Would The Saints Actually Look At Special Teams In The Draft?

The Saints feel set at kicker, but what about the punter spot? The draft has an appealing option, so it'll be interesting to pay close attention to Day 3.

Dec 31, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints place kicker Blake Grupe (19) makes a field | Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

There's plenty of excitement to be had right now as a football fan. The NFL Draft gets started on Thursday evening, as we'll get some answers to our long-awaited questions. It feels like there's a good pulse on the Saints right now in what they will do in the first round, but they're always a team that can shock and awe.

We're finishing up our positional series that has focused on whether or not New Orleans could draft certain positions. We can't forget about the special teams, so let's dive into kickers and punters.

Current Depth Chart: Blake Grupe, Lou Hedley, Zach Wood, Charlie Smyth

Saints Draft Prospect Outlook - Special Teams

Day 1 Options: None projected.
Day 2 Options: None projected.
Day 3 Options: Will Reichard (Alabama), Tory Taylor (Iowa), Joshua Karty (Stanford), Cam Little (Arkansas)
UDFAs: Harrison Mevis (Mizzou), Kyle Ostendorp (Arizona), Matt Hayball (Vanderbilt), Spencer Shrader (Notre Dame), Ryan Rekhow (BYU)

THE CASE FOR DRAFTING

While the concept of drafting special teams doesn't exactly excite many on the surface, there are some players that are worth considering in this draft. Where the Saints could look is at the punter position. Lou Hedley's style is something that special teams coaches Darren Rizzi and Phil Galiano like, and the thought process behind his unorthodox style is that the proof is in the lack of return yards. It doesn't look pretty and it doesn't go far, but it works for the most part.

There's one punter in this draft worth looking at on Day 3, and that's Tory Taylor. He boots with the style like Hedley, but offers a lot more with his leg and distance. With so many fifth-round picks, Taylor could be a consideration, but he's going to get drafted by someone. An argument could be made that the Saints should pull the trigger.

THE CASE FOR NOT DRAFTING

The Saints are set at long snapper and kicker, and we'd expect Charlie Smyth to make things interesting for a kicker battle. They'll likely bring in one more punter to training camp for a battle, and it feels like they'd prefer that unorthodox style that Hedley brings to the table. Is it worth using a draft pick on a punter? It's worked in the past for New Orleans and they do have other needs, but it's worth considering. The team had a top-ranked coverage unit last season, and while they have some players to backfill, they should be another formidable unit in 2024.