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Sean Payton added a little fuel to the idea of the New Orleans Saints drafting Lamar Jackson with the 27th pick in this year’s draft Tuesday when he heaped praise on the former Heisman Trophy winner’s leadership skills and personality.

“I like him. I like him. He’s athletic. He’s got a magic smile to him. He’s a leader,” Payton said. “With Lamar, you feel it in the room and you can tell he can lead. ... He’s a special guy. You just have to be around him, interview him, and you can see why he was successful.”

To be fair, Payton was only asked specifically about Jackson during his media session at the NFL meetings in Orlando. So he might have been equally kind to other QB prospects like Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen (he did mention the “three or four guys at the top of the draft”).



But Payton did stress the point that the Saints wouldn’t rule out an athletic dual-threat quarterback like Jackson just because they have run a different style of offense with Drew Brees over the past 12 years.

“There’s not gonna be another Drew Brees clone that we draft. ... One of our jobs is to look closely at what that player does best,” said Payton, who said it would be the same with current Saints backups Taysom Hill and Tom Savage. “If he’s your quarterback, you start looking closely at what he did well at Louisville. ... They’re different athletes, all of ‘em.”

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rezburna

We should have taken him. If he hits free agency we can right the wrong.

SmashMouth

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/patrick...173636645.html

K Major

Just look at some of the dud QBs taken before Lamar from that draft class ...

Mayfield, Darnold, Rosen

Searching for the next "franchise" QB in the 1st rd is such a crap shoot.

SmashMouth

Lamar while good now will go by the way of Michael Vick, IMHO.

Don't spend the $ in FA on Lamar if he's available. We're going to see that come true for D Watson.

The 2023 draft is a QB draft to rival that of other all-time great QB drafts

Big_L

The kid from Tulane looks promising.

Rugby Saint II

If you have somebody who can truly spot quarterback Talent, and realize that they can develop them rather than trying to find a finished product, then you've got better odds at finding a starter after the first round. I think the key is finding the right quarterback for your system.

There have been plenty of quarterbacks that have moved to a new system and then flourished. Sometimes it's just seasoning and sometimes it's just the right program to elevate the quarterback. Much like we did with Drew Brees.

AsylumGuido

Well, Lamar went down with a knee injury today. It can happen to any QB, but is much more likely with the style of game he plays.

hitta

I remember when I told you guys that Allen was going to be the best in the class and everyone was telling me I was crazy. I feel very vindicated. Ireland can keep his job, just let me pick the QB out of the draft. I feel like finding a QB isn't as difficult as it's made out to be. There are certain qualities, one of which Aaron Rodgers definitely doesn't have. All he does is throw the ball away every chance he gets. You have to be fearless, which includes not being afraid to throw a pick every once in a while. Ironically you end up throwing less picks with that mentality. Picks usually come when a guy is afraid to get rid of the football and holds on to it too long or gets pressured hard. QB is one of those few positions that require you to both be a warrior and a leader. Mindset is everything as QB. You have guys like Mahomes who can throw the ball from every angle getting beat by the Joe Burrow of the world because Joe is a better warrior and leader.

Boston Saint

So who do you like for QB coming out of this draft hitta? And I never said you were crazy 😝