Round 2
There were a few times in which we considered trading up here. Texas A&M defensive tackle Justin Madubuike fell into the 40’s, and he’s someone we had rated highly. But our current-year draft capital wouldn’t be enough for such a leap, and it’s tough to justify giving up future picks for a player at a position the Saints run so deep at already.
Round 3
Another opportunity to trade up came in the late 60’s. Boise State left tackle Ezra Cleveland was someone we graded as a fringe first- or second-round pick, and he was still available at a point in which we could have swapped both our third-rounders. Other prospects on the board (on a tier clearly beneath him) included small-school standout safety Kyle Dugger, Mississippi State linebacker Willie Gay Jr., and a handful of receivers. But spending two of our four remaining picks on one player didn’t make sense at this stage in the draft.
However, several linebackers went off the board not long after. That included players on our radar such as Texas Tech’s Jordan Brooks and Ohio State’s Malik Harrison. Those departures left a sizable gap between our fourth-rated linebacker (Gay, ranked 39th on our big board) and the remaining option, ranked seventh-best at the position (Wyoming’s Logan Wilson, 50th overall). With the Las Vegas Raiders making back-to-back picks at Nos. 80 and 81, we jumped on the phone to try and snag one of those selections and address our biggest remaining roster need, before it was too late.
Giving up both of our third-round picks here wouldn’t make sense, so we started out offering the earlier choice (No. 88) along with the fifth rounder (No. 176) we received from Green Bay earlier. While we expected it would take another asset to seal the deal, Sean Payton’s old friend Jon Gruden did us a solid and accepted that offer. We then hurried to phone it into the league office, along with our chosen prospect: Gay.
Gay should provide a serious boost to the special teams coverage units, which Payton identified as an area of need on a recent conference call. He’ll also push both Alex Anzalone and Kiko Alonso for starting jobs, which is important given their injury histories. Gay has tremendous athleticism to cover the field laterally, great instincts for defending zone coverage, and has reportedly impressed teams in his interviews, clearing up some off-field concerns surrounding suspensions for team rules violations. An early-season foot injury didn’t hold him back, and shouldn’t be a problem in the NFL (unlike Anzalone’s recurring shoulder issues).
On top of that, we’re on the clock again (thanks, Seattle). Some of the players we discussed targeting in earlier trades were available, including Cleveland. Here’s the top five prospects on our board here, at positions not already addressed:
- OT Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
- DT Jordan Elliott, Missouri
- RB Joshua Kelley, UCLA
- G/C John Simpson, Clemson
- SS Terrell Burgess, Utah
Cleveland’s grade is so much higher than the other players (he was the 25th-best player on our board; next-closest was Elliott at 45th) that this was an easy decision to make, even if we gave Simpson (our 54th-rated prospect) some real thought as a potential replacement for Larry Warford at right guard. It’ll take some time in an NFL weight room to reach his potential — Cleveland lacks core strength, and can be outmuscled by a determined, well-timed bull rush — but the agility he boasts is rare for someone his size.
He’s also very durable; Cleveland missed just one start in three years, gutting out a turf toe issue that hit him early in the 2019 season. He can wait in the wings behind Terron Armstead at left tackle, and ensure that Andrus Peat stays at left guard should Armstead miss time managing injuries. Contracts with both Armstead and all-star right tackle Ryan Ramczyk will be up in a few years, so adding Cleveland now gives the Saints an option to fall back on should either of them end up leaving in free agency.
This might have been an opportunity to trade down and add more picks, but there weren’t any compelling offers on the table. At least nothing that would have brought in better than an early seventh-round selection. Moving too far back would jeopardize our shot at adding Cleveland. Here’s the state of our mock draft after the first three rounds:
- Round 1, No. 31 (via Green Bay Packers, from San Francisco 49ers): WR Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
- Round 3, No. 80 (via Las Vegas Raiders): LB Willie Gay Jr., Mississippi State
- Round 3, No. 101 (via Seattle Seahawks): OT Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
- Round 5, No. 169: TBD
That’s not much to work with on the final day of the draft, but follow along to see how it all played out. Having more than one hundred selections pass between our last pick and our next choice is not ideal; maybe we can make a move.