There was a method to the Saints’ draft madness. Really.
 

There was a method to the Saints’ draft madness. Really.

DALLAS — A common, lingering question at the top of the NFL Draft is what were the New Orleans Saints doing? What were they thinking?

The Saints moved up 13 spots in the first round in a trade with the Green Bay Packers to select Texas-San Antonio defensive end Marcus Davenport at No. 14. The cost included their 2019 first-round draft pick.

Too much for a developing player from a small school, critics offered. A reach, others scolded.

But the Saints’ NFL peers know better. They are noticing the Saints’ recent method of draft business. The Saints in last year’s draft found instant defensive (cornerback Marshon Lattimore) and offensive (running back Alvin Kamara) playmakers along with other distinguishing rookie contributors.

I believe Davenport is a strong bet to continue the trend.

What was New Orleans thinking?

The key is they were thinking.

The Saints are drafting now with player learning methods at the forefront.


DALLAS — A common, lingering question at the top of the NFL Draft is what were the New Orleans Saints doing? What were they thinking?

The Saints moved up 13 spots in the first round in a trade with the Green Bay Packers to select Texas-San Antonio defensive end Marcus Davenport at No. 14. The cost included their 2019 first-round draft pick.

Too much for a developing player from a small school, critics offered. A reach, others scolded.

But the Saints’ NFL peers know better. They are noticing the Saints’ recent method of draft business. The Saints in last year’s draft found instant defensive (cornerback Marshon Lattimore) and offensive (running back Alvin Kamara) playmakers along with other distinguishing rookie contributors.

I believe Davenport is a strong bet to continue the trend.

What was New Orleans thinking?

The key is they were thinking.

The Saints are drafting now with player learning methods at the forefront.
DALLAS — A common, lingering question at the top of the NFL Draft is what were the New Orleans Saints doing? What were they thinking?

The Saints moved up 13 spots in the first round in a trade with the Green Bay Packers to select Texas-San Antonio defensive end Marcus Davenport at No. 14. The cost included their 2019 first-round draft pick.

Too much for a developing player from a small school, critics offered. A reach, others scolded.

But the Saints’ NFL peers know better. They are noticing the Saints’ recent method of draft business. The Saints in last year’s draft found instant defensive (cornerback Marshon Lattimore) and offensive (running back Alvin Kamara) playmakers along with other distinguishing rookie contributors.

I believe Davenport is a strong bet to continue the trend.

What was New Orleans thinking?

The key is they were thinking.

The Saints are drafting now with player learning methods at the forefront.

http://There was a method to the Sai...dness. Really.

Re: There was a method to the Saints’ draft madness. Really.
 

This was an interesting read and affords some encouragement for those of us that were shocked when the Saints made the trade for Davenport.

Re: There was a method to the Saints’ draft madness. Really.
 

There was a method to the Saints’ draft madness. Really.
The Saints’ confusing draft moves were a reflection of a team that thinks differently about its picks.

Here's a working link.

Saints Draft Strategy Article
 

Really interesting stuff regarding how we are approaching the draft these days...

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2018/5/...rcus-davenport

The Saints are drafting now with player learning methods at the forefront. Head coach Sean Payton believes players’ learning methods cross section in four ways — never struggles in education and in football learning; never struggles in education but struggles in football learning; struggles in education but never in football; struggles in both. He calls it good-good, good-bad, bad-good and bad-bad. He is fascinated in gauging the mental side of young players.

Payton recently told me this about the Saints’ newfound draft philosophy:

“We are working in the area of processing to help us as we try to become better in this area of identifying. We are measuring mental traits that have developed and finalized in that way since the player was probably 13 or 14 years old. You are testing focus, retention, re-focusing. You are testing attention. I’m excited about this area and we are exploring it fully. It may become a standard for learning about all rookie players.”

Might explain a little bit about why we might draft a perceived project over the bigger names.

Re: Saints Draft Strategy Article
 

So there is hope for me....errrr.....us?


https://m.popkey.co/300f17/QbJ5_f-maxage-0.gif

Re: There was a method to the Saints’ draft madness. Really.
 

Stephone Anthony deserves some of the credit for the development of this method

Re: There was a method to the Saints’ draft madness. Really.
 

Don't miss how early they were thinking about drafting him...

They game him things to learn at the Senior bowl... preping him early.

Re: There was a method to the Saints’ draft madness. Really.
 

Re: There was a method to the Saints’ draft madness. Really.
 

And then followed up later to see how he retained the info. Forward thinking. Very nontraditional, but you have to evolve if you wish to compete. What worked in evaluating 10-20 years ago doesn't work as well as if you fine tune the process to include new learned values.

Re: There was a method to the Saints’ draft madness. Really.
 

In other words..”Benson is gone, we can now do anything we want. Let’s play around and try and reinvent the wheel. If it doesn’t work then oh-well, but if it does my stock is really going to rise when it comes to my next coaching job.”