2023 NFL Draft went exactly how it should have for Saints

The New Orleans Saints did exactly what they needed to during the 2023 NFL Draft. Now it's time for the newest Saints players to prove it on the field.

Coming into the 2023 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints had a lot of holes to fill, particularly in the trenches. It wasn't that the units were devoid of talent, it's just that the Saints front lines on both sides of the ball were pretty much gutted in free agency.

Fortunately, the Saints handled everything during the Draft with great aplomb.

We had listed out some, shall we say, "checklists" that we felt the Saints had to do during the Draft, and it appeared that fans agreed. It also seems that Mickey Loomis and company were on a similar wavelength as their following, which is nothing to sneeze at.

In three of the first Saints four picks, they addressed the trenches. It started with defensive tackle Bryan Bresee out of Clemson in the first round, and continued with Notre Dame edge-rusher Isaiah Foskey in the second round with Old Dominion's Nick Saldiveri, a guard, being taken in the fourth.

Given what happened to the defensive line in free agency, and the uncertain futures of the players that make up the interior of the Saints offensive line, this was a smart strategy. As this writer likes to beat into the skull of his readers, games are won and lost in the trenches.

The Saints also added running back Kendre Miller out of TCU in the third round. Miller could become something of a steal, and his angry running style should make him a popular player in the Big Easy. Given everything that's going on with Alvin Kamara, addressing the running back room was wise.

Speaking of players clouded in mystery, there's also Michael Thomas. In the sixth round, the Saints took wide receiver A.T. Perry out of Wake Forest with their final draft pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. For nothing else then another potential body in the room, regardless of what happens with Thomas, wide receiver was a position that needed to be touched on. The secondary was another position group that could have used some bodies, so the decision to draft safety Jordan Howden out of Minnesota made sense.

Then there's quarterback. Jake Haener out of Fresno State was the Saints second pick in the fourth round, and now the Saints have a young quarterback in their building they can potentially develop, and one that can sit behind Derek Carr and learn.

All and all, we don't know anything about how each draft class will look until the players actually take the field. On paper though, the New Orleans Saints knocked the 2023 NFL Draft out of the park when it comes to addressing what they needed to.