2023 draft thread

[tyler735]

Well the draft this year just got a lot more interesting for us after trading Sean Payton for a couple high draft picks over the next 2 years. 
 

In regards to needs, I think we are looking much better on the defensive side of the ball. I could see a younger Safety being a need and maybe an addition to the Defensive Line, but I think our real needs are on the other side of the ball.
 

We obviously need a QB, which is by far our biggest need at the moment. I think we will need to take a look at RB as well. Kamara is likely to be suspended for part of this upcoming year for his incident at the Pro Bowl last year. He’s also not getting any younger and is on a pretty substantial contract. Bringing in another RB seems like a priority. We also restructured Michael Thomas recently and all signs point to him being cut in the offseason, so WR is another position that could be addressed.

QB assessment 

There are some talented QB’s available in this draft with a much better crop than last years class. I’d venture to say it would be a long shot to get Bryce Young and CJ Stroud who should both go top 5 as we would have to send a ton of high draft picks to move up that far. That leaves Anthony Richardson, Will Levis, and Hendon Hooker as the other remaining highly regarded QB’s in the class. Richardson and Levis would likely require a trade up in the 1st round.
 

I wouldn’t be opposed to trading up to the middle of the first round for Richardson. He has a rare skill set, but is really raw. He would likely need a year to redshirt, but his ceiling is elite. A QB I’d be disappointed in trading up for is Will Levis. He’s nowhere near the athlete that Richardson is, yet he doesn’t seem to be much more developed as a passer despite being 3 years older. I’m much more confident in Richardson developing into a quality NFL QB than I am Levis.
 

With all that said, I think my favorite option would be to draft Hendon Hooker in the 1st/2nd round. He’s coming off an ACL injury, but reports this week are saying he should be running again next month. He’s a bit older for a prospect as he just turned 25 a few weeks ago. Despite all that, I would happily take a chance on him. He was having a phenomenal year prior to his injury. He possesses ideal size, is very athletic, has a very live arm to make just about any throw, has shown great accuracy at all levels of the field, and is great leader on and off the field.

It would allow us to take a guy that has the potential to be a quality starting QB in the NFL without having to mortgage our future for him. If for some reason he came in and stunk up the joint, we wouldn’t have a sunk a ton of resources into him and we could make a play at a guy like Caleb Williams next year who in my opinion is one of the top QB prospects I’ve seen in 20+ years of watching college football.

 

RB assessment 

This class is loaded with RB talent. Bijon Robinson is regarded as the consensus top RB prospect and I’d love to have him as he possesses just about every trait you could want in a RB in today’s NFL. Unfortunately I think he will be drafted before we pick in the 1st round and trading up in the 1st for a RB just doesn’t seem like good business (especially with all the talent in this RB class). That leaves guys like Jahmyr Gibbs, and Devon Achane as RB’s I’m really intrigued by. 

Jahmyr Gibbs is likely going to go late 1st/early 2nd round. He has been compared to Alvin Kamara quite a bit this past year with his excellent versatility to make plays both running and catching the ball. I don’t think his balance is quite at the level of Kamara’s, but I also think he is a bit more explosive than Kamara. Almost a mix between Reggie Bush and Alvin Kamara in regards to his size and play style.

As mentioned before Kamara isn’t getting any younger and is facing a suspension. I know many have wanted us to bring in a “power back” to pair with Kamara, but I think we can find someone to fill that role late in the draft or through free agency. Those RB’s are a dime a dozen. Finding RB’s to utilize with Kamara type skill sets are far more valuable.

Another intriguing RB from this class is Devon Achane. Some would look at his size and try to dismiss him, but I think he’s proven he is worth the price of admission with his body of work and freakish athleticism. He will likely be a 2nd/3rd round pick when all is said and done. He is likely the fastest and most explosive player in this draft class. He has that rare Tyreek Hill type speed (has run 10.02 in the 100m and should be in the 4.2 range at the combine). He’s fun to watch, he doesn’t just bounce outside to use his speed every play like you’d expect to see with a guy with size/speed. He shows great vision and balance to run through the middle and find small creases to get into the second level for big plays. He also is a solid receiver out of the backfield.

