Tag: ryan ramczyk

WATCH: Taliese Fuaga’s family learns he’ll be picked by the Saints

NFL Network cameras were on the scene in Hawaii when Taliese Fuaga’s family learned he had been picked by the New Orleans Saints:

This is always a fun moment in the NFL draft. Players gather with their families and close friends for a life-changing moment in which they’ll learn they’re being drafted and officially turning pro.

And we got to see Taliese Fuaga and his family experience that on Thursday night. The New Orleans Saints’ first-round pick was in Hawaii with family watching the television broadcast like everyone else, and cheers broke out when he found out where he’d be playing pro football.

Good for him. Fuaga is a perfect fit for the wide zone rushing offense that Klint Kubiak is installing in New Orleans, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t start from Day 1. We’ll see if starting right tackle Ryan Ramczyk is able to recover from offseason knee surgery in time to return to the lineup, and if so Fuaga could excel at guard. If not, the Saints just landed an ideal succession plan. Either way, Fuaga’s family will be cheering him on.

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James Hurst retiring exacerbates Saints’ woeful offensive line

The Saints offensive line was already in rough shape before James Hurst called it a career. His absence exacerbates a bad situation:

It’s tough to think of a setup worse than the New Orleans Saints’ offensive line right now. Of last year’s five starters, only two are locks to return in their spots for 2024: Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy and right guard Cesar Ruiz.

Left tackle is undecided with the Saints expected to draft competition for Trevor Penning this weekend. Right tackle is an open wound with Ryan Ramczyk facing the very real possibility of a medical retirement. And left guard is now looking worse with James Hurst retiring from pro football.

The Saints need more reinforcements than they can afford with their current draft picks (just two selections inside this year’s top 100) and salary cap space (a little over $8 million). They need to find at least two starting-quality linemen, but three would do a lot to help build confidence in the group.

Look further into their depth chart and you’ll see names like Olisaemeka Udoh (who has played both tackle and guard under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak), Nick Saldiveri, Landon Young, Mark Evans II, and Tommy Kraemer. No disrespect to those guys but this group isn’t ready to handle 17 games and a playoff run.

Drafting a first-round offensive lineman isn’t enough to get them there, either. Picking a new starting right tackle (like, say, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga) won’t cure what’s ailing them at left tackle or left guard. The Saints should continue to explore their options later in the draft and in free agency. There are starting-quality linemen still available with experience in the system New Orleans wants to run like Mekhi Becton (who has started at both left and right tackle) and Dalton Risner (a career left guard). They should really look at bringing back Andrus Peat at some point, too, if nothing else than to reinforce the depth chart.

They can patch some holes in the hull, but it feels like a certainty that the Saints will have to set sail with some concerning vulnerabilities and hope for the best. We’ll see how far hope takes them.

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B/R drafts the Saints ultimate draft class over the last decade

You get one Saints draft pick from each round over the last 10 years. Who misses the cut in building the team’s ultimate draft class?

The New Orleans Saints have had on-and-off success over the last eight years in the NFL draft. The hiring of Jeff Ireland coincides with this trend. It’s typically pretty solid with some deathly lows. The second round has arguably been their best round in that time frame. Leave Foskey as TBD and Ireland’s worst second rounder is Pete Werner. That’s a pretty strong hit rate.

As this year’s draft rolls around, Bleacher Report’s Ryan Fowler took a look at each team’s highs over the last ten years. Fowler formed an ultimate draft class of each team’s best selection from each round over the past decade. The range has expanded but you won’t see any pre-Ireland draftees on this list. Here are his picks for the Saints:

Round 1: OT Ryan Ramczyk (2017)

Round 2: WR Michael Thomas (2016)

Round 3: RB Alvin Kamara (2017)

Round 4: DL David Onyemata (2016)

Round 5: DT Tyeler Davison (2015)

Round 6: OT Landon Young (2021)

Round 7: LB Kaden Elliss (2019)

The Saints’ 2017 draft produced a legendary draft class. That class, somewhat surprisingly, is tied with 2016 for the most selections in this exercise. When you take a deeper look at the Saints 2017 draft, it features two 1st round picks and three players third round picks. The majority of the ultimate draft class were easy decisions, but there were a few tough calls.

