Tag: Trevor Penning

Saints reopen Ohio State pipeline in way-too-early 2025 mock draft

The Saints reopened their Ohio State pipeline in this way-too-early 2025 mock draft, but would they really pass on every first-round QB to do it?

It’s too early to seriously predict which players might be picked in the 2025 NFL draft, but the event draws interest year-round and speculation won’t slow down just because we’re in a quiet stretch on the calendar.

The latest way-too-soon 2025 mock draft comes from Curt Popejoy over at Draft Wire. While the New Orleans Saints have a solid position at No. 9 (which would be the payoff for struggling through a hard-to-watch season with fewer wins than losses), in this projection New Orleans passed on every quarterback in the draft. The first passer, Georgia’s Carson Beck, wasn’t drafted until No. 16.

For all the talk about next year’s class being better (which is a popular draft narrative every year, whether it’s true or not) there’s a real possibility the Saints could be stuck with mediocrity under center. If the Saints are bad enough to be picking this high, it’s because Derek Carr is playing poorly enough to be replaced.

Instead of drafting Beck or any other quarterback to replace Derek Carr, the Saints started this mock draft by spending the ninth overall pick on his Georgia teammate: left tackle Earnest Greene III. That pick is easy to understand. New Orleans has struggled to get much out of Trevor Penning after drafting him in 2022’s first round, and he’s now moving to right tackle while their 2024 first rounder, Taliese Fuaga, is being asked to play on the left side. If Penning is a total bust and Fuaga has to move back to his college position, it makes sense to draft a true left tackle to man that spot. Maybe the vision is for Spencer Rattler or Jake Haener to push Carr for the starting gig in 2025.

While that first-round pick makes plenty of sense, it’s easier to get excited about the Saints’ haul in Round 2. They selected Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson at No. 41 overall, making him the sixth running back to be picked in the first two rounds. That would be a huge shift after just one running back was drafted in that range this year.

Henderson has been a big-play threat at Ohio State, scoring 32 touchdown runs while picking up 10 or more yards on 71 of his 445 career rushing attempts. He’s averaged an impressive 6.2 yards per carry with the Buckeyes. There’s a real possibility that Alvin Kamara won’t be on the team next year (between his contract status and ) so the Saints could be on the lookout for a new lead running back. That’s the vision for Kendre Miller but he needs to prove he can handle that kind of workload after injuries interrupted his rookie year. Either way, someone like Henderson could be on their radar in 2025.

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Saints have a history of moving offensive linemen around

Trevor Penning and Taliese Fuaga are changing positions, for now. It’s a drastic shift for the players but a frequent move for the Saints:

The New Orleans Saints offensive line will be very important to the success of the offense under offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. They want to be a run first offense. That requires a level of physicality and skill that must be initiated by the front line. The starting offensive line could consist of Taliese Fuaga, Nick Saldiveri, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz and Trevor Penning.

Trevor Penning’s move to right tackle during OTAs emphasizes the Saints’ tendency to take offensive linemen away from their natural position. Of those five starting linemen, McCoy could be the only one playing in his collegiate position. The history extends beyond the current projected starters. Ryan Ramczyk and Andrus Peat both changed positions as well, with Ramczyk moving left tackle to right tackle and Peat kicking inside to guard.

Fuaga and Saldiveri played right tackle in college and are currently on the left side of the line, with Saldiveri moving from tackle to guard. Ruiz projected as a center but lost that battle to McCoy. Penning was a left tackle in college and the beginning of his professional career. New Orleans is trying him at right tackle this offseason. His move is different from the others because it was due to lack of success in the league.

Versatility can benefit players in the long run, but it isn’t always an attribute to be leveraged. Switching Fuaga and Penning could be just to assess how they look in a new position. On the other hand, it could be the Saints following their usual tendency. The latter would be dangerous if it doesn’t work out.

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What should Saints do if Taliese Fuaga doesn’t impress at left tackle?

Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning have changed positions at the beginning of OTAs, but what if Fuaga struggles at left tackle?

It is not uncommon for the New Orleans Saints to change the position of a draft pick. They’ve yet to fully commit to this tactic, but it feels like they’re leaning this way with Taliese Fuaga. When he lined up at left tackle during rookie minicamps, it was brushed off as just getting a look. Now that Trevor Penning has also flipped sides at OTAs, this feels like a vision.

The Saints have a history of this with first-round offensive linemen. Andrus Peat, Ryan Ramczyk, and Cesar Ruiz each played unexpected positions as rookies. The question is, what happens if Fuaga doesn’t look good at left tackle?

