They both really seemed to like the Fautanu guy from Washington. (I'm not sure this was a true mock as much as them just talking about guys at certain positions, and these are not meant to reflect my personal takes at all btw). Thought he was probably the most versatile OL in the draft and the guy most guaranteed not to bust as an NFL OL, though not sure where he'd settle. They thought he could play tackle at "only" 6'4" and would be devastating in the run game. But that may be too short for some teams to take a tackle at 14. It probably would have been for the Saints before the new offensive staff was hired. Maybe they've adjusted the traits they're looking for.

But this dude is ranked consensus 18. How bad would this place freak out if the Saints took him at 14 if Fashanu (10), Fuaga (13), and Latham (16) were still there? Not that he would be a reach at 14, but that "we could have traded back to 18, gotten another pick, and STILL got him!!" Putting aside the fact that you need a trade partner, what if the Saints just really like Fautanu and have him ranked significantly higher than those other 3 and don't want to take that chance? If we love him that much, chances are some other team does too. Any fan who says "we could have traded back (however many spots) and still got "insert specific player" is a fricking moron. All it takes is 1.

You want to play the value game to a certain extent, of course--The Broncos should't take Michael Pratt at 12, no matter how much Sean may like him--but not at the expense of losing the right player. There's been a little buzz lately on the Yale tackle who's ranked 71 on here. What if the Saints have him ranked as the #1 tackle on their board, #12 overall, and he's BPA when we pick at 14? AND Alt is still there? But they like the Yale kid more. (What the frick with the names of all these tackles this year? Jesus Christ.).

Do they take Alt (cause he's the better perceived value and will get you a better grade from the draft experts and fanbase) and cross your fingers you were the only team to properly identify and evaluate him and he's still there at 45? Are you willing to take a player you like less higher because you know he won't be available when you pick again, but the player you actually like better might? You don't want to be reckless with pick value, but you also don't want to be reckless in thinking you know every other team's board. Because all it takes is 1.

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Posted by Hot Carl

Prayers up for 3

Member since Dec 2005

59439 posts

Posted on 4/9/24 at 9:37 am to Hot Carl

I don't know. I'm as guilty as anyone. I'm no expert talent evaluator. I could be talked into or out of just about anybody we take or pass on. As a matter of fact, I'm almost certain I will, because I do it every year. Every single year. But I don't care about the draft grade (well, maybe a little). You could get an "A" on all these mock site's grades by just taking their big boards' BPAs every time you pick. Just set it to auto draft like in fantasy football.

But I like that the Saints have a vision and certain physical and character traits they're looking for, typically put BPA ahead of need, believe in their ability to identify guys no matter what school they come from or how recognizable their names are, and seemingly make picks with strong conviction. They don't care about anybody's grades but their own. That's how you get drafts like the '06, '16, and '17 classes. Unfortunately, it's also how you get the '14 and '15 ones. But I'd rather us be aggressive. Granted, it was a lot easier to draft that way with Drew and Sean. They were great insurance and could cover up some whiffs on some drafts. Not so much now, though.

This one is going to be so interesting. DA has to hit on almost every pick. We need to come away with 2 starters, 2 others in the 2-deep, and another 1 that makes the roster. Like 5 of the 53 need to come from this draft or UDFA class. And that's gonna be hard without a 3rd or 4th rounder. And how much power will DA even have? You can't cut your coach off at the knees and hamstring him in a year where he's fighting to keep his job. But you also can't forfeit what's best for the future of by drafting strictly for what would help the '24 team the most. Who will wield the most power in that draft room that weekend? It would be fascinating to get a peak behind the curtain.

I don't think Mickey knows much about personnel (and he knows it), he just defaulted those decisions to Sean and now DA and let them know about the financial implications--I'm sure he's vetoed a small handful of signings and picks based on money we've had tied up into certain positions, but I doubt ever on personnel. Is this year going to be different? Does Jeff Ireland have a stronger voice? I'm sure he's always been heard, and him and Sean likely had some pretty intense, pressure-filled "discussions" when we were on the clock, but I think Sean always had the final say. He had so much political capital from basically Day 1 until he left. His job was never in danger. He was always gonna be back and have to be the one to eat his draft day decisions. But again, what about DA?

I think maybe the most fascinating thing about the power structure of this year's "War Room" is not just that DA is likely on the hot seat and this could very well be his final year, but did they already hire his replacement in Kubiak and will he be in the room, planning a coup, plotting his usurpation.