Saints Draft Outlook: Interior Linemen

You can always use players in the trenches, but would drafting an interior lineman make sense for the Saints this year?

Author:
John Hendrix
Updated:
Apr 19, 2023 4:42 PM EDT
Original:
Apr 19, 2023

In this story:

The NFL Draft is quickly approaching, and we're continuing to take a look at each position for the Saints to make for and against arguments for selecting them. We're looking at interior linemen today, so whether it's a guard or center, these options could be on the table for New Orleans. Remember that most of the offensive linemen in the draft will get swapped to another position in the pros, and versatility is something the Saints always covet.

Current Depth Chart: Erik McCoy, Andrus Peat, Lewis Kidd, Yasir Durant, Cesar Ruiz, Calvin Throckmorton, Koda Martin

Saints Draft Outlooks: Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End

Draft Prospect Outlook

Day 1 Options: Peter Skoronski (Northwestern), Cody Mauch (North Dakota State), O'Cyrus Torrence (Florida)
Day 2 Options: John Michael Schmitz (Minnesota), Luke Wypler (Ohio State), Joe Tippmann (Wisconsin), Steve Avila (TCU), Anthony Bradford (LSU), McClendon Curtis (Tennessee-Chattanooga), Sidy Sow (Eastern Michigan), Nick Broeker (Ole Miss)
Day 3 Options: Jordan McFadden (Clemson), Andrew Vorhees (USC), Braeden Daniels (Utah), Trevor Downing (Iowa State)
Priority UDFAs: Dylan Wonnum (South Carolina), Bryson Speas (NC State), Matt Dale (Memphis), Mason Brooks (Ole Miss)

THE CASE FOR DRAFTING: Cesar Ruiz is entering the final year of his contract, and Andrus Peat has a good bit of void years after this season that the team will have to deal with. Ruiz is also coming off a Lisfranc injury that required surgery, but is expected to be ready for training camp. The Saints have until May 1 to pick up a fifth-year option on Ruiz, but it would come at a price tag of $18.244 million.

Saints Interior Line Draft History Since 2017

2020 - Cesar Ruiz, Michigan (Round 1)
2019 - Erik McCoy, TAMU (Round 2)
2018 - Will Clapp, LSU (Round 7)

Injuries seem to be the most common problem for the Saints, and if you're looking at drafting this year, it would be to upgrade the depth behind projected starters. If there's a long-term vision, then you could absolutely make the case for taking someone higher in the hopes of pushing the depth chart and challenging starters. It's hard to remember a time when New Orleans had their entire starting offensive line intact for more than 85 percent of a season.

You can't have too many interior linemen, and there's a lot of credit due to Doug Marrone for getting players ready when their number was called upon.

THE CASE FOR NOT DRAFTING: Overall, it's a good group to block for Derek Carr and open running lanes for Alvin Kamara, Jamaal Williams, and Taysom Hill. They only lost one free agent this offseason (Ethan Greenidge). When the Saints offensive line is on, they are hard to stop. They can be very dominant in the trenches, and despite injuries last season, they were able to field a fairly strong group.

The team extended Calvin Throckmorton for depth, as he's an important piece of it that's seen a good bit of starting action over his time in New Orleans. Lewis Kidd came onto the scene as an undrafted rookie to make the final roster. He'll be putting on some weight during the offseason to help his outlook for 2023. Erik McCoy is as dominant as they come, and he looks to have another strong campaign.

Overall, New Orleans has pretty good pieces in place, and one of the variables that may present itself is what happens with Trevor Penning. Like Ruiz, he's recovering from a Lisfranc injury from the regular season finale against the Panthers. His outlook is good, but it's unfortunate, to say the least. When he does get in the lineup, he could compete heavily for the starting left tackle job, and there's the potential for James Hurst to slide inside at left guard. Naturally, we're months away from seeing that happen, but it is a possibility.

A realistic expectation for the Saints would be selecting at least one offensive lineman in this draft, but where it falls is questionable. They'll undoubtedly be heavy in the undrafted process, which will lead to more additions.