That question breaks into two parts. First off, does Fuaga then compete with Penning at right tackle? Secondly, who is your left tackle in this case? The Saints aren’t covered if this move doesn’t work. If Penning was always supposed to move to right tackle, it doesn’t sound like there’s faith he can play at left tackle moving forward. You drafted Fuaga first round due to his film showcasing a cornerstone right tackle.

It’s early in the offseason, and nothing is concrete. Fuaga being a natural right tackle makes you wonder how long will they give him to get acclimated before putting him in his natural position. As training camp rolls around, the transformation of the starting offensive line will be one to watch.

The best case scenario now feels like Fuaga performs well at left tackle and Penning shows more potential after a position change. It’s definitely a gamble, but right now Fuaga and Penning appear to be your best two options at tackle. New Orleans just has to decide who plays where.

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Saints’ new coaching staff has Trevor Penning at right tackle

The New Orleans Saints’ new coaching staff has Trevor Penning auditioning at right tackle, and the early returns are encouraging:

Trevor Penning and Taliese Fuaga played on the left and right sides of the offensive line in college, but the New Orleans Saints have them swapping roles early in the 2024 offseason. When the Saints gathered for voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) on Tuesday, Penning was busy learning to play at right tackle. It’s an experiment his new coaches feel could be what’s best for him.

“All arrows are up on Trevor Penning right now,” said Saints offensive line coach John Benton, who added that the plan was to try him out at right tackle regardless of this year’s draft haul. If the Saints had selected a natural left tackle or another right tackle instead of Fuaga, Penning would still be getting these snaps.

And it isn’t just Penning moving around. Fuaga, this year’s first round pick out of Oregon State, has been working at left tackle in the spring. Saints head coach Dennis Allen explained that plan.

“You’re going to see a few things throughout the course of training camp, where we’re going to maybe try out some different things,” Allen said. “I think that’s kind of the direction we’re looking at right now, really working Taliese over at the left side, and giving Trevor an opportunity to work on the right side. We’re still waiting to see where Ryan Ramczyk is when we get probably to training camp, being potentially the first time we see him. That’s kind of the thought process.”

So the Saints aren’t putting either player down at one of those spots with a permanent marker; there’s time for either (or both) of Fuaga or Penning to emerge as a better option at the tackle spots. Just because Penning is playing right tackle in May doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be staying there come September. But if that’s what’s best for his development and the state of the offensive line, the Saints are willing to embrace it. We’ll keep track of this over the summer.

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Dennis Allen comments on rookie first-round pick Taliese Fuaga playing left tackle

Dennis Allen shared the Saints’ reasoning for first-round pick Taliese Fuaga practicing at left tackle during rookie minicamp:

One of the surprise developments coming out of New Orleans Saints rookie minicamp last weekend was the news about where Taliese Fuaga was playing. The former Oregon State starter performed so well at right tackle that the Saints picked him at No. 14 overall in this year’s NFL draft, but when he took the practice field for the first time in black and gold he was lining up at left tackle. Fuaga was seen as an easy replacement for Ryan Ramczyk on the right side, while the veteran Pro Bowler is dealing with a career-threatening knee injury, but his first action came on the other end of the line.

It makes sense to see whether Fuaga is a viable option at left tackle, which is a higher-priority position in an offense with a right-handed quarterback. If Fuaga can protect Derek Carr’s blind side, that might be where his future lies. Saints head coach Dennis Allen shared some insight to the plan for Fuaga at this early stage in the offseason during his rookie minicamp press conference.

“Yeah, so we want to take a look at him on the left side and see how he does over there,” Allen began. “I think we’re pretty confident that he can play right tackle. So getting him some work over on the left side, I think, is important, and then we’ll evaluate it as we go and see how he does.”

When asked if Fuaga would be taking practice reps on both sides of the line, Allen responded: “Starting off we’re going to work him primarily over on the left side, and we’ll evaluate it as it goes. We haven’t made any decisions, in terms of concrete decisions, but yet that’s where we’re going to start him right now. We wanted to get him a lot of work in this camp, see how he does in this camp, and then we’ll reevaluate after this camp.”

Fuaga himself described the challenge of switching sides as like learning to drive on the opposite side of the highway, so while it’s clearly something he’s confident he can do it’s going to take time for him to get used to changing hist stance and working from a different alignment.

And he isn’t the only offensive lineman the Saints are cross-training. Allen said the Saints are preparing multiple blockers to play on either the left or right side, as well as inside at guard or outside at tackle. That includes Fuaga, the team’s 2022 first-round pick Trevor Penning, plus veterans like Olisaemeka Udoh and Landon Young. With so much uncertainty surrounding Penning’s development and Ramczyk’s health, the Saints need to know who can line up at different spots in a pinch. But if Fuaga is clearly their best option on the left side, he just might stay there.

