Tankathon: Saints top 6 draft pick watch (13 Viewers)

[DSnfla]

I don't really like any of the QBs in this class and I certainly agree that we need a X WR with size. I also agree that the positions you identified are the places where we really need help.

At WR, the guys we have are good players but I think they are to small to take the pounding and stay consistently healthy. Just not sure the value will be there at WR in the #10 pick range since Tet will likely be gone. So hope they go BPA or trade down.

And, sure we would be fine at QB next year with Carr if we add weapons and fix the OL, but we need to think long term at QB and Carr isn't the future. It's possible to build a team that can win a lot of games with a mediocre QB, but the margin of error is too low long term.

With the right weapons and decent OL play Carr is a top 6 or 7 QB every bit as good as Goff or Stafford or anyone else in the NFC

 

[SuperSaint]

Look at the history of past dynasties.

The 49ers, the Bears, the Steelers, etc...

They're proof that a well-run FO and scouting department can find draft talent no matter the position.

We just need to be better at it, then draft position won't matter.

 

[saint_drago]

I was preaching this weeks ago and getting NEG repped to death. Glad to see people finally coming around. Why am I always ahead of my time here?

I learned this lesson years ago when the Saints inexplicably made a heroic comeback to beat the Bucs in the last game of the season back in '14. We were mathematically eliminated and the Bucs stood to gain the #1 overall pick with a loss. Saints are down 20-7 at halftime. Seems like a good time to pull your starters and get ready for next year. Get a better draft pick and regroup. No sense in giving a division opponent the #1 pick, risk injury to Drew and co., and hurt your draft position right? Wrong. Saints mount a comeback for the ages and win a nail biter 23-20.

So after the game I was like, what was that all about? That wasn't ideal because it cost us draft spots and gave them #1 overall. People came at me like spider monkeys on speed. They came at me like I had said the most controversial thing ever. Like I had uttered blasphemy. Something like Archie being vastly overrated. Anyway, I learned my lesson. Meaningless wins late in the year mean the world to a lot of people. They don't care about having a great pick in the blue chip range. They don't see the difference between the 6th pick and the 16th pick. Just win baby! Who cares about the draft?! Who cares about the future?!

Some fans would be happy with a win in the last game of the season even if it cost the Saints the #1 overall pick with the greatest QB prospect in history about to enter the draft. Different strokes for different strokes. I personally see improved draft position as infinitely more valuable than some random late season win in a lame duck season. But who am I? I'm just a fan. What do I know about anything? The last three times the Saints had picks inside the top 10 they came away with Johnathan Sullivan, Reggie Bush, and Sedrick Ellis. It's been a mixed bag I guess. No guarantees.

 

[Steven G]

Yep. It's going to be very difficult, if not impossible to get better than the #9 pick and probably can't get worse than the #11 pick. So the wins and loses in the next two games don't really matter much. I'd just like to see Rattler get at least some protection and have someone to throw to at WR and hope to see improvement. The best thing that could come from this terrible season is to see promise in Rattler in the next two games. If we don't, we really need to look hard at the QBs in this draft and even trade up if we think we are in range of a future franchise QB. Carr is an average QB, but regardless of how good you think he is at his age and in his contract situation, he isn't going to be our long term QB so we need to find one.

One interesting option is trying to trade for Malik Willis at Green Bay. Not sure how much Green Bay might want, but he seems to be a guy with potential.

 

[tyler735]

I certainly agree that we need a X WR with size. I also agree that the positions you identified are the places where we really need help.

At WR, the guys we have are good players but I think they are to small to take the pounding and stay consistently healthy. Just not sure the value will be there at WR in the #10 pick range since Tet will likely be gone. So hope they go BPA or trade down.

If Tetairoa is gone I still really like Tre Harris. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the best WR in this draft class when all is said and done. Possesses everything you want in a prototypical #1 WR. Reminds me a bit of Deandre Hopkins with his excellent hands and ability to win contested catches. Wild that he’s still 2nd in receiving yards in the SEC despite missing like 4-5 games. Guessing if he plays during the Ole Miss Bowl game that his hype will shoot back up.

 

[livefromDC]

I was preaching this weeks ago and getting NEG repped to death. Glad to see people finally coming around. Why am I always ahead of my time here?

Because the Saints still had a starting QB and were not eliminated from the playoffs then.

 

[tyler735]

One interesting option is trying to trade for Malik Willis at Green Bay. Not sure how much Green Bay might want, but he seems to be a guy with potential.

I was really high on Malik Willis when he was a draft prospect. During his time with Tennessee I thought I may have whiffed incredibly bad on him, but it seems he just needed to get out of a dysfunctional situation to show off his talent. Obviously how good he truly is remains to be seen on such a small sample size in Green Bay. I think this is important because I see some potential parallels between Willis and Rattler. If you asked most Tennessee fans what they thought of Willis prior to the Green Bay trade, they probably would have said he wasn't an NFL caliber QB. Long story short, I hope the Saints attempt to bring in an offensive guru for a head coach next season and build up our WR/TE/OL talent this offseason through the draft and free agency. At least get our offense in a closer position for a young QB to thrive. Whether that's Rattler or another young QB, the offense needs an injection of talent.

