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.