“I think it’s more about, let’s see if he can play left tackle or not. And let’s get him over here on the left side and get him some work there, he hadn’t had a lot of work on the left side. None in game action, you know? So get him some reps over there and see what he can do,” Allen finished.

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Taliese Fuaga knocking off the rust at left tackle in Saints rookie minicamp

Taliese Fuaga was busy knocking off the rust at left tackle during Saints rookie minicamp. Now is the time to explore his options, not August:

This was mildly surprising. When the New Orleans Saints took the field for rookie minicamp practices this weekend, former Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga was lining up on the left side of the line. He hasn’t played left tackle since he was in high school, but the Saints must be prepared in case they need him there in the fall.

And it makes more sense to have Fuaga knock off the rust in May than in August or September. He told reporters after practice that “Yeah, it’s just, you know a little rusty over there on the left side. Definitely got to get those reps in again.”

Right now, the Saints should have confidence that Fuaga can continue to play at a high level on the right side after he won All-American and all-conference recognition there in college; while putting together game tape that convinced the team to draft him at No. 14 overall. But the left tackle spot is far from settled.

If Trevor Penning can’t win the job in his third year on the squad, Fuaga might be needed there protecting Derek Carr’s blind side. So it’s better to get a foundation for him to work with in his stance at left tackle than to throw him into it unprepared later this year. So how difficult is the transition?

“I don’t know, some say it’s like driving on the other side of the highway, you know what I’m saying?” Fuaga replied. “It’s just getting used to it. That’s all I can say about that.”

While this doesn’t mean the Saints are done with Penning and looking to move Fuaga around in the pros, it does mean they’re preparing for that eventuality. It’s on Penning to develop into a better player and prove that isn’t necessary. If he continues to struggle as he’s done in the past, it could be Fuaga taking his place in the line.

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Pro Football Network says safety is Saints’ biggest remaining weakness

Pro Football Network says safety is the Saints’ biggest remaining weakness. That’s tough to buy when they don’t have a starting left guard:

Which positions look weakest on the New Orleans Saints’ depth chart? There’s still time to add reinforcements before training camp and the start of the 2024 season, but their options are limited with the biggest free agent signings and the NFL draft behind us.

According to Pro Football Network’s Dakota Randall, the Saints’ biggest remaining weakness is safety. Here’s why:

As we stand today, 2023 fifth-round pick Jordan Howden is in line to start alongside Tyrann Mathieu. That’s because the New Orleans Saints didn’t find any better players in free agency or during the draft.

They need to start planning for the future at this position.

It’s a little late to start planning for the future after the draft, and it’s not like the Saints haven’t signed anyone. They brought in veteran defensive back Will Harris while re-signing other experienced backups like Johnathan Abram (who started ahead of Howden to close out the 2023 season) and Ugo Amadi to round out the depth chart.

Sure, they don’t have many proven options who could confidently replace Marcus Maye next to Mathieu. It’s going to be Howden, Abram, or Harris filling that void in the fall. Hopefully Howden has learned enough after his rookie year to earn that job. But the Saints won games last year with both him and Abram starting in the secondary, so it’s not like this is a major priority.

At least not to the degree that the offensive line is a serious problem. The Saints don’t have a starting left guard right now. James Hurst retired and Andrus Peat signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, meaning their best options  on the roster are Nick Saldiveri (a college right tackle who the coaches didn’t want to play as a rookie), Oli Udoh (a career right guard with some experience at left tackle, but not left guard), and a journeyman free agent in Shane Lemieux. A couple of rookie free agents are also in the mix.

And that’s not getting into the depth issues at left tackle. Trevor Penning is about to jump out of the plane without a parachute if the Saints can’t sign a free agent who could fill in for him in a pinch, if not push him during camp. He was benched after just six starts last season for poor performance. Maybe he’s turned it around with hard work this offseason, but the only players behind him are Landon Young and Justin Herron, with 18 combined NFL starts between the two of them. It’s a dicey situation. Hopefully the Saints can improve things along the line (and, sure, at safety) before training camp starts in July.

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Raiders signing longtime Saints offensive lineman Andrus Peat

Andrus Peat arguably saved the Saints’ season by replacing Trevor Penning at left tackle. But he’ll be playing for the Raiders in 2024:

The New Orleans Saints made a big bet that their offensive line will be just fine without Andrus Peat, and we’re about to see whether it pays off. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Las Vegas Raiders are signing Peat as a free agent after the 2024 draft. The Saints drafted Peat back in 2015, out of Stanford, and he went on to earn three Pro Bowl nods as an alternate.

