New Orleans Saints continue to fill holes, select Ian Book with fourth-round pick
The New Orleans Saints have surprised many over the last couple of days. Houston defensive end Payton Turner in the first round may have been a reach, but he’s a 6-foot-5 pass rusher that the Saints are high on.
After Turner, the Saints added Ohio State linebacker Pete Werner with the 60th pick and then Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo in the third round. All three on the defensive side of the ball, the Saints turned their focus to the offensive side of the ball in the fourth round.
With the 133rd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints select first offensive weapon in quarterback Ian Book from Notre Dame.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Saints lost Drew Brees, Jared Cook, Nick Easton, Emmanuel Sanders, and Josh Hill. While the Saints have ample replacements for all five, they do still need to cement depth at a few positions which is what they did.
Book, over his last two seasons at Notre Dame, threw for 49 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. His numbers weren’t insane, but he did near 6,000 yards between the two seasons and also neared a 65 percent completion rate.
Book has the most wins in Notre Dame history, so he’s a proven winner. That should mean something as the Saints also have the best record in the NFL over the past four seasons. Hopefully, that attitude and understanding can translate to the NFL.
Given that he’ll be behind Jamies Winston and Taysom Hill, the Saints are trying to find a diamond in the rough that they’ll be able to let grow. Book has athleticism on his side as well, rushing for over 1,000 his last two seasons.
Book was another talent that the team was able to evaluate at the Senior Bowl as well.
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Book is a pretty raw talent and needs to become a better passer, but he has time on his side. In a place like the Big Easy, he should get the support and mentorship that will allow him to take his game to the next level.