With the 9th Pick in the 2025 draft, who should the Saints select? (merged) (7 Viewers)

[Belfast Saint]

That's my feeling as well. I'd also like to upgrade both OG positions. What do you think about making Ruiz a back up OC since McCoy has had trouble staying healthy lately?

Competition determines who starts and who backs up. Ruiz should compete for the job he's currently in (hopefully with others capable of starting) and if he loses out in that primary competition, then yes, he should back up and cover LG, C, and RG.

 

[St. Geezy]

Competition determines who starts and who backs up. Ruiz should compete for the job he's currently in (hopefully with others capable of starting) and if he loses out in that primary competition, then yes, he should back up and cover LG, C, and RG.

We can want and want and want something to happen, but a lot of times the real cash impact plays a role in these decisions.

If he is on the roster, this contract isn’t sitting on the bench.

Saints announce 4-year extension for OL Ruiz

The Saints have signed guard Cesar Ruiz to a four-year extension. The deal is worth up to $46 million, including $30 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

www.espn.com

Four of our five OL starters are penciled in for next season. We need to just hope for health and improvement from the group (which is young) with the next coaching staff and system, and with hopefully a stud upgrade at LG.

 

[Hank]

If Jeanty is there you have to take him. AK is getting up in age, Kendre has issues staying healthy and Clyde is a good 3rd option. Jeanty would be the perfect pairing with AK and can take the reigns over when AK is gone like AK did with Ingram

Soon to be 30 yr old RB in AK with multiple 2024 injuries, K Miller very few games played and often injured, and a guy you just signed off the street in Clyde----Saints Rb is no where near settled---Take Jeanty @ 9 if available.

 

[MikeyF]

We can want and want and want something to happen, but a lot of times the real cash impact plays a role in these decisions.

If he is on the roster, this contract isn’t sitting on the bench.

Saints announce 4-year extension for OL Ruiz

The Saints have signed guard Cesar Ruiz to a four-year extension. The deal is worth up to $46 million, including $30 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

www.espn.com

Four of our five OL starters are penciled in for next season. We need to just hope for health and improvement from the group (which is young) with the next coaching staff and system, and with hopefully a stud upgrade at LG.

We need a backup C that can come in & actually play if McCoy has another injury prone year.

All of our offensive problems began when he went our with his injury.
Our won - lost record is terrible without him...

 

[3ParStillDriver]

Soon to be 30 yr old RB in AK with multiple 2024 injuries, K Miller very few games played and often injured, and a guy you just signed off the street in Clyde----Saints Rb is no where near settled---Take Jeanty @ 9 if available.

Add in that you don't draft for the upcoming season, you draft for a couple of years from now. In a couple of years AK is 32, Miller, given his injury history may not even be on the roster, and Clyde (who I really, really like) has too much history of inconsistency and PTSD causing him to miss time it immediately becomes absolutely silly entertaining the idea of passing up generational talent at a skilled position of need that lands in your lap.

 

[St. Geezy]

We need a backup C that can come in & actually play if McCoy has another injury prone year.

All of our offensive problems began when he went our with his injury.
Our won - lost record is terrible without him...

Agreed. It’s unorthodox, but we should prioritize having a legitimate backup center this off-season rather than relying on shifting someone, especially if it involves compromising TWO line positions because of one injury.

 

[Belfast Saint]

We can want and want and want something to happen, but a lot of times the real cash impact plays a role in these decisions.

If he is on the roster, this contract isn’t sitting on the bench.

Saints announce 4-year extension for OL Ruiz

The Saints have signed guard Cesar Ruiz to a four-year extension. The deal is worth up to $46 million, including $30 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

www.espn.com

Four of our five OL starters are penciled in for next season. We need to just hope for health and improvement from the group (which is young) with the next coaching staff and system, and with hopefully a stud upgrade at LG.

Understood, but if you start a worse player because he makes more, the team is doomed.

Competition for starting positions should determine who is on the field and who is on the bench.

 

[St. Geezy]

Understood, but if you start a worse player because he makes more, the team is doomed.

Competition for starting positions should determine who is on the field and who is on the bench.

Definitely agree on that. The issue is that what happens is that the team won’t go out of its way to find a better player to trump a player whose salary is that high.

Now, if they happen to stumble upon a cheap free agent that suddenly has a light bulb come on and gets great, or get lucky and strike gold on an immediate Pro Bowl level rookie guard out of Bloomsberg College that you got in the middle of the draft, that’s a different story.

 

[Rouxble]

Definitely agree on that. The issue is that what happens is that the team won’t go out of its way to find a better player to trump a player whose salary is that high.

Now, if they happen to stumble upon a cheap free agent that suddenly has a light bulb come on and gets great, or get lucky and strike gold on an immediate Pro Bowl level rookie guard out of Bloomsberg College that you got in the middle of the draft, that’s a different story.

That's exactly it, the team isn't likely to seek out real competition when they are already paying someone at that position. You might get a late-round rookie or some vet minimum journeyman, but the team isn't investing serious resources into finding someone who can put a high-paid player on the bench.

