2023 draft thread

[tyler735]

I’d love if we somehow landed Adebawore in the 4th. Would be an insane value. There must be a medical red flag or something dropping him.

Other players I’d love to add today would be 

Zack Kuntz

Clayton Tune

Grant Dubose

Matt Landers

Kayshon Boutte

Andrei Iosivas

Tyler Scott 

Charlie Jones

Kelee Ringo

I’m hoping we use most of day 3 to grab a few skill players to try to develop.

Edited April 29, 2023 by tyler735

[JMG5]

DT, DE, RB, OL, S, WR.

Can't really be disappointed with that kind of haul. 

[whodatOL]

Anyone has all the RAS Scores or knows where to find them? Perry also with a 9.62 RAS score. That seems to be by far the best indicator for a Saints pick!

[tyler735]

Overall I’d probably grade this draft an A-. Thought we did a good job addressing needs throughout the draft. If we would have landed Adebawore or Ringo in the 4th round, I’d have given us an A+. Also would have preferred Clayton Tune over Jake Haener. Love the value of the Kendre Miller and AT Perry picks. Kendre Miller has the talent to be our workhorse RB for years to come and could easily see him end up a top 10 RB in the league. AT Perry was a WR I thought could go late day 2/early day 3. To get him in the 6th was excellent value. Has the size/athleticism and production to make an impact for us at some point. If he cleans up his routes a bit we may have gotten a huge steal.

Edited April 29, 2023 by tyler735

[JMG5]

5 hours ago, whodatOL said:

Anyone has all the RAS Scores or knows where to find them? Perry also with a 9.62 RAS score. That seems to be by far the best indicator for a Saints pick!

 

[tyler735]

Had Kendre Miller been healthy enough to test, he likely would have been over a 9 on the RAS as well.

[JMG5]

My feelings on each prospect:

DT Bryan Bresee - Day 1 starter. Huge need for us and he has tremendous upside. A+

DE Isaiah Foskey - Possible Day 1 starter replacing Davenport, but still a high snap rotational guy right off the bat even if he doesn't win the job. He's a freak that was productive from a big program. Much prefer taking guys like this instead of random D2 freaks that are made of glass. A-

RB Kendre Miller - RB2 with Kamara's suspension looming, but he could be the heir apparent. From what I've seen he plays a lot like Alvin and he's freaking 20. Very intrested to see what he can do in the passing game. B+

OL Nick Saldiveri - Not sure if they'll slide him inside or keep him at T, but I wanted them to take a swing on an offensive lineman and they did. They traded up for him, so I've got to believe they see something in him. Very good athlete, apparently a very good pass blocker already. If he develops I could see him replacing Peat or, at the very least, Hurst as our 6th offensive lineman. B

QB Jake Haener - Don't know much about him, but based on scouting reports he's a smart player that processes the game well. Should be our backup once Winston leaves. B-

S Jordan Howden - We needed safety depth and we went and got it. Good athlete. Should see some snaps on special teams his rookie year. B-

WR A.T. Perry - I think this was our best value pick of the draft. He's a big WR with some speed that can actually run good routes. Immediately replaces Callaway, but I could see him jumping Smith in the pecking order if he's a solid blocker. A+

Overall I'm happy with the draft. We addressed almost all of our needs and didn't reach to do it. Every pick felt solid. I think we came out of this draft with 2 immediate starters and a bunch of players who could develop into starters a year from now. We really needed to nail this draft and I think we did. A-

Edited April 30, 2023 by JMG5

[Mid Iowa]

I like this draft, and it seems like this draft was much more organized - than we've seen in the past - as far as taking quality where they landed (early on) rather than leveraging our future for something shiny today.

I don't like the Jake Haener pick - and I'm not a scout, so perhaps they've seen something special - and feel as though we could have addressed the TE situation better than we did. I know we'll land an UFA at TE, but there were some great opportunities available when Haener was picked. So on the surface, I give that pick a D.

[JMG5]

6 minutes ago, Mid Iowa said:

I like this draft, and it seems like this draft was much more organized - than we've seen in the past - as far as taking quality where they landed (early on) rather than leveraging our future for something shiny today.

I don't like the Jake Haener pick - and I'm not a scout, so perhaps they've seen something special - and feel as though we could have addressed the TE situation better than we did. I know we'll land an UFA at TE, but there were some great opportunities available when Haener was picked. So on the surface, I give that pick a D.

I'm viewing the Haener pick optimistically. I don't like the value, but I'm hoping he can become a serviceable backup on a cheap contract.

