One thing I don't want in the draft (1 Viewer)

[DSnfla]

Penning wasn't even a penciled in starter...he was a projected as a project that even if healthy wasn't going to start week 1...maybe without the injury he starts before November but that isn't the type of offensive lineman that you bank additional draft capitol to make sure you get. There were at least 2 other tackles drafted after him that contributed just as much.

My take on linemen, is that its almost all about coaching...they're all big/strong guys, coaching makes all but the elite few interchangeable.


We won the compensation part of the Graham trade, but we totally blew the pick.

Injuries , injuries injuries. you can't account for them when drafting players. Most had Penning penciled in as a starter mid-season, and he would have been if not for injuries.

 

[DSnfla]

No, I'm getting your point and I'm attempting to point out that it's potentially just your perspective colouring your outlook on this, which may just possibly not be the reality. Here's the thing I'm talking about:


Your key words here being, "to me". This whole line of thinking is based wholly on your own supposition that they had to be drafting a guy for immediate impact. And if that impact was not delivered immediately, then the whole exercise was a failure of the highest order. I think you're projecting your disappointment with his first year (which I can understand) onto any discussion about him as a draft selection or future Saints player. Which I respectfully disagree with.

I'll tell you my supposition, and it could be equally wrong: They wanted the best LT they could get and targeted the guy they could still reach in the latter first round. Rightly or wrongly, that was their guy. So they paid the cost of getting that guy, and whether you or I like the cost of doing business, that was what it cost. So then they intended to coach him up as quick as possible, likely hoping to get him in position to assume the LT spot during his first year, but having Hurst as the solid reserve option to hold down the fort. Or course, injury totally threw the plan out of the window and now he's rehabbing ready to start again in 2023.


NB. We didn't start Terron Armstead immediately his first year either. Even Willie Road played RT his whole first year before we trusted him to be the HOF player he was at LT. It. Takes. Time. Even with great coaching.

Give it up bud, Joe thinks that you should never draft an O lineman in the first 3 rounds,

 

[ItFan]

My hunch is that we fare better when we stay put, with a few notable exceptions. Anyway, it’s game theory: when you have nice odds in the long term without risking... do not risk

 

[GeneHansen]

@504gks
The draft is about taking selecting talented football players who have a chance to play in the NFL.
It isn't about who is still with the team.

It helps whatever point you're making to say we only have 1 guy left from 2019, but 3 of those 5 picks were Eric McCoy (2nd), CJGJ (4th) and Kaden Elliss (7th). That's a good draft for not having a 1st, 2nd or 5th round pick.

We had 12 combine picks in the 2018 and 2019 drafts, and 7 of those guys were still on NFL rosters last season. Four of them were starters.

 

[BayouSAINTJoe]

Give it up bud, Joe thinks that you should never draft an O lineman in the first 3 rounds,

No...I don't think you need to draft O line in the first 3 rounds when you already have 5 linemen that YOU drafted in thr first

 

[SoggyBottomBoy]

Actually I have 1A and 1B. 1A is no trading up, let the draft fall and take advantage of players you thought would be gone but are there on your pick. 1B In the 5th thru 7th round take players that are household names that play for big schools instead of trying to pull a rabbit out of the hat with guys that end up out of the league in a year.Michigan, Alabama, Ohio State, LSU etc.If not for UDFAs, we have been pretty bad lately at the back end of the draft.

Not buying into either of your "One Thing" points as rigid rules for the draft. The front office needs to prepare for as many curveballs and scenarios they can foresee and come draft week be ready make wise choices during the hectic pace. Let the draft come to you and be prepared for anything.

Your point one, I hope a trade up doesn't happen in the early rounds. We covered those bases last year and got two very good first round picks. The extra one (either Olave or Penning) now also has a training camp and some game experience to work from. Now I would be surprised or disappointed if we use some lower draft capital (5th rounders?) to move back into the second or third rounds for desired, higher caliber talent.

Point two about big, household name schools only is too narrow minded and lazy. Ditka had a similar philosophy about pursuing players from big, winning programs - basically because they are "winners." Though there's some logic to it, it is very flawed to not do due diligence and scouting all the talent available. There are too many really good players in lesser-name schools. Look at one of the top Offensive linemen in this draft, O'Cyrus Torrence. If he hadn't moved to Florida with coach Napier and did his fourth year with the UL Ragin' Cajuns should he not be in consideration?

 

[madsaint1967]

Looking back at alot of our drafts is comical. They drafted players that didn't even make an nfl stat, during the late 90s and early 2000s it was horrible. I don't know how we fielded a team with some of those drafts.