do-over – Syndication Server

Saints go same position but different player in B/R 2024 re-draft

The Saints were in desperate need of an OT in this year’s draft. In Bleacher Report’s do-over, they select a player who wasn’t originally on the board:

The New Orleans Saints entered the 2024 NFL draft desperately needing to address their offensive line, and that’s still true in this Bleacher Report re-draft. B/R’s Matt Holder kept the Saints’ theme of selecting an offensive tackle. This time the Saints went with Penn State’s Olu Fashanu opposed to the actual pick of Taliese Fuaga, who went to the Seattle Seahawks a few slots later. Fashanu was available because the New York Jets selected former LSU wide receiver Malik Nabors instead.

This re-draft was based on buzz coming out of minicamp and organized team activities. Players rose and fell in this draft based on how they performed in their first taste of NFL practices.

The New Orleans Saints were looking to find a new left tackle when they took Fuaga during the real draft in April. While that could end up being a good pick, Fashanu is available in this exercise and is the better pass protector of the two. Also, the Penn State product has more experience on the blind side and received rave reviews in minicamp.

Fashanu wasn’t an option in the actual draft. He was selected by the Jets at 11. Holder decided to have New York skip on the rookie tackle because he is slated to sit for a year behind Tyron Smith. There’s no one for him to sit behind on the Saints so Fashanu is headed to the Big Easy instead of the Big Apple.

But Fashanu and Fuaga have one clear advantage over the other one. The former is a true left tackle. Though it may seem simple, changing sides on the offensive line isn’t easy for everyone. The acclimation period is non existent for Fashanu in that specific aspect.

Fuaga’s advantage is he is used to this scheme because he ran a wide zone system in college. While he’s changing sides, he is still used to these types of run fits. That should ease his transition. The Saints needed an offensive lineman in the draft. Whether it was the real NFL draft or Holder’s re-draft, the mission has been accomplished.

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Saints get the player we wanted all along in 2021 re-draft

The Saints got the player we wanted all along in this 2021 re-draft, but would Greg Newsome II have been a better pick than Paulson Adebo?

It’s no secret that the New Orleans Saints botched the start of their 2021 NFL draft. They opened the event by drafting defensive end Payton Turner, a surprise pick who many experts didn’t see going off the board so early. And Turner’s career to this point has mostly been frustrating.

The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher has the Saints moving differently. Going into the draft, cornerback was an obvious priority for the Saints. But when top targets like Caleb Farley and Greg Newsome II were taken ahead of them, the Saints chose to go in a different direction, selecting defensive end Payton Turner ahead of Georgia corners Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell, who were both taken in the next five picks.

Using the benefit of hindsight, Mosher redid 2021’s first round, and in his do-over he has Newsome falling to New Orleans. He was the cornerback we wanted all along, having traded up to get him in our final Saints mock draft. Here’s Mosher’s take on why Newsome would be a great fit:

Marshon Lattimore has struggled to stay on the field during the last few years, and the New Orleans Saints have a weakness at cornerback.

Greg Newsome would help fix that need, giving them a cornerback who can play in the slot and on the outside. He falls here due to some injury concerns, as he’s missed at least two games each season. Still, this is a massive value for the Saints at No. 28.

Injuries have limited Newsome to appearing in 42 of the Browns’ 52 games since he was drafted (starting 39 of them, including the playoffs), and he’s intercepted just two passes in his NFL career without forcing or recovering a fumble. So it’s a little wild to see him still being drafted in the first round when Paulson Adebo, who the Saints picked in Round 3, has started 44 of 45 games while intercepting seven passes with two forced fumbles and as many recoveries. Adebo has broken up 33 passes compared to Newsome’s 30.

We should acknowledge that takeaways aren’t everything, and Adebo has drawn three times as many penalties for defensive passing interference or holding (21) as Newsome (7). NFL teams liked Newsome enough to draft him 50 spots higher than Adebo back in 2021, so they clearly saw something special. Either way, the Saints picking him here would have addressed their most important need at the time.

As for Turner? He wasn’t picked at all in this draft do-over, but the pick was a reach when the Saints called it in even at the time. The Saints rightly saw a run coming at the position but they picked the wrong player. All three of the pass rushers drafted after him have bagged at least 13 sacks while playing in at least 45 games. Turner has only suited up for 15 games while recording just 3 sacks through three years, and one of those came against Derek Carr when he still played for the Raiders. It’s a shame they can’t get a real-life do-over, but hopefully Turner finds his way from here while the players the Saints drafted after him find more success.

