Takeaways From Mickey Loomis' Pre-Draft Press Conference

Mickey Loomis spoke with the local media on Wednesday ahead of the NFL Draft. Here's some of the takeaways from his presser.

Author:
John Hendrix
Publish date:
Apr 27, 2022 12:52 PM EDT

Mum's the word when it comes to what the Saints will be doing during the NFL Draft. General manager Mickey Loomis spoke with the media on Wednesday morning for almost 15 in his customary pre-draft press conference. He accomplished the task of not saying anything or tipping his hat on what New Orleans will do. However, there were some good takeaways to point out.

ON THE EAGLES TRADE: Loomis says the Eagles initiated the call to the Saints for the trade. He said, "I think it's opportunity to get another good player a year ahead of time." The whole process took 4-5 days, which he felt was a relatively short length of time.

ON THE QUARTERBACK CLASS: Loomis provided a very interesting response when asked about how he felt about the group, stating that it wasn't an area he wanted to get into. Now, the context behind this is that he had a big smile on his face when answering it. Take that how you will.

He later said, "It's a tough position to evaluate, and there are a lot of variables involved. We all want, particularly a first round pick or a second round pick, them to be contributors to the football team. We want them to be contributors to the football team. What's the floor of a player? What's the ceiling? And so there's risk/reward, and it effects how you think about it."

RUNNING MOCK DRAFTS: Loomis said that most of their mock drafts that they run consisted of worst-case scenarios. However, he also added that they feel strong about the players they can get at No. 16 and 19 if that happens and they'll get players they like. He mentioned that Jeff Ireland called it 'Doomsday'.

OPERATING WITHOUT SEAN PAYTON: Loomis joked that this draft process has been a lot 'quieter' without Payton in the building. However, he said that the process has been mostly the same, and that Dennis Allen has a strong voice. Loomis also said that potential compensation for Payton wasn't a factor in doing the deal with the Eagles. Things have also been the closest to a normal draft process for the team, and the Saints feel solid in their evaluations.

FREE AGENCY: Loomis admitted that the team still has work to be done and that they haven't completed as many items from the offseason to-do list as it normally does before the draft, and he added that the cap situation is a part of that. That could still leave the door open for Tyrann Mathieu and/or Jarvis Landry, and Loomis pointed out that the team will have roster spots available after the draft process.

You can check out the full presser from Loomis on the Saints Twitter account, or check it out below.