In a day of eye-opening events, the has to rate at the top. There's no way the can adequately replace Graham, who caught at least 85 pa ses in each of the past four seasons, twice reached the 1,000-yard plateau in receiving yards and had 46 TD receptions in that span. Still, there are three tight ends in this draft who could intrigue New Orleans, most likely in the second and third rounds. Here is a look at the three. 1. , Miami Walford (6-foot-4, 251) probably is the second-best tight end available, behind Minnesota's , who really doesn't fit what the want. Walford isn't worthy of a first-round selection, but he should be there when the pick 12th in the second round (44th overall). NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock has called Walford in this year's draft." A potential selling point: UM coaches used Walford in a variety of roles -- in the slot, out wide and with his hand down as a "traditional" tight end -- and that almost certainly would appeal to the . Walford was a three-year starter at Miami, Johnny King Jersey and while he has some work to do as a blocker, would that bother the ? He can get down the seam and be a deep threat. And remember that Graham also is a UM alum. 2. , Michigan Funche s (6-4 1/4, 232) is listed as a wide receiver by most analysts, but he played that position for just one season and spent his first two years in Ann Arbor as a tight end. His 40 time at the combine was a disappointing 4.70 seconds -- but, truthfully, that time is far more disappointing for a wide receiver than a tight end. He remains raw as a receiver, but part of that might be that Michigan's pa sing attack wasn't all that proficient while he was there. Funche s was used outside and inside by Michigan coaches, and he often had succe s while in the slot. And when he was in the slot, he obviously was a mismatch nightmare for opposing defenses. There's some definite upside with Funche s, and he would be an interesting fit for the with their second-round pick. 3. , South Carolina Taking him in the second round would be a reach, but he could interest New Orleans in the third round. While he had just 61 career catches in his four seasons at South Carolina, Anderson (6-4 5/8, 244) has the skill set to be split wide and can cause mismatch i sues. He has had injury problems, most notably with his triceps, but his athleticism gives him an upside. He remains raw but definitely could be molded into an interesting tight end. Potential third-day selections at tight end who could interest New Orleans include Louisville's , who played against Walford in high school in Palm Beach County, Fla., and South Alabama's , who was a high school teammate of Jameis Winston's in Hueytown, Ala. Mike Huguenin can be reached at [email protected]. You also can follow him on Twitter . Will Grier Jersey