Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft seems like a best-case scenario for the New Orleans Saints.

The ESPN draft analyst paired New Orleans with one of the most highly touted pass rushers in this year’s draft class – Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas – with the No. 11 pick.

The only knock against Thomas when it comes to the Saints is that he is a bigger DE at 6-foot-2, 273 pounds, who played on the strong side in college and might even move inside to DT in the NFL. That makes Thomas very similar to current Saints DE Cameron Jordan – and somewhat similar to Saints tackles Sheldon Rankins and Nick Fairley (a free agent).

But Thomas could still be a great fit at the Saints’ other end spot across from Jordan. The Saints have always preferred bigger DEs, since they primarily play a 4-3 front. They have generally shied away from edge rushers who weigh 250 or less.

And Thomas – who played just two years at Stanford – is still plenty dynamic and athletic for his size. He had eight sacks and 15 tackles for loss as a redshirt sophomore for the Cardinal.

ESPN draft analysts Kiper and Todd McShay have produced three mock drafts in 2017, and the Saints have come away with a standout defensive player in each one (Alabama LB Reuben Foster, Michigan DE Taco Charlton and now Thomas).

All three options work for me, since I still see the Saints as having a playoff-caliber offense and a glaring need to become more dynamic in their defensive front seven. Although it might be more dramatic for the Saints to draft a quarterback such as DeShaun Watson or Mitch Trubisky or a running back such as Leonard Fournette or Dalvin Cook, a pass-rusher like Thomas would fill a much more pressing need.