The New Orleans Saints are always in the market to move around in the NFL draft, and 2023 was no different.
A move way up the board was never really on the table, but they had sussed out the cost of moving anywhere from 15 to 27. If the situation arose, they'd be ready. It never did. There were some surprise picks, a late WR run, and a Jeff Ireland formula that remains undefeated.
By the time the Bengals got on the clock at 28, the Saints knew there were two players they'd be perfectly fine with drafting. They waited their turn and landed Clemson DT Bryan Bresee. His former teammate, DE Myles Murphy, went a pick earlier.
"At the end of the day we felt like sitting there and letting one of the players that was in our group come to us," Saints head coach Dennis Allen said. "And we got one of the players that we were really excited about getting.”
The patience means that the Saints head into Day 2 of the draft still holding seven picks, a rarity by their standards. A year ago the Saints didn't pick in either the 3rd or 4th rounds due to multiple trades. It doesn't mean they'll make all those picks of course. They hold No. 40 and 71 and have ammunition to move around.
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So what did the Saints see in Bresee that drew them his direction?
“He’s big. He’s physical. He’s athletic. He’s really good on the move. I think he brings some pass rush ability inside, and he’s a smart kid," Allen said. "We went and spent an evening at dinner with him and several of the Clemson players, had a great visit at Clemson, and then had an opportunity to visit with him the next morning, put him through a workout at his facility. He did outstanding in every aspect of everything we put him through, from a physical standpoint, from a mental standpoint. He’s the type of person that we want to bring in the building, so I think he’s going to be a great addition for us.”
Allen is also quick to point out that the Saints' run defense was a weak spot last year, and it could be all the more important with the addition of Bijan Robinson to the Falcons at No. 8.
“It wasn’t up to our standard," he said. "That’s an area that we’ve got to improve on and I think adding some presence on the inside, I think is a step in the right direction.”
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Still, he wasn't the only option on the table. The Saints' methodology has them develop pods, or "clumps," as Allen called it, of players they expect could be available and they'd want to target at a particular spot. Those players weren't all defensive line prospects, even if that was a clear position of need.
The Saints even considered QB at 29, though it was highly unlikely they'd have ever landed there considering the addition of Derek Carr earlier this offseason.
“They were a couple of different positions," Allen said with a grin, "probably some that y’all would’ve yelled at us for taking. But it’s all right.”
In the end, the first round went mostly in line with what the Saints had planned, though there was a surprise or two. It wasn't a given that Bresee would even be available at the Saints pick. A late run on defensive tackle left him as one of the lone first-round talents left at DL, along with Georgia's Nolan Smith. The Bucs landed Pitt's Calijah Kancey at 19, and Michigan's Mazi Smith went to the Cowboys at 26. Smith and Kansas State's Felix Anudike-Uzomah rounded out the first round.
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"There’s a lot of experts with prognosticators on the draft and who’s going to go where," Allen said. "There’s 32 teams in the National Football League and there’s 32 different draft board. And again, like I said, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and so I don’t think anything really shocks me in our league in terms of where guys go.”
Patience was a virtue for the Saints on Day 1. Let's see how long that lasts.