Danno

He might not have solely picked the groceries, but Rob Ryan believes he has the ingredients for a good defense

After the Saints walked away from the draft with six defensive players, a talking point emerged that defensive coordinator Rob Ryan handpicked the groceries for the upcoming season.

This isn’t true -- at least not entirely. While New Orleans certainly made an effort to acquire players who fit his scheme and a certain profile, Ryan wasn’t any more involved with the selection of these players than a coordinator would have been in any other season.

“With (coach) Sean (Payton) and (general manager) Mickey (Loomis) being here, and (assistant general manager) Jeff Ireland -- they’re going to ask the coach’s opinion,” Ryan said. “But we have three of the best in the business doing the selecting.”



The coaches’ opinions carry some weight. At some point in the pre-draft process, they’ll be asked to watch and grade players and put them through workouts or watch a pro day. Their observations and opinions might change how the team views that player. But the idea that Ryan, or any other coach, can handpick his players is misguided.

In fact, how much sway the coaches hold in the draft process is debatable. There are conversations each year about the offense and defense, and what body types the coaches are looking for that will fit the scheme. However, there are not many conversations about which specific traits a coordinator is looking for in players. The team primarily relies on its scouts to assign values on players and help guide decisions.

So while Ryan might have been able to make some suggestions on what groceries were brought home and how they were prioritized, and been heard when doing so, he wasn’t the one writing the items on the list.

“They have some input, it’s more about (in their role), they’ll write up the grades on players we ask them to grade,” Payton said. “Jeff Ireland, myself and Mickey will kind of closely be (more) involved with the overall process. ... They are part of the process, the coaches are, but ultimately it would be the (scouting) reports.”

He might not have solely picked the groceries, but Rob Ryan believes he has the ingredients for a good defense | Saints | The New Orleans Advocate — New Orleans, Louisiana

Attached Thumbnails