Saints: Mickey Loomis sends clear message in 2020 NFL Draft

The New Orleans Saints had four picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, and general manager Mickey Loomis sent a crystal clear message with them.

In the past few seasons, the New Orleans Saints have been primarily led by players they’ve drafted. Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and many others were picked up by New Orleans in the draft.

Now, it’s time for the next wave to be ushered in.

The team kicked off the draft by snagging offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz. This pick was a complete surprise as Patrick Queen was still on the board and would’ve solved a huge need at linebacker. However, the Saints knew one thing, and that’s how important the offensive line is.

They re-signed Andrus Peat and brought in Ruiz. The Saints will have one of the best o-lines in the league this coming season, and after a horrific playoff loss partially blamed on insufficient play upfront, the Saints needed the security.

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The second pick, at No. 74, was Zack Baun. Baun is a solid outside linebacker that will undoubtedly be used to create havoc in the backfield. He fills a huge hole for the Saints in the middle of the field as most of their current linebackers will hit free agency in 2021.

Then, the team picked Adam Trautman, trading multiple picks to move back up into the third round. They then snagged Tommy Stevens in the seventh round. It was, all-in-all, a successful draft for New Orleans.

General manager Mickey Loomis sent two clear messages with his four picks.

No. 1 is that he’s going to get who he wants when he wants them. He traded up, traded future picks, traded picks in the draft and just continued to stay active with deals. They had these players pegged on their big board and weren’t letting them go.

No. 2 is that he’s looking for talent, not quantity, in picks. Some teams had double-digit picks.

That’s not the New Orleans Saints style.

It’s unlikely that ten players would even qualify for their roster given the talent and depth at almost every position. That’s why the Saints brought in quality, not quantity, trading picks to gain their person of interest.

The Saints knocked this draft out of the park and have set themselves up very well entering 2020.