Saints' Zack Baun overcame struggles at Wisconsin through maturation and dedication
The more you look into Zack Baun, the more you are sure to love what it'll bring to the New Orleans Saints. It's not uncommon to see players who have first-round grades by draft analysts and scouts fall during the process for whatever reason. However, Baun landed with New Orleans at 74th after the Saints traded up with the Browns to get him. Mickey Loomis revealed that the team had been trying to trade up for over an hour to try to get him. Needless to say, Baun is ready to showcase his versatility and talent in New Orleans.
What makes Zack Baun so special? Wisconsin Badgers SI beat writer Jake Kocorowski thinks a ton of things went into it, but it wasn't always the case. The main things that stood out for Baun between the first and second half of his college career was his maturation.
"I spoke with former New Orleans Saints linebacker Vince Biegel last week about an article on Wisconsin linebackers," Kocorowski said. "And he praised Zack Baun effusively about how he emerged as a leader. He mentioned how he believed Baun struggled early on at UW, and even acknowledged how the outside linebackers group had to run gassers because of him."
He elaborated on Biegel’s thoughts of Baun’s evolution when he came back to Madison to train with Wisconsin last summer.
“He's a leader," Biegel said.
"I went back last summer and I trained with the guys. … June, July, I went back and started training back at Wisconsin with (strength and conditioning coach) Ross (Kolodziej) in the weight room. I was just so shocked by how much of a professional Zack was, from how he attacked the weight room, to how he attacked his field work, to him being a leader in the outside linebacker room. I was really proud of the player and the guy Zack is so I think any team’s going to be lucky to have him for Sundays.”
Kocorowski believes that in 2018 Baun was adjusting to being a starter for the first time after the departures of Leon Jacobs and Garret Dooley. In 2017, he also missed the entire season due to a foot injury so what could have been a huge year as a key rotational player at the outside linebacker position was thwarted.
"Last season, as Biegel alluded to, he emerged as a leader and took his game to the next level. He added good weight on to his frame, up to about 235 pounds. With the starting experience under his belt from a year prior, he showcased what he could do in that scheme in terms of dialing up pressure on opposing quarterbacks and becoming a consensus first-team All-American."
Where do you feel that Baun has to improve his game the most at?
"Depending upon how the Saints utilize him, and it appears his home at the next level very well may be an off-the-ball ‘backer, is just growing more comfortable in that type of role. He may have dropped into coverage at times at Wisconsin, but he earned his all-conference and All-American honors by getting in the backfield to the tune of 12.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. I believe he is more than capable of play off the line of scrimmage, and for that matter, he had a pick-six against Michigan State in October of 2019."
"I know there was discussion of him not having the prototypical measurables of an NFL edge-rusher, so if he is asked to cause havoc with pressures, it should be interesting to see how he dials it up and from where."
What is it about Baun that put him into the first round talk?
"As much as I discussed what he may need to improve upon once he plays in the NFL, I think the potential possibilities of him lining up on Sundays is what put him in that Day 1 conversation. He believes his versatility is one of his biggest assets to a program, and that could manifest itself whether it be off-the-ball, in coverage, blitzing or pass rushing."
"I still feel that latter trait still is intriguing for many NFL teams, or at least it should be. He only had 2.5 sacks in 2018 for a defense that only registered 19 in 13 contests that year. Then, he went off for 12.5 last season that helped the program set a school-record 51. I think teams saw what he could do in a Wisconsin scheme led by defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, himself a former 10-year NFL veteran."
We went into detail at AllBadgers.com on Baun's potential impact with the Saints, and it certainly appears that New Orleans got themselves a real gem of a prospect who should make a large impact as a rookie.