[Scoundrel]

I took Miller and Perry in my BDL draft recently. Miller at 92 overall and Perry at 108 overall. I am a big believer in both and think both can be very good contributors for you guys. I’ll be checking in throughout their rookie years as they continue to hopefully show their talent for you guys.

[Scoundrel]

11 hours ago, JMG5 said:

From what I've seen he plays a lot like Alvin

When I scouted Kendre his contact balance really reminded me of Alvin. He needs more experience in the passing game and he has enough juice to hit the big runs but he isn’t exactly a home run threat. He is 215 but at times plays like he is 200 pounds. He does tend to always get positive yards though. He is very patient and sets up his blocks so well. Sometimes too patient but he doesn’t dance a lot which is good. He was RB4 for me at first but due to uncertainty with his knee and no testing I even dropped him a little bit. I am not surprised at all to see him go 71 though based on talent and NFL teas have the medicals that us fans don’t until usually after the draft if ever at all. Excited to watch Kendre bring a force to your backfield.

 

[Scoundrel]

11 hours ago, JMG5 said:

WR A.T. Perry - I think this was our best value pick of the draft. He's a big WR with some speed that can actually run good routes. Immediately replaces Callaway, but I could see him jumping Smith in the pecking order if he's a solid blocker. A+

Agree with the grade. He should not have fallen to pick 195… you know who went 195 last year? Another player I picked in dynasty I was surprised ended up dropping so far… Jamaree Salyer. When asked why he dropped Perry said he was told it was due to some character concerns which he said confused him. In the interview you can tell he is upset he fell and has a chip. He will provide a nice deep threat option on the outside and should come in and looking at your roster push for that 4th receiver spot early.

 

[whodatworm23]

Best thing about this draft is that although Ireland and our scouts stuck to thier philosophy of targeting their prototype skill set, they also targeted highly productive players as well. Where before it was mostly athletes who happen to play a lil football. These dudes are football players that are great athletes. 

 

I also loved the fact that Ireland was running the Saints war room. Loomis clearly took a back seat and DA wasn't in charge. Ireland it appears was given full control to steer this draft as he saw fit.

 

As for myself...

 

I love the class.

 

Breese could/would have been a top 15 selection had it not been for the injury and the hardship he endured. In a draft with maybe only 15-18 true 1st round prospects, getting a dude who's a clear 1st round talent at 29 was a haul by itself particularly at our biggest position of need.

 

Foskey was a dude I knew the Saints were gonna be all over. He's basically Marcus Davenport with high big time college football production and no injury history.

 

Miller might be my favorite selection for us... dude is a bell cow. Big, strong, shifty playmaking back. Is going to extend Kamaras career. Doesn't have great burst but runs violent, hard to tackle and has underrated receiving skill set. 

 

Saldiveri is the classic Doug Marrone small school prospect who possesses the skill set and demeanor to really develop into a quality starter at guard for us. As with guys like Armstead, Evans, Nicks, Bushrod and Strief before him Saldiveri has the chance to be the next small school find for us. Especially now with Evans on staff showing him the way.

 

Haener... this is where people call me crazy.

 

I had Haener as the 2nd best quarterback in this class. Call it a personal preference after watching Drew Brees for so long with the Saints and Joe Burrow at LSU but a quarterbacks internal processor is my #1 trait I look for. Brees always said quarterback is 90% from the neck up and I believe it. My second attribute for a quarterback is confidence in thier own ability. You have to have a guy that is superiority confident in what he can do even when others doubt him. Third is character... how does the kid handle himself? Is he a captain, a leader? Can he represent my franchise and my team/city? 

 

Outside of Bryce Young (who was my QB1) Haener was the next guy in line for me. Love the kids moxie, his confidence, leadership, character, ability to extend plays but most of all how quickly he processes information and throws with timing, anticipation and accuracy.

 

If Bryce Young can be the surefire #1 pick and franchise quarterback of the Carolina Panthers at 5'10" 190 lbs and most of the same attributes as Haener... why can't Haener at 5'11" 208 lbs do the same for the Saints at pick 127? 

 

Howden to me is a high character versatile defensive back in the mold of a PJ Williams. Howden has played a ton of power 5 football and is a chess peice "big nickel" prospect in DAs scheme as well as a potential quality teams player early on.

 

Perry was a steal in the 6th... had a top 100 grade on him but the drops are concerning. At 6'4" 200 lbs sub 4.5 guys with his type of production shouldn't be available in the 6th round.

 

[tyler735]

I agree with most of what you wrote, I really do like our overall draft class. 

39 minutes ago, whodatworm23 said:

Miller might be my favorite selection for us... dude is a bell cow. Big, strong, shifty playmaking back. Is going to extend Kamaras career. Doesn't have great burst but runs violent, hard to tackle and has underrated receiving skill set. 

