Very disappointed in Saints draft so far (1 Viewer)

It has been years since I found a draft as disappointing as this one. At the moment, even the UFA list seems underwhelming. I waited months for this. The reasons:
1. Drafting 28
2. Drafting 28
3. Nobody (or very few) really falling
4. Having to fill needs on defense in a year when defense was very weak. We picked a bad year to have a needs-driven draft.
 
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Did we pick anyone we expect to start opening weekend?

Did we pick anyone we believe will be starting in week 17?

Did we draft anyone we believe will be seeing substantial playing time this season?

Did we pick anyone who 12 months from today we believe will be a foundation player going forward?
Maybe.

Maybe.

Maybe.

Maybe.

This may be the Saints best draft in history.

This may be the Saints worst draft in history.

This may be the Saints most mediocre draft in history.

At least the picks seem to be great guys, based on the interviews I have seen.

But come on, y'all - we simply don't know how good of a draft this was.

There was not one pick of ours that had an available player who was a no-doubt-about-it pick. A definite no-brainer.

Am I wrong about that?

As is the case every off-season, I am excited about the upcoming year. I have confidence in our team's front office. Of course our decision-makers blow it now and then. In the draft. On the field.

But again, I trust them.

Let's hope every one of this weeks draft picks become starters - day 1.
And shock the entire NFL world with their stellar play in their rookie seasons.

But I will settle for something a little less histrionic than that dream.

I get it - it's fun to post on saintsreport.com.
I love it.
Knocking other people's opinions is part of the fun.
I wanted to post my 2-cents worth.

Heres to a great 2021 New Orleans Saints football season.
There are a lot of question marks heading into week 1.
I pray the injuries this season are minimal and minor - for the Saints and every other NFL team.

Geaux Saints !!!
 
It has been years since I found a draft as disappointing as this one. At the moment, even the UFA list seems underwhelming. I waited months for this. The reasons:
1. Drafting 28
2. Drafting 28
3. Nobody (or very few) really falling
4. Having to fill needs on defense in a year when defense was very weak. We picked a bad year to have a needs-driven draft.
Nobody cares bro
 
We definitively did not make the "splashiest" picks. But when I read through the write ups for all these guys, I keep seeing phrases like "big heart" and "love of the game." Those are the guys I want on my squad. I think a lot of these boys will become fan favorites, and with NFL level coaching, help us get back to the promised land. Excited to see what these new Whodats will do!
 
He had the 4th pick in the draft. Pretty hard to screw that up. Are you saying we should have traded three future 1st rounders to move up?
I believe that we probably had opportunities but were too conservative.
You look at trades in areas that players at positions of need, with what should have been BPA, what was given up was reasonable.
Not first or second rounds. Those are more treasured by teams.
I don't have examples but as the draft was going on I just felt that way. Trading the 2 third round picks should have been split , like our third and a seventh, or next years 5th. As an example.
 
Here is what I know:
1. Sean Payton and Jeff Ireland know more than I'll ever know about what their team needs and picking players.
2. Teams spend millions of dollars analyzing first round draft picks and more times than not the player doesn't turn out as to what they expect and many become a bust. It's somewhat of a crapshoot.
3. 2nd-7th round picks and UDFA's make teams every year and go on to have long careers. Sometimes you just can't measure a guys heart and how much that drives him to prove people wrong.
4. You really can't analyze a draft until 2-3 years later.
 
He had the 4th pick in the draft. Pretty hard to screw that up. Are you saying we should have traded three future 1st rounders to move up?
Not at all. The network was reporting all afternoon that we were looking to move into the top 10. I was not for it. I said earlier this month that we should look at positions 18-22 for trading. Those might be reasonable. Turned out no. Second round was the same. Teams always value rounds 1 and 2 more than other rounds.
 

Did we pick anyone we expect to start opening weekend?

Did we pick anyone we believe will be starting in week 17?

Did we draft anyone we believe will be seeing substantial playing time this season?

Did we pick anyone who 12 months from today we believe will be a foundation player going forward?

This team is going to be highly dependant on rookies and UDFAs no different than the last roster purge, this team has cap restrictions and need to fill holes with draft picks and UDFAs as it builds back up through this and future drafts
 
I agree. I like Werner and Adebo, absolutely hate the Book pick, mixed feelings on Turner. But overall it seems like a somewhat passive draft, choosing dependable players and being stolen favourites over and over again. Feels like we left a whole round of value on the table, choosing players that were projected in later spots.

A QB in the fourth round, I don’t know what they were thinking. In the last 15 years, only Dak was a good QB among ones picked at #100+

AND, WAITING FOR A WR FOR THE FOURTHish YEAR IN A ROW drives me mad.
 
The good news is that we did not trade away any future picks. This is a serious comment.

As an organization, we have embraced for years a future-is-now approach because of Brees. The window has now officially closed--and not just because of a change at quarterback (which may work out), but largely because of our free-agency losses and salary-cap challenges.

