the round. So the saints have to go defense with their other 1st. The saints pick Shaq up as an olb. They need someone with speed who can attack the edge. Thompson will do just that and fill a huge need at linebacker.

My Thoughts

I've gone on record as saying that I think Shaq Thompson is going to make some NFL team very happy. The question is what, exactly, do you do with him. Is he a linebacker in the NFL? Is he a safety? Do you give him some carries at running back? (He did have two 100-yard games for the Huskies in 2014.) To be honest, I'm not sure what the answer to that question is. . .but I'm not sure if we have to know the answer right now. Shaq Thompson just strikes me as the kind of guy you put on the field and just tell him to go out and make plays. I know he isn't getting the love now that he got early on in the pre-draft process, but I can't say too many bad things about the Saints getting him in this spot.

What do you think of this selection, folks?