The result is predictable, any competitions that do take place in camp are likely going to be won by the entrenched veteran, because they'll win any ties and the talent level/developmental level of their replacements isn't likely to be good enough to even achieve a tie.

 

[Belfast Saint]

Definitely agree on that. The issue is that what happens is that the team won’t go out of its way to find a better player to trump a player whose salary is that high.

Now, if they happen to stumble upon a cheap free agent that suddenly has a light bulb come on and gets great, or get lucky and strike gold on an immediate Pro Bowl level rookie guard out of Bloomsberg College that you got in the middle of the draft, that’s a different story.

Agreed. That's the very likely outcome - 'we already spent the resources on our now RG, can't spend anymore $$$ or draft capital to replace - unless we find lightning in a bottle'.

Either way, whether we find lightning in a bottle or do spend limited $$$ or draft capital on RG, Ruiz would only ever become backup center (and LG/RG) if he gets out-performed. I suppose it's theoretically possible that we bring in a bona fide top 3 RG who can only ever play RG (not happening) but then would probably push Ruiz to compete at LG with whomever.

 

[Snakehead]

Some of Ruiz's weaknesses are listed in his draft profile below. A few takeaways, he was small 6'3" 307lbs, now PFR has him at 6'4"314lbs, that's still on the smaller side. It also stated that he had/has a high ceiling, but his floor is low. He could benefit of being a backup while he develops. He needed to get stronger. He needed to develop more. Fast forward 5 seasons and he was thrust into starting while at a position change with no real offseason before his rookie season putting him behind the development curve. Some of that lack of strength/size and development shows up on Sundays while some of this athleticism also shows up. It looks like he's still incomplete and not fully developed which make sense, he's still only 25 y/o and not even in his prime for a offensive lineman in the NFL. Maybe another offseason of development with our legit OL coaching staff could work wonders for him as he starts to enter his prime years. He won't get taller, but he can get stronger and refine his technique.

I still think we draft a LG and another interior offensive lineman to develop as depth. If we strike gold, that player could be as y'all are discussing the RG allowing Ruiz to be that interior O-line position versatile depth player.

Cesar Ruiz NFL Draft 2020: Scouting Report for New Orleans Saints' Pick

C Cesar Ruiz , Michigan STRENGTHS —Two-year starter at center who has experience at guard and brings both positional and schematic versatility. —Excellent quickness from snap to block; quick to make contact with defenders...

bleacherreport.com

 

[Clintonrebel]

The combine is six weeks away, free agency starts in March, we have several pro bowl caliber players that may or may not recover from injury and we have no coach. Kind of hard for me to get too worked up about who we draft. A lot will change between now and April 24.

 

[Belfast Saint]

I think Ruiz's play will be largely dictated by what's around him. He's not a guy, to my mind, who plays to a defined, good standard regardless of what's around him - an anchor essentially. His performance varies with how the guys next to him are performing. The only true anchor we have on this OL is McCoy. Jury is out on Fuaga going forward and Penning still has a mountain to climb to being a bona fide anchor providing consistent, good to high level OL play regardless of who's next to him or across the LoS from him. I don't even know who our LG will be.

 

[Snakehead]

I think Ruiz's play will be largely dictated by what's around him. He's not a guy, to my mind, who plays to a defined, good standard regardless of what's around him - an anchor essentially. His performance varies with how the guys next to him are performing. The only true anchor we have on this OL is McCoy. Jury is out on Fuaga going forward and Penning still has a mountain to climb to being a bona fide anchor providing consistent, good to high level OL play regardless of who's next to him or across the LoS from him. I don't even know who our LG will be.

That tells me we need to draft an anchor and develop one. Draft a stud LT and move Fuaga to RG be the anchor on the right side. Draft one of these stud LGs and between that LG and the stud LT, that would anchor the left side. Ruiz becomes IOL depth who if put in either side would be surrounded by anchors elevating his play.

Another option is draft a stud LT and move Fuaga to LG to be the anchor. Then draft another RT later in the draft (guy out of Wisconsin) to push Penning to RG and Ruiz to IOL depth.

Essentially, whichever LT is drafted is an anchor and wherever Fuaga moves, he becomes one as well. A more technically sound RT could be an anchor allowing Penning to be a mauler.

Maybe one of these LG/RG draft prospects can come in an be an achor at LG or RG from the start.

Obviously, I am just spitballing, but to limit the amount of draft capital to 2 OL in this draft, the above scenarios might be how to do it.

 

[WhoDat?DrewDat]

Please elaborate on this and provide evidence. Please and Thank you.

His physical talents are sub par. Less than average NFL arm. Played in a system designed specifically for him and has two of the best recievers in CFB to throw to.

As someone living in Boulder, CO and friends with many of the faculty at Colorado I can confirm he is extremely disliked amongst the staff. Incredibly immature rude, and entitled as they come.

Travis Hunter however is the exact opposite. Great kid that everyone loves. Incredible humble and respectful to the faculty.