When I look back at that 2020 Daft that we picked Cesar Ruiz over Jalen hurts what was they thinking (3 Viewers)

[RJ in Lafayette]

Forget about Hurts for a moment and just focus on the Ruiz selection. I was not a good one. Why made? It was a need pick, which is what we have been doing for years. And the results show.

 

[Plow]

That as it turns out was a very bad daft for us.

And who the Saints could have had instead of Penning...

 

[SweetT]

But the point is that it's easy to criticize draft picks in hindsight, and even easier to say "we should've picked [insert player]". I recall scratching my head at the Ruiz pick, but what I don't recall is a bunch of SR posters screaming for Jalen Hurts.

The point I’m making is, why draft a Center for a 2nd year in a row? At that time, we needed another WR, Murray was on his last year with us so we could’ve used a RB, and CB was a need. Let’s just forget who was left on the board. Why create a plan, to draft a player, only to take an existing player who was BALLING, and want to move that player to a different position? The draft is already a gamble, so why double down and add another element of gambling to the equation? Makes no sense to me. Especially when it’s a Covid year and the possibility of Minicamps/Training Camps will all be different than years prior? There were so many variables going on that year, so why not go with a player that was already more NFL ready? If you draft a rookie (McCoy) who was protecting your franchise QB, doing a great job, why move that guy? Why take the risks? Make it make sense???

 

[Mamba]

Then draft a guard

The point I’m making is, why draft a Center for a 2nd year in a row? At that time, we needed another WR, Murray was on his last year with us so we could’ve used a RB, and CB was a need. Let’s just forget who was left on the board. Why create a plan, to draft a player, only to take an existing player who was BALLING, and want to move that player to a different position? The draft is already a gamble, so why double down and add another element of gambling to the equation? Makes no sense to me. Especially when it’s a Covid year and the possibility of Minicamps/Training Camps will all be different than years prior? There were so many variables going on that year, so why not go with a player that was already more NFL ready? If you draft a rookie (McCoy) who was protecting your franchise QB, doing a great job, why move that guy? Why take the risks? Make it make sense???

With that philosophy, neither Carl Nicks or LeCharles Bentley (both All-Pro caliber Guards who played other positions in college) would’ve been on this team.

And if Ruiz had become a player of that caliber, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Today, I don't see anyone here arguing that Ruiz should've been the pick, in retrospect. And I already mentioned I didn't care for the pick at the time (although I'll readily admit I get it wrong most of the time).

But the point, one more time, is that the draft inherently involves risk & projection. And no one is batting 1.000. Or even .300. Only armchair message board GMs looking back in retrospect are batting 1.000. The truth is if the Saints had picked Jalen Hurts instead of Caesar Ruiz this board would've had a freaking meltdown.

 

[platinumvinnyv]

The point I’m making is, why draft a Center for a 2nd year in a row? At that time, we needed another WR, Murray was on his last year with us so we could’ve used a RB, and CB was a need. Let’s just forget who was left on the board. Why create a plan, to draft a player, only to take an existing player who was BALLING, and want to move that player to a different position? The draft is already a gamble, so why double down and add another element of gambling to the equation? Makes no sense to me. Especially when it’s a Covid year and the possibility of Minicamps/Training Camps will all be different than years prior? There were so many variables going on that year, so why not go with a player that was already more NFL ready?

Because it was the draft best (highest grade) player available philosophy. I think Saints had a high grade on Ruiz but due to him being a center he wasnt drafted high by other teams. I remember there was a group of people who believed best player available was best because you never reached and when its time for a contract you would have a good player ready to go. I agree Center position was baffling, I still think Ruiz should be playing center BUT We took the same approach with Alvin Kamara, we had Mark Ingram and signed Adrian (AD) Peterson. Also I think it has to with the Parcells influence on Sean Payton. I dont remember exactly where I saw it but Something like Parcells Told Payton if someone has like freakish size and athleticism draft those players because they are rare. I definitely messing up the quote but If you notice we always Draft Big Athletic guys, Davenport, Peat, Ruiz, Turner, Rankins, Ellis best happen to Be Cam Jordan by far.

 

[faceman]

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

It didn’t have to be Hurts, but not taking a 1-2 round QB in the last four to five years is inexcusable.

This I will agree with. History shows if you need a Qb you better spend a high pick on
one. Finding a Joe Montana in Rd 3,or a Tom Brady in Rd 6 are very rare cases.

