Social Media Weighs in on Saints' Selection of Payton Turner

The Saints took Houston edge defender Payton Turner at 28th Overall on Thursday night, and it was met with a varying range of emotions. Initial judgements were criticism, but sleeping on it, did it change the perspective? The question was asked on social media regarding honest thoughts of the pick. Over a hundred interactions piled in since Friday morning. Here are some of the best reactions and thoughts from Twitter, which have some interesting points and prospectives to consider when assessing the selection.

I understand Jeff Ireland has a type of player he likes and he grabbed one of those guys. Beyond that we will just have to wait and see.
— Jarod Stephens (@J_RodS92) April 30, 2021

Tough to gauge because DEs started going right after them. So it's not certain he would have been there by 60. I'm still amazed they sat and didn't try to swap with the Jets or Jags to get Newsome for the price of a 3rd rounder.
— Alfredo (@NOLA_Fredo) April 30, 2021

Too much like Davenport to feel good about it right now. Maybe he goes the opposite way and turns into a productive player, but I have doubts.
— Nick (@Nickolah84) April 30, 2021

I will say this about our pick last night. What is the only way Brady has been beat in his career in the playoffs? It’s getting consistent pressure and he folds like a lawn chair. We have pass rushers who can rotate in and out and apply constant pressure. That’s big!
— Zeb (@TheRealZebRuff) April 30, 2021

Still disappointed but they obviously did their homework on him. We will see.
— Tina Howell (@TinaHowellNOLA) April 30, 2021

The Saints are who they are in the draft and in playoff games. https://t.co/ZYFa3VOgSh
— #NoMusicNoIntro (#TheAgenda) (@askmetostay323) April 30, 2021

Didn’t love anyone else on the board there, so I’m good with it. You can never have too many High character, high motor pass rushers
— Evan Benezech (@ebenezech2) April 30, 2021

Sending this to buddies to convince them lol. Also interesting to note that a number of mocks had JOK going as high as Oakland, so there may be more to the story of him falling. We saw Isaiah Simmons struggle to find a spot to thrive last year. pic.twitter.com/IIlNWM5oV3
— Joel Fussell (@joelfussell_) April 30, 2021

I get his size, I just didn’t want a project with the first pick so that is my feelings. Just watched an exchange between Jordan and Talib and I agree with him on that. I think the guy may be okay in time, just not with pick 28
— Tony (@thetonydholden) April 30, 2021

His versatility is gonna be key, he can play inside and outside, so Saints won’t need to technically find a DT in the draft , they can go get a CB LB WR possibly QB. Turner isn’t polished, but a lot of the true analysts say he’s intriguing.
— 🏈 ⚾️ ⚜️🐯BigRob8409🐯⚜️🏈🏒🏳️‍🌈 (@Rob8409316) April 30, 2021

I didn’t know who he was. Comparing him to Davenport is lazy and simple minded. The main player I wanted is literally still available and there’s other linebackers I also like.

Today will be interesting.
— ⚜️BattleshipVA🎙 (@Battleship87) April 30, 2021

New Orleans may ultimately have some plans figured out that we can't exactly see right now, and it's not like they didn't try to be aggressive like they always tend to be. There was a report of them trying to trade up in the Top 10 to get Jaycee Horn. However, it never happened, as many teams weren't prepared to go that far back in the draft. The Saints have a bit of pass rushers now, and if something were to happen to Marcus Davenport, Cam Jordan, Carl Granderson, or Tanoh Kpassagnon, then the perspective would be that there might not be enough high-level depth players to affect the quarterback.

The short-term verdict on the pick seems easy to decipher on the surface, but this is going to be a pick that we'll just have to see how it plays out in the long-term. Friday is a crucial day for the Saints, as they have three picks to make as of now.