Tag: results

Saints invest in the trenches in 5-round 2024 mock draft

The Saints made the trenches a priority in this five-round 2024 mock draft, starting off strong with Florida State sack artist Jared Verse:

It’s a rainy Saturday in November with tons of 2024 NFL draft prospects competing in their college matchups, so we’ll take a spin on the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator to try and find some help for the New Orleans Saints.

Obviously it’s too soon to seriously guess about their team needs when we’re only midway through the current regular season (with a busy free agency period on the horizon), but it’s worth keeping tabs on who is impressing college football fans and NFL scouts ahead of the next draft cycle.

With that in mind, here are our picks through five rounds with analysis for each selection:

Saints invest top picks on defense in updated 2024 mock draft

Mock Draft Monday: The Saints invested their top picks on defense in these updated 2024 projections, but do they really need another corner?

It’s another week and another Monday, so it’s time to review another mock draft. The latest projections from Curt Popejoy at Draft Wire have the New Orleans Saints investing their top 2024 NFL draft picks on defenders — but do they really need another cornerback?

We’re getting ahead of ourselves. Popejoy’s mock draft starts strong with the Saints landing Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton. “Johnny” Newton would be a dynamic playmaker to pair with Bryan Bresee in the middle of the New Orleans interior line; he’s the best pass-rushing defensive tackle in college football and has the athleticism to line up all over the formation.

NFL teams may question Newton’s length by pro standards (he’s listed at 6-foot-2 with 32-inch arms) but he weighs in at 295 pounds and has enough proven production to outweigh those concerns. The Saints should draft him if they can. Malcolm Roach could be leaving in free agency in the spring and their two veteran pickups this offseason, Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders, haven’t fully met expectations on top of the depth chart.

So what about that second-round pick coming back to the Saints from the Denver Broncos? Popejoy made a curious selection here in linking New Orleans to Iowa State cornerback T.J. Tampa. Now, Tampa is a fine player, making full use of his physical tools to break up a lot of passes — Pro Football Focus charting found he has forced 19 incompletions in two years as a starter, and counting. If anything, he’s a little taller than the Saints usually prefer at 6-foot-2.

But what would a boundary cornerback add to the Saints defense next season? Marshon Lattimore is still in his prime, and though Paulson Adebo will be entering a contract year the team already has Alontae Taylor coming along well. They’ve developed other competent backups like Isaac Yiadom, so spending a top-40 pick on a corner wouldn’t be the best use of resources. It’s arguably the strongest position group on their team. Tampa would be a luxury they can’t really afford given protection issues along the offensive line and poor quarterback performance.

So who could be better options in the second round? Here are the next five players to go off the board in this mock draft:

  • WR Xavier Worthy, Texas
  • WR Johnny Wilson, Florida State
  • LT Jordan Morgan, Arizona
  • DT Kris Jenkins, Michigan
  • DE JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State

We’ve got a long way to go until the 2024 draft kicks off. The Saints are only halfway through their season, and they’re always more active in free agency while working to address team needs before the draft anyway. If they can’t reach the postseason, it’s worth asking whether they’ll have the decision-makers in the building we expect. Dennis Allen’s job should be on the line if he can’t get the Saints into the playoffs, and that’s far more important than any draft picks waiting to be made six months from now.

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Saints did a great job reading the draft board, making moves to get their guys

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.

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Touchdown Wire grades New Orleans Saints 2023 draft class with a solid B

Touchdown Wire grades the New Orleans Saints 2023 draft class with a solid B, having addressed their top needs with highly productive college talent:

However you feel about the New Orleans Saints’ 2023 draft class, they came away with players who were highly productive players and (in many cases) team captains and high-level athletes at some of their top positions of need.

So how does that translate to an overall draft grade? Here’s a take on the Saints draft class from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, who graded them with a solid B. He likes what the Saints accomplished across the board:

The Saints lost a lot of talent along their defensive line in free agency, and they addressed that with authority in this draft. If Bryan Bresee can stay healthy, he’ll be one of the best interior disruptors in this entire draft class. He’s a natural one-gap penetrator, and you can line him up everywhere from nose shade to edge. I liked Isaiah Foskey’s tape more than some people I’ve talked to, and head coach Dennis Allen won’t have any trouble taking Foskey’s 12 sacks and 33 total pressures from last season and extracting that kind of production in his concepts.

The steal of this group is Wake Forest receiver A.T. Perry, who I thought would go in the second day. Perhaps the Demon Deacons’ offense is tough for NFL people to project (I would understand that), but Perry caught 81 passes for 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. I’m not sure how much “projecting” you need to do there. And the Saints can have Fresno State Alumni Day every day with Derek Carr and Jake Haener, who is a quality developmental quarterback.

