The 2021 NFL draft marked the first draft the New Orleans Saints had without future Hall of fame quarterback Drew Brees.
Brees retired in the off-season and the Saints are now in a difficult spot especially with the cap room situation. They had a chance to improve the team through the draft but reached on a couple picks making it harder for the roster to get better. New Orleans draft may be a set back for the team trying to make another playoff appearance this season.
In free agency the Saints had to make some cuts due to there cap space. They cut cornerback Janoris Jenkins, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, and linebacker Kwon Alexander. They were able to make some re-signings and a sign a few new players but nothing drastic. Jameis Winston was the most notable re-signing as he has a chance to start at quarterback and compete with Taysom Hill. The draft was a chance for New Orleans to add to the team and they made a couple reaches and mistakes.
Saints NFL draft mistakes:
2. Quarterback Ian Book
With the Saints 4th round selection they took quarterback Ian Book from Notre Dame. Book was projected to go in the 6th or 7th round and the Saints took him early. While he may fit the prototypical build that head coach Sean Payton likes in a quarterback he is not the answer. Book will compete for the third string spot on the roster this season with Trevor Semien as Hill and Winston will be above him in the depth chart. He could develop into a solid backup in the NFL but he was not worth the 4th round selection. New Orleans needed to add talent all over the team including at wide receiver but they instead reached for a quarterback who won't play if at all this season.
1. Defensive End Payton Turner
Although Payton Turner has a ton of potential the pick doesn't make too much sense for the Saints. They selected him in the first round despite having tons of talent and depth at the defensive end position. With so many other positions of need this pick seemed like a waste unless they plan to move on from another defensive end which is unlikely. Addressing a hole on the team would of been wise as Turner will likely not see many snaps in his rookie season behind Pro Bowler Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport. With a big need at receiver and cornerback this pick didn't make sense and may haunt the Saints throughout the season.
New Orleans was in a great position to improve the roster in the draft and they messed it up. Book and Turner will both likely be backups this season and perhaps even further into the future. With other position of needs available at those spots it will be hard for the Saints to look back at these picks. The Saints first season without Drew Brees will be even tougher now by not improving the roster in the draft.
Look for the Saints to take a drastic drop in production following the draft.
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