The 2020 NFL Draft came to a close last night with four former Badgers hearing their name come off the board.
The four that ended up being selected, Jonathan Taylor, Zack Baun, Tyler Biadasz and Quintez Cephus, were no surprise. Where one of them fell to, though, was.
During the pre-draft process Zack Baun was pegged as a late-first or early-second round pick.
On draft day, Baun fell to the third round where Sean Peyton and the New Orleans Saints traded up to select him at No. 74 overall.
USA TODAY Sports analyzed this selection and called it one of the steals of the draft.
“It doesn’t always take a first-round pick to secure a first-round talent in the NFL draft,” the article reads. “For teams with the right eye, there’s an opportunity to find tremendous value beyond their highest selection.”
This sentence perfectly describes the Saints’ selection of Baun in the third round.
The defensive line in New Orleans is headlined by Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Jordan and the 15.5 sacks he recorded during the 2019 season. After Jordan, there is a significant drop in pass-rush production, a role Baun will be able to help fill from Day 1.
Baun’s pass-rush explosiveness paired with his versatility–his ability to cover running backs coming out of the backfield in addition to playing downhill in the run game–is what made him a fringe-first round talent.
While Baun hasn’t played as an off-ball linebacker like the Saints will likely use him, his skillset translates to the role and there is nothing pointing towards Peyton having trouble utilizing his unique talent.
Looking back at draft classes the ongoing story is often when teams select a player, almost as much as it is who they choose to select.
The Saints’ selection of the former Badger all-the-way back in the third round illustrates what people mean by calling a draft pick a “steal,” and should significantly benefit the team and their defensive unit going forward.