Fowler highlights Marshon Lattimore as the player who missed the cut. The battle between him and Ramczyk was decided by the offensive tackle’s 1st team All Pro in 2019. C.J. Gardner-Johnson is another player who has a strong case to be on the list. The fourth rounder was a big part of the defense, but Onyemata’s longer tenure may have given him the edge.

Other quality players who didn’t make the list are Trey Hendrickson. He steadily improved before hitting double-digit sacks in his final year in New Orleans. However, no third round pick was beating the Saints all time leader in touchdowns, Alvin Kamara. Michael Thomas’ dominant stretch led to Marcus Williams, Erik McCoy or Vonn Bell receiving the second round slot.

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Making the case for the Saints to pick a right tackle at No. 14

Ryan Ramcyzk’s knee is enough reason to pick up a right tackle, but should the position be the Saints’ first-round pick?

This is a tough situation to be in, a week away from the 2024 NFL draft. The New Orleans Saints need help at both offensive tackle spots: Trevor Penning and Ryan Ramczyk each go into 2024 with their own set of questions, but the Saints only own a single first-round pick. So which side of hte offensive line should they address? We’ve already heard the argument for replacing Penning at left tackle, but here’s the case for targeting Ramczyk’s heir at right tackle.

You need a right tackle to replace Ramczyk, who may not play another snap of football after a degenerative knee condition didn’t respond to offseason surgery as he and the team expected. The question at right tackle isn’t about skills, unlike left tackle. Ramczyk has been limited by his knee injury but he still performed well. It just wasn’t to the standard he previously set. Penning’s development is seemingly more hopeful than Ramczyk’s health. It’s plausible that Ramczyk has little to no time left remaining in the NFL. Replacing him is about when it happens, not if.

The other crucial part of the conversation on his health is that this is a fluid situation. Saints head coach Dennis Allen was initially optimistic on his status in February before doing a complete 180 a month later in March. Even if you think Ramcyzk could play this year, how confident can you be in another month after the draft in May? What does this situation look like when training camp starts in July, or when the regular season kicks off in September?

Even if it isn’t taking shape with a first round draft pick, a Ramczyk insurance plan must be put in place this offseason. High-end options could be available at the 14th overall pick like Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State) or JC Latham (Alabama). This is a deep class at offensive tackle, especially the right side, and the Saints could find a great player in Round 2. But given how high a priority this is and the quality of prospects expected to be picked in Round 1, the Saints shouldn’t wait around and deal with this another day.

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Peter Schrager’s first mock draft has the Saints replacing Ryan Ramczyk

The Saints addressed their most important need in Pete Schrager’s first 2024 mock draft by picking Ryan Ramczyk’s replacement:

We’re about a week away from the 2024 NFL draft, which means some of the draft’s most accurate forecasters are finally comfortable sharing what they’ve heard. One analyst to watch closely is NFL.com’s Peter Schrager, who has a lot of sources around the league and generally has a strong pulse for how teams are wanting to move in the draft.

But Schrager’s pick for the New Orleans Saints in his first mock draft is hardly unique. He went with Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga as an ideal replacement for Ryan Ramczyk. We’ll let him explain:

Fuaga is a tackle, but could play anywhere on the offensive line if needed. This one might be met with shrugs in New Orleans, but I can see this as a franchise-cornerstone selection by the Saints’ brass. The Oregon State product has a mean streak and a motor that doesn’t quit.

Fuaga has drawn comparisons to Ramczyk himself, so it’s easy to see why the Saints could value him so highly. Depending on who you ask, Fuaga could be the second-best offensive lineman in the entire draft after top-10 lock Joe Alt. He has plenty of starting experience in the same style of outside zone run blocking that Klint Kubiak is planning to run in New Orleans. Given Ramczyk’s bleak health outlook, Fuaga would be a Day 1 starter in New Orleans. That he could move inside to guard in a pinch makes him more valuable, but he should be seen as a tackle first.

