When the Saints made a trade with the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft everyone instantly began thinking one thing; here comes the heir apparent. Moving from 27 to 14 and sacrificing a future first round selection usually means that you are making a big leap at a player who is going to be vital towards the future success of your franchise. Considering the day and age we live in where quarterbacks with third round talent are taken in the first round, you could not help but think that the Saints were about to draft Lamar Jackson as the successor to future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.
Luckily for Saints fans, this did not happen. Instead, the Saints moved up all of those spots in the order and gave up next year’s first rounder to a conference rival so they could select a player who would instantly make an impact instead of sitting behind a legend. The Saints moved up to number 14 in the draft so they could draft Marcus Davenport, a defensive end out of UT-San Antonio. The argument can be made that this trade was made in haste. The argument can be made that the Saints were reaching here. But the thing that cannot be argued is that the Saints were going for the gusto in 2018 with this move.
You are going to read a ton of blogs and news articles about who “won and lost” during the NFL Draft. The general feeling about an NFL Draft is that conservative moves and taking what is given to you is the best approach. Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis do not subscribe to this philosophy and after the last two drafts they have had, they did not plan on going against their own draft ideology. So while many will bash a trade that mortgages a future pick on a relatively unheralded player from a small school, I will not judge the pick because as it goes for any pick in the NFL Draft, the verdict cannot come until a few years down the line. What you should judge when grading an NFL Draft is how a team and the people in charge formulate a coherent game plan and execute that game plan. The reason why the Saints won the first round is because they were themselves. They were aggressive and they made a move that they truly believe will help this team immediately as they begin a journey towards a very realistic championship this coming season.
If a player checks the proverbial boxes and has all of the measurables like size, speed, and strength while also being a person who you do not believe will cause headaches on or off the field, then drafting that player with the belief that they will be a positive contributor to your team is a win. It does not matter what team we are talking about. Whether it is an aggressive bunch like the Saints or even perennial laughing stocks like the Browns, if a team believes in a player, you cannot call them “losers” on Draft Day. Sure some players seem riskier than others, and I definitely think the Saints took a risk by moving up to finally get the guy who will help ease the load from Cam Jordan; but as the old saying goes: with no risk comes no reward.
– Alan Michael
The New Orleans Saints move up to grab Marcus Davenport, who racked up 51 total pressures in 2017 #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/70GaGtIHHn
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 27, 2018