It seems the draft stock of Barkevious Mingo, heading out of LSU, is on the rise, as more and more teams are looking and hoping for him to still be available when their number comes up in the first round of the NFL draft. The New Orleans Saints are another team in dire need of defensive improvement despite all that they’ve added this off-season, and adding a talented pass-rusher like Mingo would probably be a good move for them with the 15th pick.

While Mingo thrived in the 4-3 system as a right defensive end, the Saints will play in a 3-4 under Rob Ryan. It doesn’t mean that there isn’t a place for a talented pass-rusher such as him in any kind of scheme, recording 12.5 sacks during his final two years with the Tigers. The Saints were terrible in both run and pass defense, finishing at the bottom or near it in both categories. Mingo might help take the load off a heavily pressures secondary, usually worried too much about what’s going to come from between the tackles.

Mingo probably wouldn’t mind staying in the state. He was born in Florida but grew up in Louisiana, playing High School football for the West Monroe Rebels, in the Northern part of Louisiana. The question is how highly is he valued by others, with Dion Jordan and Ezekiel Ansah, both probable top 5 picks, being the preferred pass-rushers coming out of college in 2013. If the Saints see that there’s a chance of getting Mingo early in the night, they might try to pull off a trade to move up the order.

Even if Mingo is available, seeing either Jordan or Ansah slide down to the lower tier of the top 10 might mean that the Saints will give up on Mingo, who won’t get picked before the 10th selection in all likelihood.

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