Article Training Camp: Paulson Adebo Looks Ready to Hunt (and Other Week 1 Takeaways) (1 Viewer)

[TCUDan]

Credit: Jason Behnken - Associated Press

By Dan Levy - Staff Writer - Saintsreport.com

With a full week of Saints training camp in the books, including two padded practices, a detailed picture of the 2022 Who Dat squad is beginning to develop. It is one that is rich in both frontline talent and depth, where identifying an actual team weakness is proving difficult, even for the harshest critics.

Here are my main takeaways from the first six practices.

Camp Stud: Pauslon Adebo

Less of an opinion and more of a commonly accepted fact at this point, Adebo appears to have taken a true leap forward in terms of both confidence and technique. Going into his second year, the scrappy cornerback might just have a Pro Bowl season in his crosshairs. A bonafide starter as a rookie, Adebo now looks to be an absolute man-coverage nightmare, establishing himself as a physical presence at the line and a sticky defender down the field. With the long arms and intuitive timing to break up just about any pass, regardless of ball placement, the possibility of having both Adebo and Lattimore as two true number 1 CBs out on the perimeter is the stuff championship dreams are made of.

Combined with the strong play of another legitimate starter in Bradley Roby and a fast-developing rookie in Alontae Taylor, the Saints CB crew is stocked with an embarrassment of talented depth rivaled only, perhaps, by the WR corp.

Which makes it all the more impressive that Adebo is still standing out, head-and-shoulders above the competition.


Critical (Depth) Addition: Andy Dalton

TCU bias aside, it’s comforting to see Andy Dalton out there taking second-team reps, especially after last season, and had he been in the same role with the black-and-gold then, the Saints probably would have made the playoffs. He is an intelligent, mature QB with great arm talent, and is still very much a legitimate starter in the league. If anything were to happen to Jameis Winston, the Saints’ offense would not see much dropoff with Dalton taking the reins.

Honorable Mention: Justin Evans

After missing the last two seasons with injury, Evans looks to be back to form, showing the range, physicality, and ball skills that made him a second round pick and high-performance starter on the Tampa Bay defense. I was excited when the Saints signed him, as he seemed like a low-risk/high-reward addition, and early performance indicators definitely have him trending toward the latter. While his biggest moment of Tuesday’s practice was trailing in the dust of Deonte Harty on a long TD from Winston, given his coverage technique on the play (looked to be 3-match) and the way Harty skinnied out his post, I’d say that one was on FS P.J. Williams.

Need to See More of: Taysom Hill

While there are a few players missing in action whom I would like to see more of—Juwan Johnson, who is sidelined with an injury, and Tyrann Mathieu, who is excused for personal reasons—the player who I really need to see is Taysom Hill (currently out with a rib injury).

It’s not that I don’t know what Hill can do. I’m a big fan of his and have been adamant that his role, on the field, will not be very different from what we’ve seen in previous seasons (contrary to what all the punditry and overreaction might suggest). We have already seen him working in that F-back/sniffer role, flexed out, taking QB snaps in the 11-man run game, and having a prominent presence on special teams. None of that will change.

But with the biggest differences being that Hill will no longer be a regular participant in the QB meeting room and will be on the receiving end—rather than the passing end—of reps during individual and unit periods, I am eager to see if: 1) his role will be expanded in those areas; 2) his skills as a downfield receiver have grown.

While Hill is a great all-around football player and weapon, he has been targeted almost exclusively on flat routes and short/intermediate routes inside. The reason for this is that Hill is not a natural receiver. While he is certainly not lacking in size or speed, I have yet to see the smooth, effortless extension and catch radius that would solidify him as a threatening presence down the seam. His hands are certainly not bad, and he typically catches everything that hits them, but rarely do we see him extend away from his body and pluck in a ball that is outside of his frame. And when he has, even on completed passes, the effort hardly looks fluid.

To put it more concisely: thus far, Taysom Hill has looked more like a skilled fullback than a natural tight end.

Which, to be clear, is fine. Even in that limited role, he still brings a dangerous dimension to the offense as someone who can get the ball quickly on a waggle or screen, then effectively turn it up the field and break a ton of tackles. Given his size and speed, he is still an absolute nightmare for a defense.

But if Hill cannot develop as that downfield threat, who can go up over defenders and adjust to balls thrown away from them (rather than just outmuscling them for the catch), the Saints will have to find someone else who can work the deep middle of the field against safeties and linebackers. Juwan Johnson seems like a candidate, but I still have hope for Trautman.

Everyone is Sleeping on: Tre’Quan Smith

Unpopular opinion? Maybe. Smith seems to have already been written off as the odd man out in the WR competition—especially among fans. Yet he is performing consistently in camp and, when healthy, has proven himself to be a legitimate 3rd or 4th WR during previous seasons. I’m not saying that he’s teeing up for an all-pro performance, but Smith is undeniably physical at the catch point, a strong runner with the ball in his hands, and someone who brings added value as a blocker. He is also the only receiver I have seen, thus far, to win a contested catch against camp MVP Paulson Adebo.

And not only did Smith secure the catch, but he made it look easy.

So I wouldn’t sleep on Tre’Quan Smith. He may not be the craftiest route runner or the most durable player on the roster, but he is certainly not on the bubble. The only way I don’t see him starting and finishing this season on the Saints’ 53-man roster is if he suffers a significant injury or the team is approached by an eager trade partner.

Bold Prediction: Trevor Penning Wins the Starting LT Job

This prediction may not sound bold to some, but going into camp, I found the balance to be tipped heavily in James Hurst’s favor, insofar as him starting the season as the Saints’ primary LT. And while I still believe Hurst is the favorite, said scales are definitely leveling off.

With two padded practices in the books, I must say that Penning is much further along than I expected, given what I had seen of his college and Senior Bowl tape. No, we haven’t seen him shut down the likes of Cam Jordan or Marcus Davenport, but he has held his own in pass protection against NFL-caliber rushers—an area where he struggled mightily during the Senior Bowl.

What’s more is Penning’s attitude. You can see in the way that he carries himself on the field and in interviews—not to mention the way he finishes his reps—that Penning is unintimidated. While the shoves and punches that his nasty play tends to draw from his defensive teammates may spark panic in some fans, as a coach this is exactly what I want to see.

If your offensive and defensive linemen aren’t fighting in camp, then something is wrong.

But most telling, in my mind, is Penning’s awareness of his weaknesses. I cannot count how many times I’ve seen him (like most young players) questioned by reporters on which areas he needs to improve. While there are certainly a number of answers that could be given, Penning’s is always consistent and specific.

Hands.

My biggest criticism of Penning coming out of college was that he was low and slow with his punch in pass protection. While he could get away at Northern Iowa, allowing NFL pass rushers to get their hands on him first and inside would get him beat like a drum. And even with Penning being a historically talented prospect at his position with all the right intangibles, he undoubtedly had a huge mountain to climb.

I am honestly shocked by how far along he is, compared to what I saw of him coming out of college. Credit this to Penning’s introspective awareness and narrow focus (not to mention the coaching of Marone & Strief, as well as the mentorship of Ryan Ramczyk, who is an absolute magician with his hands). By not spreading himself too thin and trying to fix everything all at once, Penning is steadily improving and gaining ground on becoming a day-one NFL starter. Again, he is not there yet, and Hurst is a solid veteran who isn’t going to make it easy for the rookie.

That said, if you’d have told me even a week ago that Trevor Penning had a 50/50 chance of being the Saints day-one starter, I’d have given you some mild side-eye. But now?

I’d say his odds are firmly even.