Draft Question

K Major · 01-31-2024, 09:28 AM

The one thing I've noticed since the opening round of the playoffs is that most teams have solid O lines.

Saints need to tighten up @ tackle. I'd upgrade from Hurst & find a guy who can start immediately & possibly find Ramz replacement (either this year or next).

Edge rusher ... Cam fell off and Granderson needs legit help.
Linebacker ...DD is a dawg but old.
Safety ... replacement for Maye. Bad FA signing
WR ... you can never have enough weapons in the playoffs
DL ...

To compete with the big boys in late Jan, you must improve at these positions.

I'd be completely shocked if the Loomis & Jeff have any interest whatsoever in drafting another QB, even in later rounds.

SmashMouth · 01-31-2024, 09:39 AM

Originally Posted by neugey

BPA with our first two selections and adjust as needed. If Bowers falls to #14 and we think he's gonna be a star then grab him and worry about trading Taysom and/or Juwan Johnson post-draft.

If a Penix or McCarthy happens to fall to our 2nd round pick might be worth a good look.

Drafting for need in the first 2 rounds is a lesser approach IMO. Just don't trade up or I will go nuts!

Penix is falling down the charts hard, rumored to not even be drafted. Not sure the reason, other than maybe seeing him play against real competition opened a few eyes. His knees are old knees already too, which is why he's a 6-7 year senior. His future may be as a backup in the league.

JJ McCarthy intrigues me a bit. He does show some poise and presence in the pocket. If we can get him cheap enough, I am not opposed to getting him. He needs to be a la Tom Brady, in the later rounds in other words. Not sure he'll fall that deep. We do have some extras in the middle rounds, however.

Trading down does make some sense, as it does almost every year, TBH. Texans adroitly navigated that path last year and leveraged those extra picks with first year contributors. Reality shows us that the draft is really the only way we'll get a handle on not only rejuvenating the roster, but whittling down our ever increasing daunting cap situation. It can be done, not in one season albeit. If we're going to be a middling team, there is no better time than now to do it. We need to anyway.

stickman · 01-31-2024, 10:12 AM

Can't see them taking a QB in round one unless one of the top 3 falls to them, and that's still a maybe. Still, let's see what happens in free agency.

I agree with Guido though, it's not in Loomis' DNA to trade down.

SaintFanInATLHELL · 01-31-2024, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by SmashMouth

This means more cap deficits... At some point the credit limit will be reached, even with our cap navigation wizardry.

It's not the limit that's the problem. It's the payments. It's clear that fans are tired of extensions for aging players and they think the Saints should bite the bullet and cut them loose.

We have to start asking the question do we just let productive players go after their first contract. That's going to be the choice. Or maybe we should go to the model of rookie contract, then franchise for 2 years, then let them go. Or just keep cycling rookie and free agent contracts. Bottom line is that there is no "have their cake and eat it too"system where players stay on into a 2nd contract that's significantly less than market value.

Start asking yourself the questions: What to do with Olave in a year or two? What about Shaheed after next season? Are you going just let those guys go?

I've seen in the last couple of years that the spin on cap management is simply to get under the cap number. But it's not just that. The team gets to keep productive guys here. But when they are less productive and more expensive, what do you do then?

It's not the cap limits. Cap goes up almost every year so pushing more expensive payments into the future isn't a bad plan. But the team has to pay in the end. The question is what's the most efficient way to do that?

SFIAH

AsylumGuido · 01-31-2024, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by SaintFanInATLHELL

It's not the limit that's the problem. It's the payments. It's clear that fans are tired of extensions for aging players and they think the Saints should bite the bullet and cut them loose.

We have to start asking the question do we just let productive players go after their first contract. That's going to be the choice. Or maybe we should go to the model of rookie contract, then franchise for 2 years, then let them go. Or just keep cycling rookie and free agent contracts. Bottom line is that there is no "have their cake and eat it too"system where players stay on into a 2nd contract that's significantly less than market value.

Start asking yourself the questions: What to do with Olave in a year or two? What about Shaheed after next season? Are you going just let those guys go?

I've seen in the last couple of years that the spin on cap management is simply to get under the cap number. But it's not just that. The team gets to keep productive guys here. But when they are less productive and more expensive, what do you do then?

It's not the cap limits. Cap goes up almost every year so pushing more expensive payments into the future isn't a bad plan. But the team has to pay in the end. The question is what's the most efficient way to do that?

SFIAH

Yup. The Saints, and a growing number of other NFL franchises, are leveraging the proven cap behavior. With any accounting methodology a company uses it comes with a number of positive and negative consequences. In this way an NFL franchise is no different than ABC Corporation. But for any accounting method to be able to reap its specific benefits it has to be used consistently. If for no reason other than this nobody should expect Loomis and "company" to vary from the path they are currently following.

Rugby Saint II · 02-06-2024, 01:45 PM

Draft O line!

