![]() The Saints also traded their fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-round selections to acquire Trautman, their backup tight end who has drawn 13 targets in 13 games this year. New Orleans later traded away their third-round picks in 20 because they so badly needed Baun, a Wisconsin pass rusher who they decided to convert to a stand-up linebacker role and who has only joined the defense on the field 56 times this year, logging more snaps in coverage (10) than as a pass rusher (7), per Pro Football Focus. That doesn’t change the fact that the Saints could have made an easy move up the draft board to land a big upgrade at a position of need. ![]() They do deserve a mulligan for Michael Thomas dealing with a season-long injury, Emmanuel Sanders catching COVID-19, and, sure, Drew Brees missing a month. Even the humblest projections for Jefferson would have outperformed what their patchwork receiving corps has accomplished. Who’s to say what happens both players get a full offseason of work with opponents having plenty of game tape to study and prepare with?īut for now, it sure seems like the Saints botched this. Ruiz might move back to his natural position in 2021 and earn All-Pro notice for the next decade. Jefferson could regress closer to the modest expectations he faced coming out of college. Maybe this all looks different in a few years. He’s only getting first-team reps right now because the veteran he couldn’t displace, Nick Easton, has been sidelined by a concussion. Given how poorly the banged-up Saints receiving corps has played late this season, it’s easy to question their decision to stand pat and draft Michigan center Cesar Ruiz, who was converted to right guard in training camp and still hasn’t won that starting job. 22 in this year’s draft, while the Saints settled for Ruiz at No. ![]() Jefferson starred in a similar offense just up the road at LSU, and he was a popular connection to New Orleans in mock drafts after looking like such a simple fit to their system. The rookie Pro Bowler has been prolific for the Minnesota Vikings, breaking the record Randy Moss set for first-year receptions (73 and counting) while closing in on his receiving yards mark, too (Jefferson has 1,182 Moss had 1,313 as a rookie). So why couldn’t Payton move up two or three spots to add Justin Jefferson? His team has made bold moves to acquire players like Marcus Davenport, and even this year twice moved up the board to go get Zack Baun and Adam Trautman. He burned a future pick just to spite a former assistant in acquiring a prospect they coveted. ![]() New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has earned a reputation as one of the more aggressive draft-day traders around the NFL these days, and for good reason. ![]()
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