Welcome to New Orleans!
The Saints' draft has concluded, and they bring in seven prospects to contribute.
It’s over. It is finally over. The NFL Draft has concluded and the Saints got the guys they wanted. They started Thursday with having eight total picks: One in the first, one in the second, one in the third, one in the fourth, two in the fifth and two in the seventh rounds of the 2023 Draft. They finished with seven picks. They traded three times with all three trades occurring in the third day of the draft. As Pro Football Talk wrote, the Saints have traded up TWENTY-FOUR TIMES since 2007, which was the last time the Saints traded down. F for Saints Happy Hour Podcast host Sean Orleans as he is a trade down advocate.
The Saints draft really fell to them on how they wanted it to go. They really didn’t need to trade up because they players they wanted really were available when they had their pick come up. As a result, they stayed put in rounds 1-3. Their picks have one thing in common: it addresses their needs. They needed a 3T DL, got him. They needed another edge rusher, got him. They needed a RB in case of an Alvin Kamara suspension, boom. They needed to keep improving the WR group, got him. They needed Peat insurance, got him. Saints felt like they got their guys, so I can feel fine they got a good draft.
29th Pick, First Round: DT Bryan Bresee - Clemson - 6’6”, 298lbs, 9.61 RAS
The board really fell their way in round one. By pick 26, you had Mazi Smith, Michael Mayer, Myles Murphy and of course, Bresee. Mazi went at 26 and Murphy got taken a pick ahead of them to Cincinnati. But the Saints knew who they wanted. Jalen Carter went to Philadelphia at pick 9 and Calijah Kancey went to Tampa at pick 19. Leaving the Saints with only one good/great option. Considering the next best 3T was Gervon Dexter, who got taken in the third round and is pretty terrible.
Bryan Bresee is a good defensive tackle. His 2022 was God throwing him into the biggest ring of hell. He had to get surgery in his shoulder in January, got strep throat which led to him getting a kidney infection, and he lost his sister to brain cancer. Not to mention he was already recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in 2021! Bresee is a good run defender and can push the pocket. He is a big dude with good arm length and explosion. His best attribute is his strength. Has a good bull rush. He does need to work on adding more to his pass rush repertoire and needs to play with better leverage. If he can stay healthy, he can be a game wrecker.
40th Pick, Second Round: EDGE Isaiah Foskey - Notre Dame, - 6’5”, 264lbs, 9.61 RAS
This was the biggest draft crush the Saints had in this cycle. Saints met with this man several times. They saw him at the Senior Bowl, tracked him at the combine, attended his pro day, had dinner with him… this was their guy. And the feeling was definitely mutual. Isaiah Foskey in his interview with WWL Radio said he wanted to be with the Saints because of the interest they had. He wants to be a havoc for the Saints. And I’m happy to hear that!
Isaiah Foskey is an edge rusher through and through. He has great speed and explosion off the line and can get slower tackles in recovery. He has the athleticism to hang with athlete QBs, running a 4.56s in the 40 at the combine. But he isn’t just a raw athlete. He has good production, racking up 11 sacks for two seasons in a row. While he did win his matchups with pure athleticism, the fact he produced against good competition really highlights how high his ceiling is. He also brings some great special teams value, blocking four punts in his college career. He should compete for starter snaps at SED (strong side edge defender).
71st Pick, Third Round: RB Kendre Miller - TCU, 6’0”, 215lbs, N/A RAS:
Saints had a feeling that Kamara would get the suspension hammer after his legal issues have been resolved. They did add Jamal Williams in free agency, but they need one more. If Kamara is suspended for six games or longer, they need someone to carry the load. I have a theory they wanted UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet, but he went to Seattle late in the second round. At Pick 71, Tulane back Tyjae Spears was available, but they went with the TCU standout Kendre Miller.
Kendre Miller is a good back. He was a backup for the first two years, then took over after Zach Evans transferred to Ole Miss. Miller exploded for 1400 yards on 224 carries and had 17 rushing touchdowns. Miller fills the size requirements Saints like from their backs. He has some good speed and explosion. He runs hard and can-do damage. He is still recovering from MCL surgery he got in January, so no workout information came out on him, therefore, no RAS. He does need to be a little more patient when running but more snaps would help. Though the low mileage and turning 21 in June really helps.
103rd Pick, Fourth Round: OL Nick Saldiveri - Old Dominion, 6’6”, 9.47 RAS as OT, 9.86 RAS as OG
Saints made a move just minutes to the Third Day of the NFL Draft, Saints saw the board and Mickey Loomis broke out of whatever basement he was locked in to make a trade up. Saints send Pick 115 and 165 to Chicago to make the first pick of the fourth round. They saw some of these interior offensive linemen and knew they needed to make their move. There were a few prerequisites to be a Saints IOL: you need to be able to pull and trap, you need to be able to operate in space, but most of all… you need to have positional versatility. And Old Dominion OL Nick Saldiveri fits that mold.
