The New Orleans Saints weren’t exactly subtle on Thursday night about their next need: They were trading up to get a player they wanted on Friday, and there was a good chance it would be a linebacker.
They managed to control their trigger finger through the entire second round but finally moved up in the third, swapping picks with the Browns and sending them a 2021 third-round pick in exchange for a seventh-round pick and Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun, whom The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had ranked as his fourth overall linebacker in the draft.
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Brugler approved of the fit with New Orleans, writing: “The Saints found steals in the early rounds last year with Erik McCoy and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and they do it again with Baun.”
Baun said in a conference call with New Orleans media on Friday night that he has no idea why he slipped to the third round, but he was thrilled to be with the Saints. Not only does it feel like good value for the pick, but it fulfills a need.
Here’s our instant analysis of the pick, from Saints writer Katherine Terrell and columnists Larry Holder and Jeff Duncan.
Terrell: We all knew the Saints were trading up at some point on Day 2. I’m certainly intrigued by the pick.
At surface level, they fulfilled a need: They said they wanted a linebacker and got one. But I’m incredibly curious about how they’re going to use Baun, who said Friday night that people see him as an “undersized edge.”
Baun said he’s most comfortable as an edge rusher, where he spent most of his time in college, but touted his versatility and said he’s comfortable in coverage. The Saints wouldn’t have moved up for him if they didn’t think there were a number of ways they could use him. Many pundits had Baun potentially going earlier in the draft, so it’s possible the Saints got a steal with this pick.
Holder: Position need + perceived value = nice move for the Saints with Baun.
Brugler rated the former Wisconsin standout as the No. 4 linebacker in the draft and the No. 36 overall prospect. It’s really hard to argue against the Saints moving up from No. 88 to No. 74 to select Baun. I’m curious to see how he’s used, though. Maybe he’s a strongside linebacker in the Saints’ 4-3 defense and stays on the field with Demario Davis. I’m thinking 2017 third-rounder Alex Anzalone will have something to say about that. But Baun should be a pass-rush threat with 12½ sacks as a 3-4 outside linebacker last season.
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Brugler’s analysis: “Despite his sack production in college, he will be an off-ball linebacker in the NFL and defensive play-callers will need to be creative with how they allow him to rush. A fantastic space athlete, Baun has the natural burst and loose hips to be deployed across the formation, handling open-field responsibilities. He consistently affects the game with his active play style and effort, but he rushes and covers more on instinct than technical know-how right now. Overall, Baun’s evaluation requires some projection because he won’t be a full-time rusher in the NFL, but he displays the fluid athleticism, smarts and motor to line up as a stack linebacker and nickel pass rusher, projecting as a top-40 prospect.”
The price of the trade adds up fine as well. Moving up to No. 74 should cost No. 88 and a 2021 third-rounder. New Orleans also added a seventh-rounder on Saturday. The Saints can also finally take advantage of a compensatory pick in 2021, as they’ll likely add a third-rounder after losing Teddy Bridgewater.
Duncan: For the second day in a row, I love the Saints’ selection. In fact, I actually picked Baun to the Saints in my mock draft for Pro Football Focus last week (albeit two rounds earlier).
But Baun is a Saints kind of player. He’s a smart, tough guy with high football intelligence, the kind of guy who doesn’t repeat mistakes.
At 6-feet 2, 236 pounds, he fits the Saints’ prototype for the position and is one of the most athletic linebackers in the draft. He came to Wisconsin as a former high school quarterback and was switched to linebacker, where he developed into a star. He’ll be making a transition as an outside linebacker/edge rusher in Wisconsin’s 3-4 scheme to an off-ball linebacker in the Saints’ 4-3 system, but clearly the Saints defensive staff had a conviction on him and is confident he can make the move.
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Joe Schobert, who played the position before Baun at Wisconsin, made a successful transition to the NFL and eventually made the Pro Bowl in Cleveland. Baun fills the Saints’ need for an off-ball linebacker and gives the team much-needed youth and athleticism at the position.
At No. 74, he was a tremendous value pick, as some analysts projected him as a late first-round pick. He suffered a broken left foot that sidelined him for his entire 2017 season and some teams red-flagged him medically because of it. That’s one of the reasons he fell so far in the draft. But the Saints have not been afraid to take medical risks on draft prospects in the past, and I can only assume their medical staff cleared him.
So how does Baun project to the Saints? I see him basically as a defensive version of Taysom Hill. In fact, he is almost identical in size to the Saints’ backup quarterback. And I see defensive coordinator Dennis Allen using him in a similar fashion, as a Swiss Army knife chess piece in the front seven.
Versatility has become the name of the game in the NFL, and it has become a game of matchups. I don’t know if the Saints would entrust Baun to defend tight ends in pass coverage, but he certainly has the size and speed to match up with them athletically. If this is the Saints’ answer to the Rob Gronkowski and Hayden Hurst signings in Tampa Bay and Atlanta, respectively, it’s not a bad one.
(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)