 

[St.Dan]

Lots of posts here in favor of the skill positions with the first pick, I see. Y'all sure about that? In other threads, I've preached the value of drafting the trenches early and often. And it's what I want to see. O-line, d-line, doesn't matter. Even as the eras in football change, one thing has remained true -- you build and win from the inside out. Depth along both lines stinks like garbage. We have none. And so the best thing to do, given the team's current situation with the cap and salaries in general, is to draft the best available guys along both lines.

 

[cajnwillie]

With the right weapons and decent OL play Carr is a top 6 or 7 QB every bit as good as Goff or Stafford or anyone else in the NFC

If other NFL GM’s believe this, we should trade Carr in the offseason for draft picks. I’d take a 3 and a conditional 5th in 2026 to shed his contract.

He’s not that dude.

 

[St. Widge]

With the right weapons and decent OL play Carr is a top 6 or 7 QB every bit as good as Goff or Stafford or anyone else in the NFC

I think Carr is more likely a 10 to 15 QB, but maybe that's good enough. But, as I said, regardless of how much you like Carr, he is going to be 34 next season and only has two years left on his contract. So we need to be thinking about and looking for the next QB. That's why I think a guy like Malik Willis, if not Malik Willis, makes sense. He's young enough to sit behind Carr for a year or two to learn more and be ready to start. And, he has running skills that would allow you to get him on the field to run the Wildcat and trick plays while he waits to be the starting QB.

Maybe the answer is Rattler. He has two games to prove he can be a starter. He has shown flashes, but he needs to show more progress.

 

[St. Widge]

If Tetairoa is gone I still really like Tre Harris. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the best WR in this draft class when all is said and done. Possesses everything you want in a prototypical #1 WR. Reminds me a bit of Deandre Hopkins with his excellent hands and ability to win contested catches. Wild that he’s still 2nd in receiving yards in the SEC despite missing like 4-5 games. Guessing if he plays during the Ole Miss Bowl game that his hype will shoot back up.

I like Harris, but I don't see him as a top 10 pick. I think he's likely going in the 2nd so we should be in a position to draft him with our high second round pick. But, things could change depending on how his combine and on campus workouts go.

 

[St. Widge]

People said the same sheet when I suggested trying to trade for Jordan Love a few years ago.

 

[St. Widge]

I learned this lesson years ago when the Saints inexplicably made a heroic comeback to beat the Bucs in the last game of the season back in '14. We were mathematically eliminated and the Bucs stood to gain the #1 overall pick with a loss. Saints are down 20-7 at halftime. Seems like a good time to pull your starters and get ready for next year. Get a better draft pick and regroup. No sense in giving a division opponent the #1 pick, risk injury to Drew and co., and hurt your draft position right? Wrong. Saints mount a comeback for the ages and win a nail biter 23-20.

So after the game I was like, what was that all about? That wasn't ideal because it cost us draft spots and gave them #1 overall. People came at me like spider monkeys on speed. They came at me like I had said the most controversial thing ever. Like I had uttered blasphemy. Something like Archie being vastly overrated. Anyway, I learned my lesson. Meaningless wins late in the year mean the world to a lot of people. They don't care about having a great pick in the blue chip range. They don't see the difference between the 6th pick and the 16th pick. Just win baby! Who cares about the draft?! Who cares about the future?!

Some fans would be happy with a win in the last game of the season even if it cost the Saints the #1 overall pick with the greatest QB prospect in history about to enter the draft. Different strokes for different strokes. I personally see improved draft position as infinitely more valuable than some random late season win in a lame duck season. But who am I? I'm just a fan. What do I know about anything? The last three times the Saints had picks inside the top 10 they came away with Johnathan Sullivan, Reggie Bush, and Sedrick Ellis. It's been a mixed bag I guess. No guarantees.

I mean that's all fine and good, but we as fans can't stop players from trying to win and elite athletes are never going to go out there trying to lose. In addition, this is not a draft with a large amount of star power. The guy that might go first, Sanders, would likely have been the 6th or 7th rated QB last year. And since we are almost certainly going to pick between 9 and 11 in this draft, which doesn't have any real stars outside of maybe Travis Hunter at CB, 2 or 3 picks difference isn't much different. Especially compared to when this team was still not eliminated from playoff contention as was the case a few weeks ago.

Personally, I can't pull for them to lose, but I won't be unhappy if they do lose since I guess there is some chance they could move up on spot in the draft.

 

[Saint KayBee]

I learned this lesson years ago when the Saints inexplicably made a heroic comeback to beat the Bucs in the last game of the season back in '14. We were mathematically eliminated and the Bucs stood to gain the #1 overall pick with a loss. Saints are down 20-7 at halftime. Seems like a good time to pull your starters and get ready for next year. Get a better draft pick and regroup. No sense in giving a division opponent the #1 pick, risk injury to Drew and co., and hurt your draft position right? Wrong. Saints mount a comeback for the ages and win a nail biter 23-20.

Counterpoint:

1-7. Kevin White
1-8. Vic Beasley
1-9. Ereck Flowers
1-10. Todd Gurley
1-11. Trae Waynes
1-12. Danny Shelton

Zero second contracts with the team that drafted them. A 6-10 Saints team would have drafted between 8-11.

1-13. Andrus Peat

Nine-year starter with the team that drafted him. Three-time Pro Bowler.

I thought this would have been the draft to end any “this team should lose for better position!” talk, but then I remember that a chunk of the fan base didn’t like or appreciate Andrus Peat either, so.

 

[St. Geezy]

Of course this happens in the year we are finally truly terrible enough to get a really high pick.