The New Orleans Saints made a couple of trades during the 2023 NFL draft that have yet to pay off on game day, with several rookie draft picks on the inactive report as healthy scratches at midseason: namely offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri and quarterback Jake Haener.
We should preface this by acknowledging that few draft picks, especially mid-rounders like Saldiveri and Haener, are expected to be big contributors. They’re here to watch and learn and develop into players who can help the team later on down the line. It’s a yearslong process for many young pros.
Still, it’s dispiriting to see the Saints invest so many resources in players and get so little in return during their rookie year. They moved up from No. 115 to No. 103 for Saldiveri, expecting a run on offensive linemen early in the fourth round, and he was the prospect they liked the most. It cost them the No. 165 pick (a fifth rounder) to make this move.
But Saldiveri has played just 18 snaps on offense and 19 snaps on special teams through four games; he’s otherwise been a healthy scratch. He started at right tackle during his entire college career at Old Dominion but the Saints have converted him to left guard, only to dress veterans on game day instead. How have the offensive linemen drafted right after Saldiveri performed?
- Blake Freeland (No. 106 to the Indianapolis Colts) has started five of his seven games at both right tackle (219 snaps) and left tackle (130), totaling 349 snaps.
- Jake Andrews (No. 107 to the New England Patriots) has been limited to special teams, playing 24 snaps across eight games.
- Anthony Bradford (No. 108 to the Seattle Seahawks) has started four of his six games at right guard, logging 313 snaps.
- Dawand Jones (No. 111 to the Cleveland Browns) has started six of his seven games at right tackle, seeing 465 snaps.
One offensive lineman picked after the Saints’ initial selection at No. 115, Sidy Sow (the No. 117 pick by the Patriots), has played 229 snaps across four starts in six games, all at right guard. Two others, Braeden Daniels (No. 118 to the Washington Commanders) and Carter Warren (No. 120 to the New York Jets) have been active for one game between the two of them, only playing special teams.
So the Saints correctly judged the way the board was breaking. But did they take the right player? Do they have the right plan for maximizing Saldiveri’s abilities so he can help the team? It’s a question worth asking when the offensive line has been a mess for most of the season and veterans like Cam Erving have been signed off the street to start at Saldiveri’s college position while the rookie is stuck watching games from the sidelines.
Ultimately this isn’t a big deal. Dressing Saldiveri as the eighth lineman on Sunday against the Chicago Bears instead of someone like Max Garcia or Landon Young isn’t going to dramatically shift the game plan or final result. But it’s not the best use of resources for a Saints team that pinches every penny and scrutinizes every decision when it comes to salary cap management. General manager Mickey Loomis plays fast and loose with draft picks, and it’s gotten him burned at times. Not getting more production out of the multiple picks invested in Saldiveri and Haener is disappointing.
But that’s not to say things can’t turn around. If Saldiveri develops into a starting-quality left guard when Andrus Peat or James Hurst leave in free agency over the next two offseasons and holds that spot down for years, no one will remember him spending his rookie year on the bench.
The same goes for Haener. If he can be a capable backup quarterback for a long time like Chase Daniel was, it’s not going to matter that the Saints effectively so much to get him (trading their 2024 fourth-round pick to move up from No. 227 in the seventh round to No. 127 in the fourth).
Team-building isn’t an easy process in the NFL, and it rarely goes smoothly. Player development is not a linear process. Hopefully both young pros can learn from their experienced teammates and make a positive impact later on down the road.
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