So will the Saints draft him? Would they pick Fuaga over other tackles still on the board like JC Latham, Tyler Guyton, and Amarius Mims? Maybe. Fuaga is a strong scheme fit than any of them even if others line up closer with the NFL’s athletic prototype for the position. At this point it feels like any position but offensive tackle would be a shock for New Orleans in the first round. But that uncertainty remains, and it’s why the draft is such a big draw each year.

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ESPN says the Saints still have a major roster hole ahead of 2024 draft

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell says the Saints have yet to address a major team need going into the 2024 NFL draft. It’s obvious they need more help at offensive tackle:

It’s hardly a surprise to see someone suggesting the New Orleans Saints aren’t good enough at offensive tackle — watching any of their games from last season will give them all the proof they need to back that statement up. Still, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took a deeper dive than most in exploring why this is such a problem, and how the Saints can clean it up.

The good news is that the Saints have just one outgoing free agent at the position, and it shouldn’t be hard to re-sign them; the question is whether Andrus Peat will agree to return to New Orleans at a price point that makes sense for the team, or if he’ll try to find a better offer in free agency. Barnwell says that’s the easiest solution for their problem at left tackle, where Trevor Penning hasn’t met expectations.

But James Hurst had a rough year at left guard and Ryan Ramczyk’s degenerative knee condition makes leaning on him tricky. So far, the team has only added Oli Udoh, one of first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s former players on the Minnesota Vikings. Here’s how Barnwell laid it out:

Hurst and Ramczyk took pay cuts to stay as opposed to the sort of classic contract restructures the Saints use in which they pay a player in full but spread the money over five seasons. The only addition they have made on the edge is Udoh, who had served as a utility lineman for the Vikings before tearing his quadriceps muscle in September and missing most of the 2023 season. He’s more likely a replacement for Hurst as the swing lineman (with Hurst penciled in as the full-time left guard) than a potential starting tackle. Landon Young, who took over for Ramczyk in December before getting injured himself, is also on the roster.

Young was less-than-impressive when stepping in for Ramczyk, and he suffered his own injury that sidelined him for the last two weeks of the season; veteran backup Cameron Erving (an unsigned free agent, at the moment) came up from the practice squad to take his place. If nothing else, the Saints need more depth than they worked with a year ago. Signing Peat could achieve that but the Saints could have already brought him back if they viewed him as a priority. Head coach Dennis Allen has left the door open for a reunion but it doesn’t sound very likely.

So what’s the best path forward? Again, Barnwell argues, re-signing Peat could make the most sense. But it’s not the only option. Here’s what he proposes with the 2024 NFL draft on the horizon:

It would have made sense to agree to a deal with Peat before the start of the new league year to mitigate the dead money on his deal, but the Saints might have been more optimistic then about Ramczyk’s chances of being healthy. Peat’s market hasn’t developed, and there aren’t many other players left in free agency with a track record of playing left tackle. David Bakhtiari and Mekhi Becton have significant injury histories, and Peat might have been better than Charles Leno and Donovan Smith a year ago. Reuniting with Peat would also afford New Orleans the flexibility of moving Hurst to left tackle and bumping Peat back inside to guard.

The Saints also have the 14th overall pick and could use that on a tackle prospect, but would there be any hesitation on their end after seemingly swinging and missing on Penning? This organization has used five first- or second-round picks on offensive linemen going back to Peat’s selection in 2015, and while that’s a perfectly reasonable way to build a football team, they have needs elsewhere that they can’t fill with high-end veterans in free agency. At the same time, if they’ve given up on Penning and Ramczyk can’t play, they might need to re-sign Peat and use their top pick on an offensive lineman.

