Accuracy By Volume

ELLIASJWILLIAMS said

Olave was drafted to fill a need. The whole notion in 22 that we were a couple players away from competing sunk us. Olave was drafted to replace Ted Ginn/Emmanuel Sanders. Penning to replace armstead.

We got caught drafting for need. We even adjusted our prototype to draft Olave. He’s the first receiver under 190lbs that we drafted for this system. Payton would have never.

Some of that falls on Allen, some of that falls on being desperate. I don’t think it’s an indictment on Ireland.

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The big trend I see is that when the Saints attempt to go for need over letting the draft come to them, they don't do too hot. Defensive End has been the biggest area we've seen them chasing and it resulted in Davenport, Turner and Foskey. In 2017 when they simply let the cards fall, they got Hendrickson. Granderson is a UDFA. Jordan was BPA.

The Saints were trying to force Reuben Foster. They wound up "settling" with Ryan Ramcyzk who was the best RT in football before his injury and the next year got Demario Davis, arguably the second best free agent signing in Saints history. Foster meanwhile has been the very definition of a bust.

The teams drafting the best pure talent either wind up with an embarrassment of riches or never really feeling the squeeze of need and truly can live by the motto next man up.

Loomis has said in the past their draft strategy has been bubbles. They group players with close talent evaluations together and take the one that also fits a need when possible, but I feel like they often lean too far into the need part and not simply who is just a flat out baller.