Accuracy By Volume

B4YOU said
Our best draft was due to having 6 picks in the first 3 rounds in 2017.

Since then, we have undervalued 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round picks. We only averaged 3.3 picks in the first 4 rounds and 2.67 picks in the first 3 rounds since 2017. When we trade up, it's not for QBs or for top 5 picks. We have averaged more comp picks than most teams. This is due to bleeding FA talent and not resigning comparable talent. That's us losing starter to quality depth players for guys with a 50-60% chance to make a team. Not start, but make a team.

Our problem appears to be a combination of "one-pick away" and "drafting for need" mindset, cap issues, and undervaluing volume of picks for draft position. At the end of the day, short-sighted thinking and cap management is slowly draining the team of talent.

My numbers include comp picks so it shows just how much the Saints were trading away picks. Absolutely crazy doing this while running the tightest cap in NFL history. You'd have thought they would be hording picks like the Packers and Rams with this cap model, instead they did the opposite.

St. Widge said
I agree we need to make more picks, but out of curiosity how many picks have the Browns, Jets, Raiders, Giants, and Panthers made over the same time period?

The reality is almost every team values draft picks, except the team that really needed to value draft picks. We have seen a shift in philosophy from Loomis the last two years which is good, but frankly it should have never been needed. This should have been the philosophy from the start.