Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Five New Orleans Saints rookies are sidelined at the start of training camp on injury reserve lists, including several draft picks:
This isn’t too surprising, but that doesn’t make it good news: five New Orleans Saints rookies have been sidelined at the start of training camp on various injury reserve lists, including several draft picks. The good news is that it just means none of these players passed their initial physical exam upon arriving at the team facility. Once they’re able to do that and prove they’re healthy, they’ll join their teammates on the practice field.
Here is what you need to know:
Demario Davis returned to Saints OTA’s, but 14 others missed Tuesday’s voluntary practice session:
Let’s start with the good news: Pro Bowl linebacker Demario Davis returned to the New Orleans Saints’ voluntary practice on Tuesday, the first of a three-day series of training sessions this week (and one of the few practice dates open to the media). He was joined by special teams ace J.T. Gray, who was also absent last week when the Saints practiced in front of the media for the first time as a team this spring.
But 14 other players were missing from the voluntary session. They’ll have more opportunities to report for work before mandatory practices begin later in June, and some players are sidelined because of injuries, so we shouldn’t make too much of it. Personal and other professional obligations can get in the way. And because the media has such limited access this time of the year, they could just be visiting on a day with abnormally high absentees.
What’s important is that these players have all been in communication with the coaching staff and plan on being available once they’re needed. For some of their younger teammates, veterans stepping aside is a good thing because it opens up much-needed practice reps.
Here’s a quick look at the list:
Rookie Saints offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri sidelined at organized team activities, head coach Dennis Allen says he has a calf injury:
[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]
We’re starting to notice a theme with the New Orleans Saints this offseason. The team is playing it safe with many players managing injuries — including third-round rookie running back Kendre Miller and veteran wide receiver Michael Thomas. We can add fourth-round draft pick Nick Saldiveri to the list being held back by an abundance of caution from the medical staff.
Saldiveri wasn’t spotted at Saints organized team activities on Tuesday; after practice, head coach Dennis Allen said that he’s dealing with a calf injury. He was a full participant at Senior Bowl practices in February as well as the NFL Scouting Combine and Old Dominion’s pro day in March, as well as rookie minicamp last week, so this injury must have occurred after he arrived in New Orleans and began training earlier this month.
It’s not a big deal that Saldiveri isn’t able to participate right now. Contact is limited if not nonexistent at this stage in the offseason, so the offensive linemen who are present don’t have much to do besides work on their cardio. It would be nice to have him at the facility and getting more familiar with his teammates, but it’s not like the Saints are running blocking drills without him.
With that said, we still don’t know where he’s going to play this year. Saldiveri was a full-time right tackle in college and he played that role very well. He’s also right on the fringe of the Saints’ standards for the position with arms measuring just over 33 inches long. He was working at right guard in rookie minicamp but Allen has said his ability to kick out to tackle if needed was part of what drew them to him. They valued him highly enough to trade up to the first pick of the 2023 draft’s third day, so they clearly have a vision for the player once he’s able to return.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
The Saints have already signed half their picks in the 2023 NFL draft. Four first-year players put pens to paper on Friday:
[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]
#Saints sign four draft picks: Kendre Miller, Nick Saldiveri, Jordan Howden, and A.T. Perry!
Story: https://t.co/UhJNL6QA78 pic.twitter.com/Wo8FXEZuoA
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 12, 2023
How’s this for a nice and simple New Orleans Saints offseason? The team announced Friday that four of the players they picked in the 2023 NFL draft have already signed their rookie contracts: running back Kendre Miller (third round out of TCU), offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri (fourth round from Old Dominion), defensive back Jordan Howden (fifth round of Minnesota), and wide receiver A.T. Perry (sixth round, Wake Forest).
That leaves just three other first-year pros yet to put pen to paper, but they’ll follow along soon enough. Many of the details in these rookie contracts are tied to draft slots these days, so there isn’t much haggling and negotiating to be done. All of these players are in town for Saints rookie minicamp practices over the weekend, so it’s a safe bet that Bryan Bresee, Isaiah Foskey, and Jake Haener will sign soon, too.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler talks up New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri, one of their fourth-round picks in the 2023 draft, via @DillySanders:
The New Orleans Saints have been widely praised for their fourth-round selection of Old Dominion offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler listed Saldiveri as his Day 3 pick that could surprise for New Orleans:
Saldiveri has NFL-starting traits with his body control to center himself against rushers. Coaches rave about his mental approach to the position, and it won’t be a surprise if he impresses should he be pressed into early action. Saldiveri was a right tackle in college, but he has position flex.
Saldiveri will be an interior player primarily in New Orleans, after a successful right tackle career in college. Per Pro Football Focus charting, he allowed just nine sacks in 1,406 pass blocking snaps during his career.
He’s a great athlete, offering much more in that area than fellow depth guard Calvin Throckmorton. Throckmorton had a notoriously-low Relative Athletic Score, coming in under a 2.00, while Saldiveri came out with a 9.84 grade when scored as an offensive guard. Lewis Kidd is a much more comparable athlete, with a 9.26 unofficial RAS.
Saldiveri also ended inside up Brugler’s Top 100 players in the 2023 draft. It’s hard to look at Saldiveri and not get excited about the potential that the Saints found in the fourth round, with the trade up to secure him looking better and better. Starting guards Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz are both playing out the final year of their contracts and Saldiveri could position himself to supplant one of them this time next year.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[stnvideo key=”QJZA6aj8yG-2724514-7618″ type=”amp”]
Here are the jersey numbers for the New Orleans Saints rookie draft class:
It’s finally real. The seven players selected by the New Orleans Saints in the 2023 NFL draft have chosen their initial jersey numbers — which could change once other numbers become available after roster cuts later this year, so maybe wait to preorder your jersey. But here’s which numbers they’ll be wearing at rookie minicamps and practices over the summer:
The Saints caught some heat for trading up so often, but they did a great job reading the draft board to make moves and go get their guys:
We’ve got to give credit where it’s due: the New Orleans Saints had a good read on which way the wind was blowing during the 2023 NFL draft, and several times they made moves at the right time to get out in front of some leaguewide trends. It may have been costly (and some experts may disagree with their final pick), but time and again the Saints got their guy before their competition had a chance to snap them up.