WR assessment

We hit on Olave last year and early signs point to us finding a diamond in the rough in Rashid Shaheed. With that said, it appears the Michael Thomas’s days are numbered. This leaves a bit of a holes at WR to fill as we don’t have much outside of Olave and Shaheed (assuming he can build off last year). I don’t think this class is as loaded as last year, but there are still some quality options especially around where we should be picking in the late 1st/early 2nd round. Most of the WR’s have different profiles than a guy like Michael Thomas, but that isn’t a bad thing either. I feel like we found a guy in Juwan Johnson that can fill that role to an extent as a bigger bodied pass catcher that can provide a different look than our other pass catchers (I know he’s technically a TE, but he’s really a hybrid TE/WR).

I’d love to back to the well with another Ohio State WR in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. We potentially could get him late in the 1st round. He isn’t an elite athlete, but he has shown he is an absolute menace working out of the slot. Would love to see him on the slot with guys like Olave and Shaheed on the outside. Smith-Njigba was actually more productive than Olave and Garrett Wilson in 2021 when they all played together. He is great at finding spaces to get open in the slot, comes down with contested catches as well as anyone in this draft, and is excellent at making plays after the catch.

Another intriguing option that could be available late in the 1st would be Jordan Addison. He’s as smooth as they come and very explosive. He isn’t physically imposing, but that seems to be less and less important at WR with changes to how the game is played in today’s NFL. He seems to always get open on his routes, which is obviously a great trait to have. I think he’s a bit more dynamic after the catch than a guy like Olave, but I’d say his hands and route running aren’t quite at Olave’s level. Regardless he would be a quality addition to our offense that would certainly help us put more points on the board.

Another guy that could be a great option would be Jalin Hyatt. Especially if we were to draft his teammate Hendon Hooker. Hyatt was one of the most productive WR’s in college football this past season. Hyatt and Hooker had excellent chemistry on the field and always seemed to be on the same page. Connecting on big play after big play. Including absolutely dismantling a very good Alabama defense. Hyatt remind me a lot of a guy like Desean Jackson as a player. He is probably the most explosive WR in the draft and should run in the high 4.2 to low 4.3 range at the combine. He’s likely going to be a late 1st early/2nd round pick. I don’t think he’s as polished as the other WR’s I’ve listed as a route runner, but he also has rare explosiveness that can’t be reached. That combined with his production make him very intriguing.

 

I think this is going to be a unique draft for us in that we will draft more skill positions early than most years given our current needs. That leaves a ton of fun directions we can go especially with the players available at our positions of need. At this point my ideal scenario with our 1st 3 picks would be to get:

Round 1: Hendon Hooker (5th year option is so valuable with a QB)

Round 2: Jalin Hyatt

Round 3: Devon Achane

Edited February 1, 2023 by tyler735

[JMG5]

I don't want us to reach for a mediocre QB who has potential. We need to go BPA regardless of position, especially in the 1st. Our roster is expensive and aging. We need to start getting younger and cheaper. 

[tyler735]

If the front office believes an available QB can develop into a quality starting QB, we need to take him. I think Hooker can be that guy. No matter what we are likely to be facing  a bit of a rebuild. If we don’t attempt to find the right guy at QB while we rebuild, we will be stuck in QB purgatory (with guys like Dalton, Winston, or evening signing someone like Carr). That may take a few tries, but we need to at least attempt to find that guy. The longer we hold off, the more it will set us back long term while we rebuild.

Edited February 2, 2023 by tyler735

[Raves]

So how about this:

Trade #29 + 2024 2nd (From Denver) for #18 from Detroit Lions

#18-Bijon Robinson, RB Texas

#40-Jalin Hyatt, WR Tennessee

#72-Hendon Hooker, QB Tennessee

From this we basically trade Sean Payton for Bijon Robinson to provide a great 1-2 punch with Kamara if he's not suspended and if he is then provides a workhorse in his place.

From there we get Hooker's best WR and Hooker together with the Saints and pairing up with Olave and Shaheed.

Just to mention, I haven't seen Hooker mocked high anywhere.  I think a combination of his ACL injury and his age has him a lot lower on boards than one would normally expect.

[tyler735]

Love Bijon Robinson (and the other players you listed), and I think he’s about as close to “bust proof” as you can get for a RB. Problem is using a 1st and trading a valuable future 2nd round pick for him on a position that is not highly valued like it used to be. This RB class is also stacked and will likely produce several high quality NFL RB’s similar to that 2017 class that featured so many of today’s top RB’s. If it happened I wouldn’t be mad as I am a Texas Longhorns fan and would get to cheer for him for years to come on the Saints, but I’d be torn on the resources used to get him. 

I’d be thrilled to get Hendon Hooker in the 3rd, but it seems his stock is vaulting back up (prior to his injury there was a lot of 1st/2nd round chatter with how dominant of a year he was having) as he just announced at the Senior Bowl that he should be ready to start practicing in the next month or so and be ready to compete in training camp to be a starter as a rookie.
 