Sure, the Saints did some things that won’t sit right with everyone. They traded up a few times and may have reached on some prospects higher than the consensus opinion suggests they should have been picked. But at the end of the day, if the Saints got players who can help this team win football games, no one will even remember what was given up to acquire them.

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Grading every Patriots pick in 2023 NFL draft

How did the Patriots fare in the draft?

The NFL had one of the more unpredictable draft weekends in recent memory with a plethora of trades and players falling or going earlier than expected.

The New England Patriots had their own unique draft when they took 12 players. They usually only select around nine on average. So this came as a shock when many around the league expected them to trade up and get aggressive.

Now that we have had some time to reflect and are in UDFA mode, let’s review each pick and hand out some grades.

2023 NFL draft grades for every NFC South team’s Day 2 selections

2023 NFL draft grades for every NFC South team’s Day 2 selections, via @DillySanders:

The second day of the 2023 NFL draft was eventful, featuring multiple trades for NFC South teams as they navigated the board to get players they coveted in Rounds 2 and 3. There’s a lot to catch up on, so check this space for all of our coverage and draft grades for these Day 2 picks by the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Where the Saints stand heading into Round 2 of the 2023 NFL draft

Where the New Orleans Saints stand heading into Round 2 of the 2023 NFL draft: Recapping the first round, order of their remaining picks, and top team needs

We’ve got everything you need to know about where the New Orleans Saints stand heading into Round 2 of the 2023 NFL draft. Between recapping the first round of selections, the order of their remaining picks, and the top team needs the Saints must still address, be sure to get up to speed before the second day of the draft kicks off:

Mel Kiper’s instant reaction to the Saints selecting Bryan Bresee

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper’s instant reaction to the Saints selecting Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee

Mel Kiper has seen it all. ESPN’s senior NFL draft analyst shared his instant reaction to the New Orleans Saints selecting Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee at No. 29 overall on Thursday night, and he feels that the move addressed their top position of need.

Here’s what Kiper had to say of the pick, as transcribed by Clemson Wire’s Alex Turri:

“Damascus High School, he was rated anywhere between 1 and 3 (recruit in the country). He was also on the basketball team. When he came in in 2020 with Myles Murphy and Trenton Simpson, linebacker, he looked like he was going to be a top-10 pick, top-15 pick at worst. He had a great 2020 season, 6.5 tackles for loss and he had 4, 4.5 sacks that year, forced a fumble.

He was really active along the interior, really got after it. (2021), starts out the season, then the ACL. Then this past year, his sister passes away, he has the kidney infection, and then he looked rejuvenated at the combine. Ran 4.93 at 6-5.5, 300 pounds. He looked like Bryan Bresee was back like he was in 2020.

You talk about what he means to that defense – the No. 1 need for the Saints, defensive tackle.”

That’s a good breakdown of who Bresee is, why the Saints valued him so highly, and what the concerns are for him moving forwards. He’s a high-end athlete with a bit of an injury history and immense pro potential. Now it’s up to the Saints to help Bresee tap into it.

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Every first-round pick the Saints are scheduled to play against in 2023

Rookie quarterbacks Bryce Young and CJ Stroud are among the first-round picks the New Orleans Saints are scheduled to play against in 2023

The first round of the 2023 NFL draft was full of intrigue and plenty of trades from the first few picks, and the New Orleans Saints are going to kick off against many of the players who heard their names called on Thursday night. Here’s a quick look at every 2023 first rounder they’re scheduled to see in the fall:

2023 NFL draft grades: Panthers pick QB Bryce Young at No. 1 overall

2023 NFL draft grades: Panthers pick Alabama quarterback Bryce Young at No. 1 overall to compete with the Saints in the NFC South, via @DillySanders:

While draft night is important for the future of the New Orleans Saints, it’s also an important time for the outlook of the NFC South as a whole.

The first overall selection of the draft is one that will have a large impact on the future of the division, as the Carolina Panthers traded four draft picks and D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears to select quarterback Bryce Young out of Alabama.

A lot will be made of Young’s height, and for good reason, but he’s a fantastic football player. He’s one of the smartest players we’ve seen enter the draft in recent memory. The Saints have seen an undersized quarterback with a high IQ make it in the league and Young might be up next to try and follow in Drew Brees’ footsteps.

It is a risky pick, given his size, but no one is a perfect prospect. The ceiling with Young is worth the risk.

Grade: A

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