Missed draft picks will throw a lot into question, even long-held scouting beliefs that have helped the Saints identify key contributors over an extended period.
That said, as college prospects change and the NFL industrial complex adjusts its strategies, there are certain things that have to change with it, and others that simply can't.
"There’s some things that I don’t go too far from what I’ve learned," Saints assistant GM and scouting director Jeff Ireland said at the Senior Bowl this week. "There’s a lot of Parcellian things that I’ve learned that I’m not going to veer too far off of, makeup, intelligence, things like that. But the sizes of players are changing. Skillsets are changing, and so you have to evolve to make sure you’re getting the best athletes on the field.”
Some of those markers are obvious. The linebacker position has notably gotten smaller and more athletic. In the years past, Ireland said he'd be looking for 235-pound linebackers. Now you'd be hard pressed to find many linebackers coming out of college at that weight, with a majority down in the 220s.
The adjustment the Saints seem to have been less keen to make is at edge rusher. The 6-4, 270-pound defensive ends with long arms are a lot harder to find these days, with the priority seemingly prioritizing speed first and power second, rather than the opposite. The last three edge rushers the Saints have prioritized are Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey, each of whom came out of college standing taller than 6-5 and weighing above 264 pounds.
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The past two seasons, out of necessity more than anything else, the Saints have used the linebacker position to pressure the passer more than ever. In 2022 it was Kaden Elliss. In 2023 it was Zack Baun. It's fair to wonder if the Saints might see that as a bit of a sea change in terms of how they use those players, and Ireland indicated that certainly could be the case.
"I still think you have to play with power, but they come in all shapes and sizes and you have to be ready to have a really clear vision for how are you going to utilize that player," he said.
At the end of the day the prototype won't matter if the prototypical player can't get on the field, though. Davenport, Turner and Foskey have combined to play in 86 of 150 potential games. Davenport departed to join the Vikings in free agency, and his injury luck didn't improve. The Saints picked Foskey in the second round out of Notre Dame, and he wasn't able to make much of an impact before missing much of the second half of the year. Turner has played in 15 games in 3 years, effectively bookending this past season with appearances in Week 1 and Week 18 surrounding a major foot injury.
The Saints have gotten by with the paragon of health in Cam Jordan as a mainstay on the defensive line, along with the development of Carl Granderson, a UDFA out of Wyoming who led the Saints with a career high 8.5 sacks in the 2023 season.
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There's certainly frustration, but no clear correlation to the injuries, Ireland said.
"You just don’t know about the durability and the availability," he said. "That’s the unknown in this sport. Injuries are part of this sport. You can’t predict them. Whatever injury he had in college is a different injury than he’s had in the pros and you can’t predict those things. I wish we could. We do a lot of evaluation and analytical study on injuries and things like that, and there’s …no predictor of it. It’s unfortunate.”
At this year's Senior Bowl, there isn't a single edge rusher prospect that tops 270 pounds. If the Saints do end up trying to bolster that position again, they'll hope for better injury luck, regardless of the number on the scale.
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MORE FROM JEFF IRELAND
How will losing Cody Rager affect the scouting staff?
The Saints assistant scouting director is departing for a new role with the Broncos.
“I’m not throwing up the white towel or anything. I mean, goodness gracious. Cody is a talented, young scout. He’s been with me since the Miami days. I’m really excited for him to start a new journey for the Denver Broncos, but we’re gonna be just fine. We’ve got a lot of great scouts and a lot of young guys that are elevating up and I look forward to teaching another young guy and, you know, but we’re gonna be just fine.”
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On Pete Carmichael rejoining Sean Payton in Denver
“Look, Pete is an unbelievable person, an unbelievable coach. We’re gonna miss him. He’s been a lot to me, just in terms of how we see things eye to eye. He had a really clear vision for what he was looking for, and I wish him well. I’m not surprised that Sean brought him over and that tandem was awfully good for a long, long time, so I wish him the best, obviously.”
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On interview process with Chargers
Ireland interviewed for the Chargers GM opening, a job that ultimately went to Joe Hortiz.
“It’s a great process. It’s energizing. It’s exciting. I felt like I had a great interview with those guys. I really appreciate the Spanos family for interviewing me, but look, there’s only 32 of them, probably less than that when you’ve got ownership involved. But it was energizing. It was fun to prepare for. It was fun to really dive into a team as much as you do when you prepare for those jobs that I normally probably wouldn’t do if I’m not interviewing for a job. So it was a lot of fun.”
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