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2018 NFL Draft Prospects - Saints

this is a discussion within the Saints Community Forum; Originally Posted by K Major ^^^ It appears Leighton (honestly, I'd never heard of him until last month) is rising up the draft boards as of late. Questions I have are ... How is his hip movement/change of direction? Instincts ...

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Old 02-19-2018, 06:47 PM   #401
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Re: 2018 NFL Draft Prospects - Saints

Originally Posted by K Major View Post
^^^ It appears Leighton (honestly, I'd never heard of him until last month) is rising up the draft boards as of late.

Questions I have are ...

How is his hip movement/change of direction?
Instincts ?
Ability to shed off defenders ?
Sideline to sideline closing speed as a tackler (see Deion Jones/Kuechly)?
Coverage ability in space ?
The big moment will be the three cone at the combine; if it's sub 7.0 sec, you really gotta look at him as our guy, if he lasts that long...

Instincts, reads seems to be there; I still would be happy if we took Bryan and got Josey Jewell moving up in the third round though...
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Old 02-20-2018, 01:22 PM   #402
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Re: 2018 NFL Draft Prospects - Saints

WalterFootball.com: NFL Hot Press

Some See Goedert as Mid-Rounder

...There have been some mock drafts that have Goedert going in the first round and rate him as the top tight end in the draft class. However after speaking to sources from a handful of teams, none of them had Goedert graded in Round 1 of the 2018 NFL Draft.

The highest grade among those five teams was a second-rounder. Two teams had him graded in the third round, and two teams had a high fourth-round grade on him.

..."[Goedert]'s not a great route-runner and wasn't a separation guy," said a NFC director of college scouting. "He is more possessional and doesn't win with suddenness or quickness. He had lots of drops, but you counter that with some spectacular catches. They threw him a million balls, so some drops are going to happen. We just don't see him as a special mismatch weapon."
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Old 02-20-2018, 01:28 PM   #403
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Re: 2018 NFL Draft Prospects - Saints

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Old 02-21-2018, 09:02 AM   #404
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Re: 2018 NFL Draft Prospects - Saints

Mel Kiper’s Mock Draft 2.0 is here. He has the Saints selecting...

New Orleans Saints *Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina

I mentioned Hurst at pick No. 19, and he's trending toward being a Day 1 pick and the first tight end off the board. He's a well-rounded tight end who didn't get a ton of targets in the South Carolina offense. One thing to note: Because Hurst spent a couple of years playing minor league baseball, he will be 25 when he plays his first NFL game. That shouldn't be a demerit, however, as he has the tools to be a premier tight end in the league. New Orleans brought in Coby Fleener in 2016 to try to replace the production of Jimmy Graham, but that didn't work out and the Saints could release him this offseason. Drew Brees needs a No. 1 tight end.

"When you get into one of these groups, there's only a couple of ways you can get out. One, is death; the other, is mental institutions."
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Old 02-21-2018, 09:42 AM   #405
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Re: 2018 NFL Draft Prospects - Saints

Originally Posted by ChrisXVI View Post
Mel Kiper’s Mock Draft 2.0 is here. He has the Saints selecting...

New Orleans Saints *Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina

I mentioned Hurst at pick No. 19, and he's trending toward being a Day 1 pick and the first tight end off the board. He's a well-rounded tight end who didn't get a ton of targets in the South Carolina offense. One thing to note: Because Hurst spent a couple of years playing minor league baseball, he will be 25 when he plays his first NFL game. That shouldn't be a demerit, however, as he has the tools to be a premier tight end in the league. New Orleans brought in Coby Fleener in 2016 to try to replace the production of Jimmy Graham, but that didn't work out and the Saints could release him this offseason. Drew Brees needs a No. 1 tight end.
There's value in that he'll be mature, has been in a professional sports situation already; I wouldn't be afraid to spend a second round pick on him, but I'd prefer to use the first round picks on guys who'll give you ten-twelve years...
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Old 02-21-2018, 09:43 AM   #406
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Re: 2018 NFL Draft Prospects - Saints

Originally Posted by ChrisXVI View Post
WalterFootball.com: NFL Hot Press

Some See Goedert as Mid-Rounder

...There have been some mock drafts that have Goedert going in the first round and rate him as the top tight end in the draft class. However after speaking to sources from a handful of teams, none of them had Goedert graded in Round 1 of the 2018 NFL Draft.

The highest grade among those five teams was a second-rounder. Two teams had him graded in the third round, and two teams had a high fourth-round grade on him.

..."[Goedert]'s not a great route-runner and wasn't a separation guy," said a NFC director of college scouting. "He is more possessional and doesn't win with suddenness or quickness. He had lots of drops, but you counter that with some spectacular catches. They threw him a million balls, so some drops are going to happen. We just don't see him as a special mismatch weapon."
That scouting report sounds eeirly similar to the so called "weaknesses" of Travis Kelce coming out of college too.

I personally think Dallas Goedert has all of the tools to become a very good TE at the next level.
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Old 02-21-2018, 10:42 AM   #407
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Re: 2018 NFL Draft Prospects - Saints

Originally Posted by K Major View Post
That scouting report sounds eeirly similar to the so called "weaknesses" of Travis Kelce coming out of college too.

I personally think Dallas Goedert has all of the tools to become a very good TE at the next level.
Counter-espionage...
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Old 02-21-2018, 02:21 PM   #408
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Re: 2018 NFL Draft Prospects - Saints

Leighton Vander Esch, the next Chad Greenway?

https://www.profootballfocus.com/new...-chad-greenway

And just in case anyone wanted to spend a couple minutes watching some great game tape of LVE, I suggest this...

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Old 02-21-2018, 04:59 PM   #409
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Re: 2018 NFL Draft Prospects - Saints

Leighton Vander Esch ... man IDK, not a popular opinion but I just don't see it at pick #27.

His sideline speed isn't there & appears stiff. He's a BIG dude & tackles well. Mid rounds ? ... maybe.
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Old 02-21-2018, 05:55 PM   #410
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Re: 2018 NFL Draft Prospects - Saints

Originally Posted by K Major View Post
Leighton Vander Esch ... man IDK, not a popular opinion but I just don't see it at pick #27.

His sideline speed isn't there & appears stiff. He's a BIG dude & tackles well. Mid rounds ? ... maybe.
You’re absolutely right about the sideline-to-sideline speed. Definitely lacking there. Like JP said, his times at the combine will be very important. LVE isn’t really a playmaker... He’s the LB version of a game-manager at QB.

I don’t know, I see the potential but I want a cold-blooded killer. I’m firmly in the Rashaan Evans camp.
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