New Saints DC Joe Woods has been in the NFL a long time, but his arrival to the New Orleans Saints was greeted with something new.
It was a type of pre-draft scouting experience, spearheaded by Jeff Ireland and Mickey Loomis, that he'd never been a part of before.
"The draft process here from start to finish is really the best I’ve ever been around," Woods said. Everything from the way we get our draft prospects in terms of evaluating them, going to the combine, the pro days, the top 30 visits. It’s very thorough and Mickey and Jeff Ireland do a great job."
Listen to the full interview with Woods in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
Woods also finds himself in a different situation as he joins Dennis Allen's staff, as he'll enter a defensive coordinator role that doesn't include play-calling. DA will handle that, as he has in each of his xxx seasons in New Orleans, and it's a setup Woods is excited to work in. Woods is familiar with Allen from their shared days in Oakland back in 2014, and he's spent the past three years as the DC for the Cleveland Browns.
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"It gives me an opportunity to take a step back and look at how somebody else does it," Woods said. "Dennis has been doing a great job for a long time. I’ll have normal coordinator responsibilities, but I’ll be able to collaborate with DA about schemes, a different way I see things. But for him to call it, I’m totally comfortable with that. I want to learn as much football as I can.”
Woods says the coaching staff has a lot of input in the scouting process, and that's continued throughout the offseason. But on draft night? He's got a more simple assignment.
“I’ll be watching and cheering," he said. "I’m not greedy, but I want some defensive guys.”
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