The Saints Have No Reason To Draft A Quarterback In 2017
By Dean Mullen
There are so many rumors floating around about the Saints around this time of the year. With much of the talk focusing on a possible trade of Brandin Cooks, there is also plenty of curiosity on who will replace Drew Brees. The departure may not happen this year or the next. Regardless, this year is simply not worth a draft pick.
Here is just one of many quarterback rankings put together by Draftek.com. The list includes the top quarterbacks like Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, and Brad Kaaya. Furthermore, there is the other end of the board, which includes players that would love to be drafted. Most of them will be lucky enough to get an invite to try and make a roster.
In my opinion, the class is really light after the first few picks go off the board. Presently, the Saints have only one draft pick. That could change if Brandin Cooks gets traded. The experts are mostly in agreement that Cooks is worth closer to a second rounder. At any rate, the Saints would add an extra draft pick to mull over in 2017.
There is plenty of evidence to support the weakness in the class this year. Additionally, there is another reason to believe that the quarterbacks that will play in future Super Bowls won’t come from the first or second round. Just take the last four years. Taking in consideration that the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks made up for half of the Super Bowl teams. The two quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Tom Brady got drafted in the 3rd and 6th round.
This fact is unsettling. With all the NFL Combine skills tests, Pro Days, interviews, etc. One would think that this scenario doesn’t occur that often. In other words, there is no such thing as a franchise quarterback being guaranteed coming out in the first round or even the first pick.
Take a look at just the #1 pick in every round since 2015. In over 25 years, the only quarterbacks that were taken in the first round that won a Super Bowl was Peyton and Eli Manning. Ironically, the two brothers in the mix.
The point is this. Winning the quarterback lottery is just that. There are plenty of bouncing balls flying around in the drums. Experts can say or believe what they want. The fact of the matter is, there is no way to diagnose the future of a quarterback star. Scouts do their homework and coaches evaluate. In the end, the facts support that quarterbacks come from different places and draft levels.
The Black and Gold will be better off taking in an undrafted free agent into camp this year. Even if a trade goes through, the early picks are needed to upgrade the offense. Moreover, the draft this year is too deep for defensive upgrades. Remember Drew Brees wasn’t exactly recruited highly after his injury. Most would say he turned out OK. Furthermore, Warren Moon and Kurt Warner weren’t even drafted. The key will be finding the right fit for your system and getting a little but of lady luck. Surely, no coach would agree on that last statement but it’s true.