New Orleans Saints draft day mailbag: What's going to happen?
Today brings nothing but excitement for football fans. After months of waiting, NFL draft day is upon us, as the first round festivities kick off tonight at 7 p.m. CT. We're looking forward to big things from the New Orleans Saints, as they're currently set to pick 24th overall in the first round. The question remains to be seen as to whether they'll stay put or trade up. We tackled some of the biggest questions ahead of the draft, both in video and here.
When do the Saints pick the quarterback of the future, or is Taysom Hill the guy for real?
The verdict is still out on this, as currently nothing is committed to Hill financially past this year. He's grown as a quarterback, as his mechanics, reads, and progressions have all improved. Sean Payton has said that the team will have a third quarterback that will be active on game days in 2020, and it appears that Hill is still going to play special teams at a minimum. Hill's utilization this season is what we ultimately want to pay attention to here. Jordan Love is appealing, but needs work.
If for some reason Tua Tagovailoa drops, then that would be the first and easiest choice for New Orleans. Love can develop in the right situation, but the verdict is still out on what Hill brings to the table. Also, the Saints could also get their quarterback of the future in free agency, just like they did with Drew Brees.
Any chance the Saints trade back to acquire more picks?
It seems more likely for the Saints to trade up and get back into the 2nd round. There's plenty of capital to use from 2021's draft, and they should have compensatory picks coming their way for a change. Trading back to get more picks doesn't feel likely, and their draft trade history doesn't suggest this would happen. Again, this solely depends on how the board falls tonight. If there's a player they love that's hovering in that 15-20 range that they don't feel can last, then I could see them trading up. They'll either pick at 24th or trade up.
If Jordan Love, Kenneth Murray, Patrick Queen, and Justin Jefferson are on the board, who are you taking?
That seems like a best-case scenario for the Saints. They'd have their pick of taking a stellar linebacker or potentially getting a nice receiver to compliment the offense. Given the wide receiver depth in the draft, you can get an impact player in Rounds 3-4. While they aren't necessarily Justin Jefferson, players like Devin Duvernay (Texas), Quartney Davis (TAMU), Van Jefferson (Florida), Bryan Edwards (South Carolina), Chase Claypool (Notre Dame), and Tyler Johnson (Minnesota) would all be good fits.
The pick for me, given this board, would be Kenneth Murray. Queen is better in coverage, and Murray essentially would be an upgraded A.J. Klein. He needs a little coaching, but his upside is tremendous. Murray has some very intriguing qualities, and assuming the Saints get a healthy Alex Anzalone (contract year) and Kiko Alonso this season, Murray would fit better for me.
What's the most shocking thing the Saints could do in this year's draft?
Trade away Alvin Kamara. With what Sean Payton said about not having an offseason program this spring, allowing players to focus their priorities on personal family safety, it seems like it would be silly to trade someone as valuable as Kamara away and then roll with a rookie when training camp rolls around. The Saints are trying to win a Super Bowl, and trading away someone like Kamara would absolutely make no sense.