It started in the third round, when the Saints picked TCU running back Kendre Miller at No. 71 overall. No other running back had been picked to that point since UCLA star Zach Charbonnet was chosen by the Seattle Seahawks at No. 52, midway through the second round. But three more running backs would be taken off the board in Round 3 after the Saints picked Miller: Tulane’s Tyjae Spears at No. 81 (to the Tennessee Titans), Texas A&M’s Devon Achane at No. 84 (to the Miami Dolphins), and Auburn’s Tank Bigsgy at No. 88 (to the Jacksonville Jaguars).
Then the Saints shocked everyone by pulling off a trade before the next day’s picks even got started, vaulting up a dozen spots to get the first pick in Round 4 at No. 103. They used that opportunity to get their top offensive lineman, Old Dominion’s Nick Saldiveri (a college right tackle who is confident he can play anywhere), the first of ten blockers who would be going off the board by No. 122. Six of them were picked by the time the Saints would have made their initial selection at No. 115.
But wait, there’s more. The Saints traded again in the fourth round to get in position at No. 127 — this time targeting Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener. That kicked off a run on passers that continued into Round 5, with seven of them being taken in the next 37 selections (and five by No. 140). The Los Angeles Rams spun their decision to pick Georgia’s Stetson Bennett at No. 128 as him being their favorite quarterback in the class, but nobody’s buying that. He was a consensus seventh-round prospect and it’s blatantly obvious the Saints snaked them to get Haener, sending the Rams into a panic. Maybe.
At any rate, the Saints got their guys. And more often than not they made their picks at the right time. New Orleans catches a lot of heat for trading up so often and valuing picks and prospects differently than the rest of the league, and though it’s too early to say with certainty it sure looks like they made the right call this time.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[stnvideo key=”pahxNoVopr-2714582-7618″ type=”amp”]
2023 NFL draft grades: Saints pick Old Dominion offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri at No. 103 overall, via @DillySanders
The New Orleans Saints continue to knock out their individual needs in the 2023 NFL draft by selecting offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri out of Old Dominion in the fourth round.
The Saints felt the need to trade up to the top spot of Day 3 to get their guy. Saldiveri played right tackle in college, but projects as someone that will move inside in the NFL due to his short arm length.
He’s an elite athlete, scoring a 9.47 Relative Athletic Score. His best trait is his burst and acceleration after the snap. He can be a solid swing guard at the next level. Saldiveri will be solid depth for now, but he does have a better chance to grow into a starter to possibly replace Andrus Peat than anyone else currently on the roster.
Grade: B+
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[stnvideo key=”Lg3PZkJGsO-2711726-7618″ type=”amp”]
Who is Nick Saldiveri, and why did the Saints trade up for him? He’s a high-end athlete who started three years at Old Dominion:
Who? The New Orleans Saints traded up to the top of Round 4 so they could pick Nick Saldiveri and add him to the offensive line depth chart. But who is he, and why did they value him so highly?
A former two-star recruit from Waxhaw, N.C., Saldiveri started 35 of the 38 games he played at Old Dominion, only missing two games in his college career (once for injury, later for illness). He didn’t allow a single sack last year and blocked well in space, paving the way for the school’s run-first offense.
More than 2,200 of his snaps came at right tackle but he also has experience at right guard, and he tried out at center during Senior Bowl practices earlier this year. He can back up multiple spots while preparing to start, likely at guard, where his rare movement skills can shine while his substandard length is minimized.
And he’s a fantastic athlete for his size. Saldiveri weighed in at 6-foot-6 and 318 pounds but posted a 9.47 Relative Athletic Score among offensive tackles; that number improves to 9.84 among guards. The Saints don’t use RAS but their in-house analytics line up very closely with it, and they consistently draft prospects who post high-end athletic scores.
Beyond his starting experience and impressive athletic traits, Saldiveri has other qualities that make him an on-brand Saints draft pick. He was voted a team captain and was noted for his vocal leadership skills and need for accountability. He competed hard at the Senior Bowl, which is an all-star event the Saints often use to scout talent. They have a strong history of drafting small-school offensive linemen like Terron Armstead (Arkansas Pine-Bluff), Jermon Bushrod (Towson), Jahri Evans (Bloomsburg), and last year’s first-round pick Trevor Penning (Northern Iowa). Saldiveri is cut from similar cloth.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[stnvideo key=”GKmpoxDx5v-2711704-7618″ type=”amp”]
New Orleans Saints trade up in Round 4 to select Old Dominion right tackle Nick Saldiveri in the 2023 NFL draft:
Whew: the New Orleans Saints made their move, trading up in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft to go get Old Dominion offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri. They traded a fifth-round pick (No. 165) to the Chicago Bears so they could upgrade their fourth rounder (No. 115) to the very first selection of Day 3 (at No. 103).
Which meant Saldiveri was the top player available on their board. The 22-year-old mainly lined up at right tackle in college, but he brings subpar length (33.2-inch arms) and may be considered for a move inside to guard. Saldiveri has very strong movement skills and a 9.47 Relative Athletic Score.
As for their remaining picks? Barring another trade, the Saints are currently scheduled to make three more selections:
More to follow…
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[stnvideo key=”Lg3PZkJGsO-2711726-7618″ type=”amp”]