This team from top to bottom will be less talented than any Saints team since 2016. We will be taking--and need to take--a step back before we can move forward. Our drafts in 2016 and 2017 were a booster shot that pushed the team to a different level that put us in the position to win a championship from 2017 through 2020. Our four drafts since 2018 have not had, and will not have, nearly the same impact because of low draft position and the Davenport trade.

We still have a talented team, but the 2020 draft will not materially increase our chances of winning in 2021, and I believe--and I suspect most outside our region believe--we are no longer on the league's top tier.

The 2021 off-season has been the beginning of a painful adjustment. I have faith that the organization can do what is necessary for the Saints to compete again for a championship. But 2021 may remind us of New England's 2020 season. Remaking this roster will take at least two years and may take two high-impact drafts like our 2016 draft.
 
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The good news is that we did not trade away any future picks. This is a serious comment.

As an organization, we have embraced for years a future-is-now approach because of Brees. The window has now officially closed--and not just because of a change at quarterback (which may work out), but largely because of our free-agency losses and salary-cap challenges.

This team from top to bottom will be less talented than any Saints team since 2016. We will be taking--and need to take--a step back before we can move forward. Our drafts in 2016 and 2017 were a booster shot that pushed the team to a different level that put us in the position to win a championship from 2017 through 2020. Our four drafts since 2018 have not had, and will not have, nearly the same impact because of low draft position and the Davenport trade.

We still have a talented team, but the 2020 draft will not materially increase our chances of winning in 2021, and I believe--and I suspect most outside our region believe--we are no longer on the league's top tier.

The 2021 off-season has been the beginning of a painful adjustment. I have faith that the organization can do what is necessary for the Saints to compete again for a championship. But 2021 may remind us of New England's 2020 season. Remaking this roster will take at least two years and may take two high-impact drafts like our 2016 draft.

People think we are trying to win a super bowl and that door has closed we are now building this team back to a superbowl contender and the QB position is a position group that needs and injection of youth and potential no different than any position that loses a franchise player and has to aquire talent to insure the position is a position of strength.

Book looks like a Brees clone, Turner is a Davenport, Jordan, Granderson clone l, Werner looks like Shanle clone so to not be impressed or understand why said players were selected boggles my mind because we all have watched a system that works with players who have a "skillset" so these aren't shots in the dark even if you question the picks you can't deny the familiarity these picks exemplify.
 
Not a lot of fans liked the drafting of Will Smith when Charles Grant and Darren Howard were the starting DEs (he was a key cog in the super bowl winning team).

Cameron Jordan looks on the decline, and even if last season was an aberration is up there in age. Further Davenport will go in 2 years time if doesn’t up his production.

We have lost playoff games due to lack of pass rush and Henderson and Rankins left. You can never have enough pass rushers - as the Giants showed with Strahan, Umenyiora and Tuck.

The Saints said Turner was by far the highest graded player when they picked (at a premium position). They tried to trade up for a CB - I for one am glad they didn’t succeed given how cost prohibitive it would have been (next years 1st, plus more) and are not in the Brees all in SB window
 
Needless to say, with all the talk and hype that has gone into this year's draft I am left unimpressed with what the Saints have done so far. In my opinion there were so many other solid players the Saints could have went with the 28th pick in the fisrst round. And they go Peyton Turner??? The guy's tape is impressive but he seems like a carbon copy on Marcus Davenport. At least they didn't trade up to get him and I hope Turner works out but I have my doubts. Then the 2nd pick...Pete Werner...I'm not saying it was an awful pick but I would've went in another direction. The 3rd pick is actually one I do like out of them all..Paulson Adebo...I think he can prove to be a strong player when it's all said and done. Ian Book??? that's a meh pick for me...why go QB there when you have more pressing needs at WR? We always say in Loomis we trust but so far I may need to be reminded of that more often.
Payton, Loomis, and Ireland start scouting these players years before it’s time to draft them. At least they are aware of them and they’re athletic progress in college. They go to the pro day or combine, they test these guys, they interview them repeatedly, they dig thru there past, there medical history’s, these young men are potential multi million dollar assets. My point is that the Saints know so much more about these athletes than the average fan. Payton Turner (you tube tape) looks a lot further along at this point than Marcus was when drafted. MD was just so raw. Turner has some established rush moves. He’s got power in his bull rush, he has great hand work. He slaps OT’s hands and swims to the QB. Also he doesn’t get stuck to blocks very often. Turners speed is impressive also. That play where he gets faked on a WR (or TE) screen pass. Turner was at least 5 yards behind the play and still chased the WR down. That one change of direction play shows you his serious athleticism. I’m happy with the pick.
 
I thought the draft week would be fun. Instead, it’s a lot of whining from down in the mouth fans who either can’t believe the Drew era is over or think they know the future of every draft pick, based on shuttle times.

I can’t take this garbage. I won’t be back here until the regular season starts, if then.

Sports is just entertainment, that’s all. You’d swear we were debating Covid public policy.

See you down the road.
 

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