Official 2023 Saints Draft Thread

[neugey]

Originally Posted by BakoSaint

I don't love that we drafted a player with an injury history, but its one injury, so a lot better than if it was a chronic series of injuries. If he doesn't stay healthy the front office needs to look in the mirror, not curse the heavens, because this was a known thing, but he certainly may stay healthy. If he reinjures the ACL in the 1st quarter of our first preseason game and retires and we go 0-17, ok, we have the 1st overall pick in the 2024 draft. Thats the great thing about not trading up, if we miss, we got insurance in the form of value added to our pick next year.

I do love that we didn't trade up, drafted a position of need, and still have all our 2024 picks.

It would be better if he had returned to dominance in 2022 but then we might have traded our 2024 1st round pick to move up and get him. I see he had a kidney infection in 2022 and I could see how that might slow a person down for awhile, so I don't like any excuses, but I like a lot of other excuses worse than that one.

I am glad we didn't draft a TE. I think the position is just too unpredictable to spend high picks on. Also TE almost never contribute the first year. And then if they do somehow develop in later years to justify a big second contract, they rarely hold up to justify that contract. And fit is such a complicated factor for a TE in an offense, very few are successful with two teams. Meanwhile, all kinds of mid round TE are incredibly successful because they happen to be the guy who can become a workout warrior to the next level in the pros with great facilities and no classes, and they happen to be the rare guy who can go over the middle in the nfl and bruise people without falling apart themselves. Its so unpredictable who can be that guy at TE in the NFL. So many of the sure things at TE in the nfl draft miss, and if they do happen to hit, they still rarely get a ring without an elite QB. So I am glad if we never draft a TE in the 1st or 2nd round in the rest of our franchise history.

I think it was stupid that the Falcons spent a top 10 pick on a RB. Yeah he is great. Fournette was great. Edward Helaire was great. Nadjee Harris was great. Breece Hall hasn't torn an ACL posting Aaron Rodgers memes on twitter yet. 50/50 this guy won't be better than the RB we signed for $4 million a year in free agency.

Bijan looks like he could be Saquon Barkley without the injuries. I am biased as a Texas fan, but chances are fairly good Bijan will do great in the NFL.

But I agree on the TE comments. Another thing I was thinking about last night is this: perhaps Carr can "unlock" our current tight ends Jawan, Trautman and Taysom and get them to perform better. After all, Waller and Moreau and even Jared Cook did well with Carr on the Raiders. God willing, there's also a shot Moreau signs with us after beating lymphoma and fills out the TE room.

The UCLA RB is tempting and wouldn't be bad, but I'd love to see us stay on defense and draft for value and take S Drake or CB Porter Jr, Ringo or DJ Turner. As I posted the other day, we almost always seem to crush it drafting DB's.