 

[SweetT]

Because it was the draft best (highest grade) player available philosophy. I think Saints had a high grade on Ruiz but due to him being a center he wasnt drafted high by other teams. I remember there was a group of people who believed best player available was best because you never reached and when its time for a contract you would have a good player ready to go. I agree Center position was baffling, I still think Ruiz should be playing center BUT We took the same approach with Alvin Kamara, we had Mark Ingram and signed Adrian (AD) Peterson. Also I think it has to with the Parcells influence on Sean Payton. I dont remember exactly where I saw it but Something like Parcells Told Payton if someone has like freakish size and athleticism draft those players because they are rare. I definitely messing up the quote but If you notice we always Draft Big Athletic guys, Davenport, Peat, Ruiz, Turner, Rankins, Ellis best happen to Be Cam Jordan by far.

See, I don’t believe that whole “they had the highest grade” on Ruiz nonsense. I think that is some asinine jargon that is said on here and people run with it. I believe that we were in need of a Guard, we didn’t feel like there were any worthy of a 1st rd pick, so we assumed that we could move one player to another position. Which is what SP said. One of the few times I did believe what he said. So we essentially drafted for a need, not bc he was rated higher than other positions, but rated the highest at the Oline position. Although, like I said, that’s doubling down on the gambling aspect. I can’t sit here and believe that Ruiz was rated higher than Johnathan freaking Taylor, who was the best player in college football, while having all of those freakish attributes you mentioned, or Tee Higgins. Dude was a monster at Clemson. We were a team that was desperate for offensive weapons, yet we took Ruiz.

 

[blotch1]

What makes you think Hurts would be the player he is now if he was playing under the Saints coaching staff?

Was there an option of drafting a future HC and OC in that draft?

 

[SAINTSFAN]

With that philosophy, neither Carl Nicks or LeCharles Bentley (both All-Pro caliber Guards who played other positions in college) would’ve been on this team.

In all fairness, neither were 1st rounders.

 

[SaintswonSBXLIV]

Our refusal to draft a QB high for four straight years of needing a QB is a major failure. No excuse.

Yes, because so many hit and so many thought Hurts would be a top tier QB.

 

[Mamba]

In all fairness, neither were 1st rounders.

Sure. But I'm not sure it's that significant to my point. Consider that the switch from C to G is not really a major adjustment in regards to skill or scheme. Of course, the opposite (switching from G to C) would be a major adjustment.

But generally speaking, if a Center is switching to Guard the primary concern would be the preference for more size at Guard (and Centers tend to be a bit smaller). But Ruiz has the prototypical size/frame to play either position.

 

[robsmith32]

colston would have been a first round pick if they redrafted....
noone had him as good as he was.
32 teams missed Tom Brady guy for 5 rounds, 1 ouf of 32 took a chance at the end, thinking maybe backup.
Brock purdy has won how many? last pick in draft. and they shipped out the player they invested heavily moving up.
like mora once said, people think they know, but they don't and they never will.

 

[Paul]

This is more of a question than a statement, or maybe not.
Is it possible that the organization thought that they might ruffle our future HOF QB’s feathers by drafting a serious prospect at QB? I’m not saying that Drew would have taken it that way, but who knows? Come on, Sean Canfield (2010), Garrett Grayson (2015), Tommy Stevens (2020), and Ian Book (2021) were all drafted by the Saints during Drew’s tenure. Even if you want to exclude Canfield because Drew was still in his prime during that time, 2015 was the time to start seriously planning for a replacement. It wasn’t the time for fantasizing that Drew would play another 10 years, and it wasn’t the time to spare anyone’s feelings. It was a time to have frank discussions and plan for a shot at future success at the QB spot post-Brees. Imagine a highly skilled college QB with proven NCAA success learning from Brees and Payton during Drew’s final handful of years. It was at least worth a try.
You need strong leadership and thick skin to operate like this. I’m done.

 

[sainthood]

Hurts was pick 53. Ruiz was pick 24. That means 29 picks or almost the entirely league passed on Hurts between that period of the 2020 draft. The two players likely in the Saints bullpen at 24 went at 22 and 23 in Justin Jefferson WR and Kenneth Murray LB. Murray was highly talked about and we went with Baun in round 3. If we had our 2nd rounder it would have been 56 overall and 3 picks too late too. (Miami had our second rounder.)

If anything you can fault the Saints for not being who they are: a team that moves up in the draft to go after their guy and trying to get Justin Jefferson. That is a much more realistic complaint when you draft a college center to play guard when you already have a solid center in Erik McCoy. Maybe that trade didn't happen because we didn't have a 2nd rounder to play with after we traded that pick to move up and take Erik MCoy in the second round of the 2019 draft moving from 62 to 48.

 

[RaginCajun83]

Let’s deep dive since we playing second guessing how about when the Saints passed on Joe Montana 3 times

And didn’t they pass on Eddie George for Molden as a favor to Mora Jr or is that urban legend