01-31-2024, 09:28 AM	#11
K Major Site Donor 2019 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Bedford, TX Posts: 24,060 Blog Entries: 3	Re: Draft Question The one thing I've noticed since the opening round of the playoffs is that most teams have solid O lines. Saints need to tighten up @ tackle. I'd upgrade from Hurst & find a guy who can start immediately & possibly find Ramz replacement (either this year or next). Edge rusher ... Cam fell off and Granderson needs legit help. Linebacker ...DD is a dawg but old. Safety ... replacement for Maye. Bad FA signing WR ... you can never have enough weapons in the playoffs DL ... To compete with the big boys in late Jan, you must improve at these positions. I'd be completely shocked if the Loomis & Jeff have any interest whatsoever in drafting another QB, even in later rounds. SmashMouth and Rugby Saint II like this.

01-31-2024, 09:39 AM	#12
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 37,061 Blog Entries: 29	Re: Draft Question Originally Posted by neugey BPA with our first two selections and adjust as needed. If Bowers falls to #14 and we think he's gonna be a star then grab him and worry about trading Taysom and/or Juwan Johnson post-draft. If a Penix or McCarthy happens to fall to our 2nd round pick might be worth a good look. Drafting for need in the first 2 rounds is a lesser approach IMO. Just don't trade up or I will go nuts! Penix is falling down the charts hard, rumored to not even be drafted. Not sure the reason, other than maybe seeing him play against real competition opened a few eyes. His knees are old knees already too, which is why he's a 6-7 year senior. His future may be as a backup in the league. JJ McCarthy intrigues me a bit. He does show some poise and presence in the pocket. If we can get him cheap enough, I am not opposed to getting him. He needs to be a la Tom Brady, in the later rounds in other words. Not sure he'll fall that deep. We do have some extras in the middle rounds, however. Trading down does make some sense, as it does almost every year, TBH. Texans adroitly navigated that path last year and leveraged those extra picks with first year contributors. Reality shows us that the draft is really the only way we'll get a handle on not only rejuvenating the roster, but whittling down our ever increasing daunting cap situation. It can be done, not in one season albeit. If we're going to be a middling team, there is no better time than now to do it. We need to anyway.
	Last edited by SmashMouth; 01-31-2024 at 09:51 AM..

01-31-2024, 10:12 AM	#13
stickman 1000 Posts + Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Gonzales, LA Posts: 1,602	Re: Draft Question Can't see them taking a QB in round one unless one of the top 3 falls to them, and that's still a maybe. Still, let's see what happens in free agency. I agree with Guido though, it's not in Loomis' DNA to trade down.

01-31-2024, 11:06 AM	#14
SaintFanInATLHELL The Professor Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Lithonia, GA Posts: 2,647	Re: Draft Question Originally Posted by SmashMouth This means more cap deficits... At some point the credit limit will be reached, even with our cap navigation wizardry. It's not the limit that's the problem. It's the payments. It's clear that fans are tired of extensions for aging players and they think the Saints should bite the bullet and cut them loose. We have to start asking the question do we just let productive players go after their first contract. That's going to be the choice. Or maybe we should go to the model of rookie contract, then franchise for 2 years, then let them go. Or just keep cycling rookie and free agent contracts. Bottom line is that there is no "have their cake and eat it too"system where players stay on into a 2nd contract that's significantly less than market value. Start asking yourself the questions: What to do with Olave in a year or two? What about Shaheed after next season? Are you going just let those guys go? I've seen in the last couple of years that the spin on cap management is simply to get under the cap number. But it's not just that. The team gets to keep productive guys here. But when they are less productive and more expensive, what do you do then? It's not the cap limits. Cap goes up almost every year so pushing more expensive payments into the future isn't a bad plan. But the team has to pay in the end. The question is what's the most efficient way to do that? SFIAH Danno and AsylumGuido like this.
	Super Bowl Championships: New Orleans Saints:1, Carolina:0, Atlanta Chokers: STILL ZERO Only Atlanta choked in an unchokable situation... Life is definitely good.

01-31-2024, 11:29 AM	#15
AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 24,395	Re: Draft Question Originally Posted by SaintFanInATLHELL It's not the limit that's the problem. It's the payments. It's clear that fans are tired of extensions for aging players and they think the Saints should bite the bullet and cut them loose. We have to start asking the question do we just let productive players go after their first contract. That's going to be the choice. Or maybe we should go to the model of rookie contract, then franchise for 2 years, then let them go. Or just keep cycling rookie and free agent contracts. Bottom line is that there is no "have their cake and eat it too"system where players stay on into a 2nd contract that's significantly less than market value. Start asking yourself the questions: What to do with Olave in a year or two? What about Shaheed after next season? Are you going just let those guys go? I've seen in the last couple of years that the spin on cap management is simply to get under the cap number. But it's not just that. The team gets to keep productive guys here. But when they are less productive and more expensive, what do you do then? It's not the cap limits. Cap goes up almost every year so pushing more expensive payments into the future isn't a bad plan. But the team has to pay in the end. The question is what's the most efficient way to do that? SFIAH Yup. The Saints, and a growing number of other NFL franchises, are leveraging the proven cap behavior. With any accounting methodology a company uses it comes with a number of positive and negative consequences. In this way an NFL franchise is no different than ABC Corporation. But for any accounting method to be able to reap its specific benefits it has to be used consistently. If for no reason other than this nobody should expect Loomis and "company" to vary from the path they are currently following.

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02-06-2024, 01:45 PM	#16
Rugby Saint II Bounty Money $$$ Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 5800 Airline Dr. Metairie, LA. Posts: 23,762	Re: Draft Question Draft O line!