The Saints have invested a ton of draft capital into their offensive line over the years and going back to that well might be their best path forward. We’ll have to see if they make any more additions in free agency over the next month, or if they’re counting on one of their early-round picks (at Nos. 14 and 45 overall) to cure what ails them.

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PFF proposes trade-up scenario for Saints in Round 1 of 2024 draft

Pro Football Focus says the Saints should consider this draft-day trade in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL draft, making a big move to upgrade at left tackle:

Few teams are as aggressive on draft day as the New Orleans Saints have been with Mickey Loomis calling the shots for the last 20 years. They almost always trade up, never down, and the Saints are a candidate to move up the board again in the 2024 NFL draft.

Pro Football Focus analyst Brad Spielberger recently proposed six first-round trade scenarios that he would like to see happen on draft night. Of the six deals that he drew up, the New Orleans Saints were involved in a trade with the Chicago Bears.

In this scenario, Spielberger has the Saints trading up from Nos. 14 to 9 in the first round. In doing so, the Saints would give up picks Nos. 45 and 168 and receive No. 75 in return. That’s exchanging second- and fifth-round picks for a third rounder. Here’s why Spielberger said the Saints should make this deal:

“A tackle already made sense for the Saints with question marks on the left side, as 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning has not panned out thus far and veterans James Hurst and 2023 starter Andrus Peat — who is still unsigned — are not long-term starting options. Now, with news that stalwart right tackle Ryan Ramczyk has unfortunately not recovered as well as the team had hoped from knee surgery, tackle is by far the biggest need for this roster headed into 2024.

The Saints get ahead of the New York Jets at No. 10, who could still be in the market for a top tackle prospect despite adding Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses this offseason — both are signed only through 2024 — and the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 13. New Orleans has never shied away from a trade-up for a desired player, and this year could be no different, with a glaring need at one of the most important positions in the sport and with veteran quarterback Derek Carr in need of better protection.

Fashanu has great feet to cleanly kick slide and also reset against counters, and he allowed just 16 quarterback pressures and zero sacks over the past two seasons, earning an 88.4 pass-blocking grade in 2023 with an 82.0 true pass set pass-blocking grade. He appears to be sliding a bit in draft conversations, at least in the media’s eyes, even after many viewed him as the No. 1 tackle if he had been able to declare for the NFL after the 2022 college season.”

Spielberger makes a lot of great points specifically with the Saints’ offensive line struggles. With Trevor Penning and now Ryan Ramczyk each posing some level of uncertainty at the tackle spots, it makes the most sense in leaning in the direction of selecting a tackle in Round 1.

In terms of compensation, it seems a little rich for the Saints to give up that 45th pick in the draft due to the many needs that this team now has. Losing out on a potential starter at a different position doesn’t feel like a risk worth taking for this year’s Saints team, especially with the limited resources they have to play with. Getting a third rounder back is nice but there will be better prospects available earlier on, and the Saints could still get a quality offensive lineman in the first round without trading up. It’s a deep class and they need to take advantage of it.

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Ryan Ramczyk’s injury outlook has taken a dramatic turn for 2024 and beyond

Ryan Ramczyk isn’t making the desired progress after his knee surgery, and there is a “real possibility” he will not be able to play in 2024 and beyond:

Whatever news the New Orleans Saints have received in the last month about Ryan Ramczyk’s health has drastically changed their tone on his 2024 outlook. At the end of February, Dennis Allen described Ramczyk’s surgery as a little clean-up procedure, and said “He’s got a knee that he and we are going to have to manage, but we feel much better about where he’s at today than where he was a month, month and a half ago.”

Fast forward a month and now it’s unsure if he’ll play next season at all. Allen shared bad news with reporters at NFL ownership meetings on Tuesday. It sounds like the surgery was initially thought to be successful, but Ramczyk’s knee is not responding well. This is concerning for the future. His knee has been an issue for a while. The Saints have been mitigating it with set rest days during the week. If his knee isn’t responding well to the surgery, his career may be over. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Saints are bracing for life without him in 2024 and, possibly, beyond.