Even with Hooker’s injury, I think he is a better prospect than Kenny Pickett who went 20th overall last year. Better arm talent, more accurate, more athletic, and more impressive overall body of work in college. 
 

Seems we would need to either use our 1st or 2nd round pick to get him. Our 1st round pick is only about 12 slots higher than our 2nd round pick. If we were to make an attempt to draft him, I would much rather take him with our late 1st round pick to get that 5th year option, which is very valuable for QB’s given how much you can save on the salary cap for the extra year.

NFL Draft Buzz ranks his 36th overall and as an early 2nd round pick

https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Hendon-Hooker-QB-VirginiaTech

I have a feeling in the coming weeks we will see several other places start sliding Hooker back up their boards given the positive news on his ACL recovery, but it will be interesting to see how this situation develops in the coming weeks. If he is available in the 3rd on draft day we better sprint to the podium to draft him. 

 

[JMG5]

8 hours ago, tyler735 said:

If the front office believes an available QB can develop into a quality starting QB, we need to take him. I think Hooker can be that guy. No matter what we are likely to be facing  a bit of a rebuild. If we don’t attempt to find the right guy at QB while we rebuild, we will be stuck in QB purgatory (with guys like Dalton, Winston, or evening signing someone like Carr). That may take a few tries, but we need to at least attempt to find that guy. The longer we hold off, the more it will set us back long term while we rebuild.

I agree with your points. We definitely need to start looking into drafting a QB, but I just don't want to reach for someone and waste a pick. Teams do it all of the time on QBs. They draft guys in the 1st who have 3rd round talent. I don't want that to be us. My hope is we use this year's draft picks to replenish our talent pool then take a swing in the draft next year for a QB. 

Edited February 2, 2023 by JMG5

[tyler735]

Another intriguing RB is Tyjae Spears. He could potentially be available in the 3rd round and he would be a really explosive RB to add if we missed out on guys like Jahmyr Gibbs and Devon Achane. 

 

[Raves]

@tyler735 if that's the case then your draft is probably the best option.

[JMG5]

16 hours ago, tyler735 said:

Another intriguing RB is Tyjae Spears. He could potentially be available in the 3rd round and he would be a really explosive RB to add if we missed out on guys like Jahmyr Gibbs and Devon Achane. 

 

RB is an underrated need. Outside of Kamara (and his looming suspension) we don't have anyone else. 

[Mid Iowa]

Go 100% O-line and D-line with this draft and FA acquisitions.  (and maybe add Jack Campbell from Iowa (total stud)).

Build around that (see San Francisco/Cincy/Dallas/Philly) and then find that gem of a QB (see KC/Cincy/Philly).

Edited February 5, 2023 by Mid Iowa

[Kingram]

If the Saints think Hooker is their guy, don't play the value game. Take him at 29 and get the 5th year option.

[tyler735]

Curious to see how this Derek Carr situation plays out. If we sign him, I take back my previous comments about not wanting to trade up for Bijon Robinson in the 1st round. With the Kamara news today it seems his suspension could be worse than initially thought. 

[Raves]

On 2/17/2023 at 12:05 AM, tyler735 said:

Curious to see how this Derek Carr situation plays out. If we sign him, I take back my previous comments about not wanting to trade up for Bijon Robinson in the 1st round. With the Kamara news today it seems his suspension could be worse than initially thought. 

As horrible as this is going to sound I'm sure, but I wonder if the Saints have some kind of cap relief available to them if he ends up convicted.

[tyler735]

2 hours ago, Raves said:

As horrible as this is going to sound I'm sure, but I wonder if the Saints have some kind of cap relief available to them if he ends up convicted.

Yeah would be interesting to see if there are any loopholes. If he’s suspended for the season I wouldn’t be opposed to moving on from him. Assuming they can get out of some dead cap. As it stands it appears we would save $10 million in cap if he was cut after June 1st. He turns 28 this summer, so if he misses the season, he would be 29 by the time he plays for us again. Could be time to start fresh at RB if that’s the case.

[JMG5]

On 2/16/2023 at 11:05 PM, tyler735 said:

Curious to see how this Derek Carr situation plays out. If we sign him, I take back my previous comments about not wanting to trade up for Bijon Robinson in the 1st round. With the Kamara news today it seems his suspension could be worse than initially thought. 

Not a fan of trading up for a RB, but it's definitely a need.