Draft Question
 

So what happens with the Saints sitting at 14 if one of these mid level quarterbacks like Nix or Pennix is there? Do the Saints draft one if they really like them, draft another position of need, or look for a trade partner who may really want one of these guys? Haven’t really heard this question answered so was just wondering on everyone’s opinion.

Re: Draft Question
 

They are in no position to waste a pick on a player that will sit for a few years imo. Once they end up restructuring Carrs contract to get under the cap you can guarantee he will have 2/3 years before they can move him on most likely

Re: Draft Question
 

If a QB the Saints love happens to fall to them at 14, they would absolutely pull the trigger and draft him. I can even see them moving up a little if necessary. Yes, the Saints are committed to Carr, but a commitment to any player doesn't mean you sit back and never try to improve. What I can just about guarantee is they won't draft a QB in round 1 that needs a lot of work to be NFL ready, it would have to be someone by their 2nd year should be able to win the starting job.

Re: Draft Question
 

I seriously doubt the Saints would take a QB at 14. They made a longer term commitment to Carr when they picked him up. They appear to remain in a win now mode and have publicly stated their needs on both lines. Moving down simply is not in their (Loomis') DNA, as well. However, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they moved up in the mid-rounds to pick up competition with Haener as a developmental/backup piece.

Re: Draft Question
 

We have this already... why waste a pick on another one.

Draft the meanest badest OL and DL you can buy, and then some.

Re: Draft Question
 

The Saints aren’t drafting a QB.

Doesn’t matter who the player is, the Saints aren’t drafting a QB.

Re: Draft Question
 

I really hope we try to address the lines mainly in free agency so they can contribute immediately. There's supposed to be a slew of them on the market. For the most part anyone you pick up in the draft is going to require a good deal of work before they can contribute. Not to say we shouldn't also target some big uglies via the draft, but understanding they likely won't be starting any time soon.

Re: Draft Question
 

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

Re: Draft Question
 

What good is the cap if you don't spend it? ;) It's guaranteed to keep climbing through the end of this latest contract round which is basically a decade from now. Then they'll have another round of new huge deals.

Re: Draft Question
 

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!

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.

Re: Draft Question
 

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. :bng:

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.

Re: Draft Question
 

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

Re: Draft Question
 

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.

Re: Draft Question
 

Draft O line!