It's draft day, finally! So that means one more mock draft before it's all said on done.
On today's Inside Black & Gold, Jeff Nowak and Steve Geller break down their final picks. Check out the full episode below:
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As always, all non-Saints picks were handled by Pro Football Focus' simulator, so the picks were made from the pool of available players left when the Saints got on the clock at 29, 40, 71 and so on.
Rather than list the entire board, in this post we'll go through and list the picks from each version of the mocks. Remember: We could only pick the players that were available to us on the board. For a fuller breakdown, listen to Inside Black & Gold.
STEVE'S PICKS
Mock 4.0 (4/26/2023)
- 29: Mazi Smith, DE, Michigan
- 40: Steve Avila, G, TCU
- 71: Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M
WHY: Getting back to the basics here and filling key needs with quality players. Mazi Smith was my first pick in this process for a reason, and he's available for me again here. It's a quality pick at a clear need. No reason to overthink it. My two biggest perceived needs beyond that are G and RB, and the two players I brought in can be key contributors in that group.
Mock 3.0 (4/12/2023)
- 29: O'Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida
- 40: Cam Smith, CB, S. Carolina
- 71: Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M
Mock 2.0 (3/24/2023)
- 29: Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
- 40: Josh Downs, WR, UNC
- 71: Eli Ricks, CB, Alabama
Mock 1.0 (2/24/2023)
- 29: Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
- 40: O'Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida
- 71: Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane
Related
JEFF'S PICKS
Mock 4.0 (4/26/2023)
- 29: Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson
- 40: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
- 70: Nathaniel Dell, WR, Houston
- 115: Andrew Vorhees, G, USC
- 146: Davis Allen, TE, Clemson
- 165: Olusegun Oluwatini, C, Michigan
- 227: Tyrus Wheat, DE, Miss. State
- 257: Tyson Bagent, QB, Shepherd
WHY: I went all seven rounds in this mock, but I'll be the first to say I'd be very surprised to see the Saints make all these picks. What could make sense is packaging the final four to try to nab a final player in the 4th round before turning to the UDFA pool. That said, this is the first time in this process that Bryan Bresee was on the board when I picked. In 3.0 I opted to trade up and took Calijah Kancey instead, but he makes a ton of sense for the Saints and they won't be scared off by injury issues (for better or worse). I'm not in love with my second pick of Jahmyr Gibbs, but I wanted to make a splash and nabbed the second RB on my board at a great value. I still think Isaiah Foskey is the more likely pick there. I also stuck with Tank Dell for the third straight mock. He's my favorite mid-round receiver in this draft and I'm sticking with it. From there it's anybody's guess. Andrew Vorhees was the best guard available in the 4th round, and I do need to start shoring up that position. I came away very impressed with Davis Allen at the Senior Bowl, and he'd fit in perfectly as a blocking TE with New Orleans. Olusegun Olawatimi is in the mold of Cesar Ruiz, and I think cross-training him at center/guard would be valuable depth. From there it's camp bodies.
Mock 3.0 (4/12/2023)
- *20: Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt
- *52: Isaiah Foskey, DE, Notre Dame
- 71: Nathaniel 'Tank' Dell, WR, Houston
- 115: Kendre Miller, RB, TCU
*trade:
- Saints send 29, 40, 2024 4th round pick to Seahawks
- Seahawks send 20, and 52 to Saints
Mock 2.0 (3/24/2023)
- 29: O'Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida
- 40: Isaiah Foskey, DE, Notre Dame
- 71: Nathaniel 'Tank' Dell, WR, Houston
Mock 1.0 (2/24/2023)
- 29: Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
- 40: Siaki Ika, DT, Baylor
- 71: Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
Related
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