Peat arguably saved the Saints’ season by replacing Trevor Penning at left tackle after six disastrous starts in 2023, which was a bit of a surprise. He hadn’t played that position since the 2018 regular season finale, with more than twice as many career snaps played at left guard (4,35) than left tackle (1,948). We can dissect his performance but the offense was at least functional once he took over on Derek Carr’s blind side. Now the Saints are back where they started with Peat slotted in at left tackle and no clear starter available at left guard after James Hurst retired. Peat’s presence would have improved either position’s outlook.

It’s curious that the Saints’ leadership team was so ambivalent about re-signing Peat all offseason. They let him test the market in free agency back in March, accruing $13.6 million in dead money that could have been spread out with a new contract. But neither Mickey Loomis nor Dennis Allen expressed much interest in re-signing Peat when asked about it. Maybe his injury history outweighed his recent efforts. Either way, he’ll be playing against his former team when the Raiders visit the Caesars Superdome in the fall.

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Left tackle labeled the Saints’ biggest weakness after NFL draft

The Saints entered and left the draft with Trevor Penning as the starter at left tackle, but B/R says left tackle is the team’s biggest weakness:

The New Orleans Saints addressed a few holes in the NFL draft, most notably selecting Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga in the first round. There’s no team without a weakness, and some teams have more than others. The Saints find themselves in the latter position.

New Orleans entered the draft with too many holes to fill with their premium draft picks. You could argue they chose to not fill prominent voids for players who may have their largest impact in future seasons. Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder assessed the condition of all 32 teams’ rosters after the NFL draft. He feels left tackle is the biggest weakness on the Saints’ roster, shared with the division-rival Carolina Panthers, but his logic is a bit shaky:

On a similar note, while Taliese Fuaga ranked within the top-25 prospects on B/R’s final big board, he was listed as a guard due to concerns about his ability to hold up in pass protection on the edge.

However, the Saints spent a first-round pick on Fuaga to replace Trevor Penning.

Essentially, all New Orleans did was swap out one tackle prospect who is a great run-blocker but better suited on the inside since he’ll likely struggle with NFL speed rushers for another one. Also, the Oregon State product exclusively lined up at right tackle in college, so he’ll be switching positions this season.

Left tackle was the second-biggest need heading into the draft. Trevor Penning and Ryan Ramczyk both come with their own set of significant question marks, so it was clear the Saints would address the offensive line early on. Fuaga was the only tackle drafted until their final pick, when they added Eastern Kentucky right tackle Josiah Ezirim in the seventh round. Penning struggled last year, so left tackle could is one their biggest weakness entering the year until proven otherwise.

Holder just came to the conclusion in an odd way. The biggest problem is that Fuaga was not drafted to replace Penning. By all intents and purposes, Fuaga is the heir apparent for Ramczyk at right tackle. Holder clearly doesn’t have faith in Penning either. The Saints’ draft strategy says they believe in Penning to a certain extent. That’s a gamble that must pay off.

Another issue is the Saints don’t view Fuaga as a guard, either. Fuaga projected high as a tackle prospect. This is simply a difference in scouting opinions, but it shouldn’t concern Saints fans. Bleacher Report scouting likely views Fuaga as best suited on the interior due to his arm length. We’ll find out whether that matters when pads come on later this summer.

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2024 NFL draft: Saints pick Northern Iowa DT Khristian Boyd

2024 NFL draft: New Orleans Saints pick Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd, Trevor Penning’s college teammate

This was a popular pick for the New Orleans Saints in a lot of mock drafts, and it ends up being the direction they went. The Saints selected Northern Iowa defensive tackle Khristian Boyd at No. 199 in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft, reuniting him with his former college teammate Trevor Penning.

Boyd wasn’t just popular among NFL fans. He had the second-most pre-draft meetings and visits of any prospect in this year’s class. Teams were highly intrigued by the run-stopping defensive tackle from a smaller school, and it’s easy to see why. He generated a ton of pressure on top of stonewalling opposing rushing attacks. Pro Football Focus awarded him the seventh-best grade among defensive tackles in 2023.

And he has a very clear path to getting on the field as a rookie. The Saints never signed anyone to replace the 20-ish snaps per game that Malcolm Roach averaged last season, so Boyd can step right into the rotation behind Bryan Bresee, Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders. If he’s ready. He’ll have a great opportunity to lock that in at training camp this summer.

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