Nick Saldiveri played tackle at Old Dominion and he was pretty good. He possesses great football IQ and good mobility to make him lethal on screens. He is a rather good pass protector with good size. He does need to improve hand placement a bit. He should be good insurance for when Andrus Peat goes down and even replace him when his contract voids after this upcoming season. He might not get many snaps, but should be a nice player for development.
127th Pick, Fourth Round: QB Jake Haener - Fresno St., 6’0”, 207lbs, N/A RAS
Mickey Loomis basically said, “Y’all thought I was finished?!” and concocted another trade. This time to get back into the fourth round. The Saints sent Pick 227 and a 2024 Fourth round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars to take pick 127. And they had their man. Saints decided to take a quarterback in the fourth and went with Senior Bowl MVP Jake Haener.
Jake Haener is a solid QB prospect. When watching his tape, he does not show shades of former 2021 Fourth Rounder Ian Book. Why? Because the S.O.B. can play. Haener has the qualities that even Sean Payton wants: Accuracy, grit, composure, intelligence and clutch. Jake Haener broke Derek Carr’s school records in yards, completion percentage and touchdowns. He was a tough player and a good quarterback. Outside of his size, his biggest shortcoming was his arm strength. While it is sufficient, he doesn’t have a cannon that can rip 65 yard bombs. He should be a solid backup. With some upside as a 4-game starter.
146th Pick, Fifth Round: S Jordan Howden - Minnesota, 6’0”, 203lbs, 8.88 RAS
Saints held on to this pick in the fifth round and looked to get good depth players. Since around this part of the draft, it is about special teams and depth. The Saints looked at an athletic safety from Minnesota, Jordan Howden.
Jordan is pretty much your special teams player. He is a fast player that does well at tackling. Should he play some snaps at safety, he has some good instincts and can read route combinations pretty well. His downside is his recovery, as it feels like when he is taken out or over pursues, that’s it. Howden would have a tough competition to get a spot on the team, but he should make his mark as a ST contributor.
195th Pick, Sixth Round: WR A.T. Perry - Wake Forest, 6’4”, 198lbs; 9.62 RAS
The Saints initial final pick was supposed to be pick 257, which they got as compensatory pick for losing a player in free agency. Saints were not going to wait or draft in the seventh, so they made a deal with the Denver Broncos in a pretty shocking deal. Saints received pick 195 but sent TE Adam Trautman along with pick 257 to Denver as a result. This does leave a big hole at TE as he was the second TE behind Juwan Johnson. Saints did use that pick to select another pass catcher, and one that many fans, including I, wanted to draft when we saw him fall pretty far in the draft. That was WR AT Perry.
AT Perry was projected to go around the third round of the draft, even rising as high as the late second round. He is a tall and long player that should be a fun receiver in third down and red zone situations. He possesses good speed to really threaten safeties and keep them honest. His concerns are that he does need to get stronger and improve on his drops as he had 8 drops in 2022. Perry’s speed is also very much build-up as he isn’t very explosive. Perry does have an uphill battle to get a roster spot, but his tape is fantastic.
Overall:
The Saints had needs they wanted to address and did it. Improve the DL, get an RB to be insurance for Kamara suspension, improve the OL depth and replace Peat, get another pass catcher. All those were addressed, and Saints fans can breathe easier. Two things you can say the Saints should still look to address is improving the LB depth and get another tight end with Adam Trautman heading to Denver. For linebacker, the free agency pool does have some good options should they feel the same that they need to improve the depth. Tight End is a different story. The Saints might dip into free agency, and they could also look for a trade. Just something to keep an eye on.
The draft overall is a good draft. The Saints need this draft to hit in a bad way. Not only to get younger but also help their pending cap situation. As funny it is to show that the Saints push down their cap problems by just adding ghost years, it will catch up. The best way to make it sting less is hitting on those draft picks. You hit on them, you can swallow letting talent walk and gives fans an ease when the draft rolls along.
My Favorite Pick:
This was a good overall draft that picking one is tough. You don’t have those “Coach’s Project” that makes fans uneasy on how they’ll do. There is one risk swing, but that risk is from just life kicking a man when he was already down. But my favorite draft pick is edge rusher Isaiah Foskey.
I know many fans were probably clamoring for Georgia Tech defensive lineman Keion White, and many of draft nerds cite that when they pick on the Saints for taking Foskey, but this is my take. Foskey fits better for what the Saints want. Foskey is fast and explosive. When you pop open the tape, you see him fly off the line. He might not have a pass rush plan, but his athleticism is apparent. He uses his speed and length to work on his matchups. When looking at Keion White, he takes too long to get a sack. Especially on the edge. He is quick and explosive as an interior lineman, he’s okay as an edge. White would fit better had we landed Myles Murphy instead, and we would kick White inside as a 3T. Foskey is a pure edge rusher with a better ceiling. I like what he can become.