Offensive tackle now jumps back to the top of the list of Saints draft needs. You can’t hope Ramczyk will fully recover over the next five months. You need to plan for his replacement. Not doing so will only set New Orleans up for failure. Ramczyk could end up being healthy enough to play next season, but it’s clear his time in football is winding down.

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Texas RT Christian Jones gets hands-on work with Saints coach at pro day

Texas right tackle Christian Jones got some hands-on work with the Saints at his pro day. He’s a prospect on the rise, and could be a good understudy for Ryan Ramczyk:

The New Orleans Saints were busy at the Texas Longhorns pro day this week. In addition to keeping close eyes on nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat and meeting with linebacker Jaylan Ford and other prospects, the Saints were able to put right tackle Christian Jones through position drills as prospects worked out ahead of the 2024 NFL draft. Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline reports it was a Saints coach leading Jones through drills.

Pauline doesn’t specify whether it was offensive line coach John Benton, senior assistant Rick Dennison, or assistant line coach Jahri Evans putting Jones through his paces, but either way the Saints got some good information.

Jones nails the athletic archetype the team has shown they value at 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, and he moves really well for someone his size when blocking out in space or crossing the formation behind the line of scrimmage. He also had a productive week of practices at the Senior Bowl against other draft prospects and has checked almost every box through the pre-draft process.

The 23-year-old started 48 of his 61 games with Texas, lining up almost entirely on the right side (though he did start at left tackle for much of the 2021 season). Last year, he allowed just one sack on 511 snaps in pass protection, per Pro Football Focus charting.

Right now, he’s projected to be a third-round pick, though Jones could climb higher and possibly be an option for New Orleans in the second round at No. 45 overall (with the pick coming back to them from the Denver Broncos). The Saints need a long-term solution at right tackle after they asked Ryan Ramczyk to take a steep pay cut while managing his degenerative knee condition. Jones just might be the right player to take that mantle.

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Two big draft analysts say this prospect should replace Trevor Penning

Two big draft analysts picked the same prospect to replace Trevor Penning. Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu may not get past New Orleans in April’s draft:

It’s always interesting when mock drafts are in agreement and a consensus starts to build — even unpredictable teams like the New Orleans Saints can tip their hand during the lengthy process leading up the annual NFL draft. And when major media outlets are linking the Saints to the same prospect ahead of the 2024 draft, it’s time to sit up and pay attention.

Both ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, two of the longest-tenured draft analysts around, have the Saints targeting a replacement for Trevor Penning. The third-year left tackle hasn’t shown much through his first two seasons, having lost his rookie year to injuries before being benched just six games into his sophomore campaign. He’s flirting with bust status.

And both Kiper and Jeremiah have the same player in mind to upgrade that left tackle spot: Olumuyiwa Fashanu from Penn State. Here’s what Kiper had to say of the situation:

As I mentioned last month, the Saints have seen 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning struggle for two seasons; how much longer will they trot him out there at left tackle? In a deep and talented tackle class, they could upgrade in Round 1. Fashanu, who only turned 21 in December, has fantastic movement traits as both a pass- and run-blocker. At 6-foot-6, 312 pounds, he looks like he could play tight end. He started 21 games on the left side in college.

New Orleans might also be in the market for a wideout to pair with Chris Olave, who has put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to start his career. Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU) and Xavier Worthy (Texas) are the next receivers up in my rankings.

Jeremiah was more succinct, writing that “2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning has not worked out for the Saints. Fashanu is the new solution at left tackle.”

The Saints have expressed optimism that Penning can still develop into a starting-quality left tackle under the team’s new offensive coaching staff. But if Fashanu is the highest-rated player available when they’re on the clock, they shouldn’t hesitate to draft him. Penning can move to the right side and back up Ryan Ramczyk (who might be out of football in the next year or two, depending on how well his bad knee holds up) or learn a new position at left guard and compete to start there. Fashanu is the real deal, and the Saints would be lucky to have him.

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