SmashMouth

The first impression of Tre’Quan Smith was a good one.

It’s easy to see how the wide receiver’s skills could translate to the New Orleans offense. He does a good job making contested catches in the short area of the field, but can also get deep. I was expecting to see a whole bunch of plays where he was running free down the field since UCF likes to use no-huddle, which can be difficult for undisciplined college defenses to contend with, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, he made two receptions against tight coverage against Memphis, and another in the Peach Bowl against Auburn.



He also ran a lot of routes out of the slot, showing a good amount of success up the seam. From the way he described his game, and a quick viewing of how his routes broke down last season, this was another surprise. He ran plenty of routes from the outside, but UCF wasn’t afraid to move him around, which is something he’ll likely do in the New Orleans offense. The rookie brings a nice set of skills in that he can get deep, while also running a variety of routes underneath. He’ll need to prove that he can go over the middle more often, which shouldn’t be an issue after getting a closer look at his skills. He mixed in some of those routes last year but often wasn’t targeted.

The other thing that stands out is Smith’s willingness to block, which is something he pointed out when asked about his skills after the draft. Blocking is an essential element in the New Orleans offense, considering how often the team likes to run the ball and throw screen passes. It looks like he’s a fit. The question is if he can steal snaps from one of the team’s other receivers.

If everyone is healthy and performs as expected, Michael Thomas, Cam Meredith and Ted Ginn Jr. will all be deserving of snaps and should enter camp as the top three players on the depth chart. But if Smith gets up to speed quickly, there is a scenario where he could push one of those players other than Thomas and potentially eat into their snaps. Meredith needs to prove that he’s healthy, and while Ginn had a good season, there’s a scenario where Smith could eat into his role depending on the situations.

Commitment to Brees: It seems safe to assume that Drew Brees’ option will be picked up after the season. The move to select pass rusher Marcus Davenport, which cost the Saints a 2019 pick, seems to indicate that he will be back for at least another year.

The Saints did not bring in another quarterback and will be limited in what they can do next year in the draft without a first-round pick. The fact is, New Orleans might have to wait until 2020 to make an aggressive move for a quarterback unless it wants to trade future assets in the future. It’s also not impossible to find a good quarterback in the second or third rounds.

The team should have its eye on the future every season moving forward. But it’s not as if Brees is fraying at the edges. The Saints should have a few years of runway before this becomes a more critical situation.

Reason for optimism: Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen served in the same capacity at North Carolina State from 2013-2016. His fingerprints are all over this draft, as four of his former pupils, Bradley Chubb (first round), Justin Jones (third round), B.J. Hill (third round) and Kentavius Street (fourth) were all selected this week.

Nielsen will be the primary person responsible for developing first-round pick Marcus Davenport, who is loaded with potential but is still a little bit raw. It appears Nielsen has a track record of doing just that.

What’s a reach?: There was a lot of outcry about the fourth-round selection of offensive tackle Rick Leonard because many media sites did not have him slotted in the fourth round. Look, those things are a fine baseline, but they aren’t the final word on how teams view players.

Leonard might be a little bit of a gamble, but he’s only been playing the position for two years and took the job from someone while at Florida State. He’s still developing and has upside. If there’s a time to take a chance on a player, it’s in the middle rounds of the draft. Maybe he taps into something and becomes a great player. Maybe he doesn’t. Either way, the risk is minimal. Why not try for a home run?

Is it possible the Saints took him higher than all 31 teams had him ranked? Sure, but it seems like Jeff Ireland and his scouts know how to evaluate and rank talent.

Stocking up the secondary/special teams: It was interesting to see the Saints select cornerbacks Kamrin Moore and Natrell Jamerson. Both players sound like they could be core special teamers, and Jamerson has also returned kicks. It should make for some interesting competition in training camp. New Orleans already has a handful of cornerbacks at the bottom of the roster, including Arthur Maulet and Justin Hardee. They will now have to compete to retain their jobs.

Bowling ball: Sixth-round pick Boston Scott, a running back out of Louisiana Tech, could also have a role on special teams. It looks like this was a clear area of focus for the Saints later in the draft, which is something general manager Mickey Loomis mentioned on Friday.

As a runner, Pro Football Focus noted Boston averaged an incredible 3.9 yards per carry after contact. At 5-foot-6, 203 pounds, he was difficult for defenses to tackle last season. It will be interesting to see how he develops. Mark Ingram is in the final year of his contract, so perhaps the Saints are hoping to catch lightning with a late-round pick.

Unaddressed: The Saints exit the draft without getting a linebacker or tight end, which were two areas the team said it would like to address. It is doubtful that was a smokescreen. It was likely a case where the value didn’t line up when New Orleans was on the clock.

Neither of those spots were musts, and the Saints should be fine without adding young talent there, but it could have helped to get more bodies there.

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