Tag: results

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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Last 11 players drafted with the No. 40 overall pick

Looking up the last 11 players drafted with the No. 40 overall pick can give us an idea of what kind of help the Saints can find in Round 2:

Looking up the last 11 players drafted with the No. 40 overall pick can give us an idea of what kind of help the New Orleans Saints can find in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL draft. Picking just 11 slots after their first-round choice at No. 29, they should be positioned well to land an impact player (assuming they don’t trade out of this spot). Let’s look back on the players to come before here:

Looking back on every sixth-round Saints draft pick since 2002

We’re looking back on every sixth-round New Orleans Saints draft pick since 2002, an area the team has struggled to find great value under Mickey Loomis:

We’re looking back on every sixth-round New Orleans Saints draft pick since 2002, a round the team has struggled to find great value under longtime general manager Mickey Loomis. The Saints have made 16 picks in Round 6 in this span, but there aren’t many memorable players to choose from. It’s important to keep that in mind when looking at the draft capital available to the team and which prospects are on the board in next week’s 2023 NFL draft.

You can find our previous breakdowns by round below:

Comparing Saints picks in the latest seven-round mock draft projections

Multiple seven-round mock drafts have landed recently from different media outlets, so we’re comparing the Saints’ picks in each of them to see what we can learn:

We’re nine days out from the 2023 NFL draft, and various experts and analysts in football media are flexing their knowledge with a series of seven-round mock drafts — which introduce several unique scenarios for the New Orleans Saints.

By this point we’re pretty familiar with the names most commonly being projected to New Orleans in the first round. When you expand the lens to a full seven rounds, it increases the number of variables and directions the path can take. So let’s compare the picks in the latest projections from The Athletic, Pro Football Network, and CBS Sports round-by-round:

Exploring Saints’ picks in new 7-round Pro Football Network mock draft

We’re exploring the Saints’ picks in a new 7-round mock draft from Pro Football Network, which has New Orleans adding immediate help at DE and WR:

We’re closing in on the 2023 NFL draft, so there’s a fresh slate of seven-round mock drafts to check out and get an idea of which prospects could be available once the New Orleans Saints are on the clock.

The latest projection comes from Cam Mellor at Pro Football Network, who has a top-rated pass rusher falling to the Saints at the end the first round. Let’s break down that selection and every other pick New Orleans made in this mock draft:

Breaking down the Saints’ picks from Dane Brugler’s 7-round mock draft

Breaking down the Saints’ picks from Dane Brugler’s extensive seven-round mock draft: Saints add several Michigan defensive linemen, Tennessee receiver

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler is one of the most clued-in analysts covering the NFL draft, so it’s important to pay attention to the players he links to the New Orleans Saints. And Brugler recently published an extensive seven-round mock draft that put a couple of new names on our radar (while reinforcing the consensus that’s starting to build surrounding some early-round prospects).

Let’s quickly break down the picks and see how each prospect would fit in New Orleans:

Another 2023 mock draft has the Saints picking Michigan DT Mazi Smith

Another 2023 mock draft has the New Orleans Saints picking standout Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Mazi Smith in the first round:

We’re starting to see a consensus building in the mock draft industrial complex, which has the New Orleans Saints zeroing in on defensive tackle as their highest priority in the first round. And one 2023 draft prospect is being linked to the Saints more consistently than anyone else in recent days: Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department — including analysts Brandon Thorn, Brent Sobleski, Cory Giddings, Derrik Klassen and Matt Holder — connected Smith to the Saints in their latest first-round mock draft at No. 29 overall. Here’s what they had to say about him:

The New Orleans Saints don’t see themselves in a rebuilding phase, even if they’ve been a mediocre squad over the last two seasons.

But they’re going full-speed ahead with Derek Carr as the new starting quarterback. The Saints also brought in running back Jamaal Williams and defensive tackles Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders on three-year deals.

However, the defensive interior still requires further fortifications.

“New Orleans needed help on the defensive line even if David Onyemata didn’t depart for a division rival in free agency,” Holder said. “So, they could really use some reinforcements now.

“Michigan’s Mazi Smith is a typical high-ceiling, low-floor type of prospect. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman deemed him the best athlete in college football over the summer. However, the flashes on film aren’t consistently there play after play.

“That will be key for the former Wolverine, as he will have plays in which his physical dominance is apparent, and then it disappears for several reps. The latter is too frequent. Still, if a team is betting on traits, Smith’s potential is worth the gamble.”

Smith enters the rotation as a developmental prospect, with enough upside to grow into a dominant force.

Smith is a good prospect, but he’s kind of limited to playing on running downs. He hasn’t produced consistently as a pass rusher. He has the athleticism to grow into that role, sure, but he’d be a run-stopper from the jump in New Orleans. Is that worth the 29th pick? Probably not, but the Saints often zig when they’re expected to zag. We can’t rule it out.

There are other early-round prospects at defensive tackle who would better fit what they need in the lineup as an athletic, disruptive interior presence: guys like Calijah Kancey (Pittsburgh), Keeanu Benton (Wisconsin), Gervon Dexter (Florida), and even Bryan Bresee (Clemson), though he needs more work than a lot of prognosticators like to bring up. Smith can play, but as far as the value in picking him at this slot and the role envisioned for him? The Saints could get better bang for their buck going in a different direction this early.

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