I've seen this mentioned before by others as well, but I just can't agree with it. Sure Miller doesn't have the burst of a guy like Achane, but pretty much only a couple guys regardless of position in the NFL have that type of explosive ability. Among starting RB's in the NFL, I don't think there are too many with better burst than Miller. I think the one thing that people see and maybe confuse for a lack of burst with Miller is how patient he is as a runner. When he hits the gas, he is capable of blowing past the LOS into the second level leaving defenders grasping for air. One of my favorite plays highlighting his burst is this run against West Virginia. He uses his patience to get past the line of scrimmage, makes a cut, and then explodes upfield. His burst upfield catches both DB’s off guard and forces them both to take bad angles grasping for air by the time he gets by them.

39 minutes ago, whodatworm23 said:

Haener... this is where people call me crazy.

I had Haener as the 2nd best quarterback in this class. Call it a personal preference after watching Drew Brees for so long with the Saints and Joe Burrow at LSU but a quarterbacks internal processor is my #1 trait I look for. Brees always said quarterback is 90% from the neck up and I believe it. My second attribute for a quarterback is confidence in thier own ability. You have to have a guy that is superiority confident in what he can do even when others doubt him. Third is character... how does the kid handle himself? Is he a captain, a leader? Can he represent my franchise and my team/city? 

Outside of Bryce Young (who was my QB1) Haener was the next guy in line for me. Love the kids moxie, his confidence, leadership, character, ability to extend plays but most of all how quickly he processes information and throws with timing, anticipation and accuracy.

If Bryce Young can be the surefire #1 pick and franchise quarterback of the Carolina Panthers at 5'10" 190 lbs and most of the same attributes as Haener... why can't Haener at 5'11" 208 lbs do the same for the Saints at pick 127? 

I feel like I am going to have to go back an watch Haener again. Quite a few people seem to be higher on him than I am. I could care less about his size. I always find that to be overrated for QB's in today's NFL, but I thought his arm might be a bit limiting, but I'll have to give him a deeper dive. Would love for him to pan out as a day 3 steal.

Edited May 2, 2023 by tyler735

[whodatworm23]

29 minutes ago, tyler735 said:

I agree with most of what you wrote, I really do like our overall draft class. 

I've seen this mentioned before by others as well, but I just can't agree with it. Sure Miller doesn't have the burst of a guy like Achane, but pretty much only a couple guys regardless of position in the NFL have that type of explosive ability. Among starting RB's in the NFL, I don't think there are too many with better burst than Miller. I think the one thing that people see and maybe confuse for a lack of burst with Miller is how patient he is as a runner. When he hits the gas, he is capable of blowing past the LOS into the second level leaving defenders grasping for air. One of my favorite plays highlighting his burst is this run against West Virginia. He uses his patience to get past the line of scrimmage, makes a cut, and then explodes upfield. His burst upfield catches both DB’s off guard and forces them both to take bad angles grasping for air by the time he gets by them.

I feel like I am going to have to go back an watch Haener again. Quite a few people seem to be higher on him than I am. I could care less about his size. I always find that to be overrated for QB's in today's NFL, but I thought his arm might be a bit limiting, but I'll have to give him a deeper dive. Would love for him to pan out as a day 3 steal.

With Miller... I understand he's a patient runner and I also feel hes a fast guy with long speed. However explosion through the hole is lacking to me. Ive seen it and in many instances it was not a running patiently issue. Thats not to say he isn't a special back. As I said he might be my favorite selection for us. He reminds me alot of former Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander. Patient guide style running whos physical and smart and always seems to make positive plays. Hard to tackle and is an inside outside runner with a lack of initial burst (of an elite level) not saying he doesn't have burst.

 

The thing with Haener for me... all the attributes scouts love about Bryce Young, Haener has. All the warts about Haener scouts hate, Young has.

 

Not saying Haener is the same level as Young... I actually had Young as my QB1 but only 28th overall and Haener at I belive 42 overall. Admittedly I grade quarterbacks a bit differently but when you look at where each player was drafted #1 vs #127 and the assets each team gave up to get each player... the value clearly lies with Haener on my board. To.me this was a average quarterback class with these two guys at the top of it. It just makes me laugh when I hear NFL scouts praise Young and his abilities yet doubt Haeners while dropping him so far on boards. Clearly its a competition thing with Young playing in the SEC and since high school as a top recruit vs Haener limited recruit and playing at Fresno St. However the same scouts who doubt him will cover their rear end by putting him on thier "sleeper" list and calling him the potential next Brock Purdy. 🤷‍♂️