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Saints and Ravens swap Cesar Ruiz for Patrick Queen in 2020 NFL draft do-over

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It’s tough to argue with this one. Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling put together a re-draft of the 2020 NFL draft’s first round, and the gift of hindsight guided him to a different pick for the New Orleans Saints at No. 24. Instead of surprising everyone with the selection of Michigan center Cesar Ruiz, Easterling had the Saints choose LSU Tigers linebacker Patrick Queen. Ruiz, ironically, ended up with Queen’s real-life Baltimore Ravens.

That introduces quite a ripple effect. New Orleans was comfortable cutting three-time Pro Bowl alternate Larry Warford after picking Ruiz, who struggled in the move to right guard (Warford opted out of the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and has yet to sign with a new team), and later traded for Kwon Alexander after their in-house options at linebacker didn’t meet expectations. Now they’re hoping Ruiz finds his footing in his second year while rookie linebacker Pete Werner settles into the defense.

If they had chosen Queen last year, it’s possible he would have enjoyed similar success to what he found with Baltimore, who picked him at No. 28. Queen racked up 106 tackles as a rookie (66 solo, 9 tackles for loss), also chipping in three sacks and 10 quarterback hits on passing downs. He intercepted a pass and recovered two fumbles, too, returning one of them for a defensive touchdown. That’s playmaking ability the Saints are still searching for.

Maybe Warford would have still opted out had the Saints not released him, which would have put either James Hurst or Nick Easton in his spot. Guard would be a need now (depending on how pessimistic any given Saints fan is feeling, it still might be), but that’s an easier spot to fill than linebacker. New Orleans has invested top-100 picks in the position twice in two years, hoping for either Werner or Zack Baun to cut the mustard. One of them should be competent, but just being capable is very different from being an impact defender like Queen.

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ESPN’s 2020 NFL draft do-over shakes up the Saints

The New Orleans Saints passed on C/G Cesar Ruiz to pick Ohio State Buckeyes CB Jeff Okudah in ESPN’s re-draft of the 2020 NFL draft.

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Let’s celebrate Groundhog Day by rewinding the 2020 NFL draft. ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters shared a re-draft of last year’s event with a fresh perspective on every pick in the first two rounds, with plenty of changes thanks to the value of hindsight.

That means Cesar Ruiz didn’t land with the New Orleans Saints, which makes sense. The rookie guard couldn’t win the starting job from journeyman backup Nick Easton, who ended the year on injured reserve after a series of concussions. If Easton remained healthy, Ruiz probably doesn’t see the field much at all. And if the Saints didn’t draft Ruiz, they likely keep Larry Warford, a three-time Pro Bowl alternate.

Instead, Ruiz wasn’t picked until late in the second round — by the Miami Dolphins, who owned New Orleans’ second-round pick at No. 59 owing to a trade (which brought Erik McCoy to the Saints in 2019). And the Saints ended up picking another prospect in free-fall: Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jeff Okudah, the real-life third overall pick by the Detroit Lions. Here’s what ESPN’s Mike Triplett wrote of the change:

“I considered some guys who had better rookie years. But Okudah has fallen far enough after battling inconsistency, injury and what he called “dysfunction” in Detroit. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder was the No. 3 pick for a reason. He has outstanding traits that could be maximized in Dennis Allen’s scheme, and he could be a long-term successor to Janoris Jenkins.”

Cornerback could be a position the Saints target this offseason; Jenkins might be a salary cap casualty, as could veteran backup Patrick Robinson, and Marshon Lattimore is entering the final year of his rookie contract with an expensive $10 million cap hit. Versatile corner/safety hybrid P.J. Williams is a free agent. The position is probably going to look different very soon, and having a young, developmental prospect like Okudah as an understudy would be nice.

Instead, the Saints have Ruiz, who should return to his natural center position in 2021 with the benefits of a full offseason. His struggles were due to an abbreviated summer schedule because of COVID-19 adaptations and, frankly, not being suited as well to guard as working the middle of the line. McCoy has played well but could be even more of an asset from the right guard spot. It’s just one more question the Saints have to answer this year.

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