“Short but sweet” will probably describe the New Orleans Saints draft after they aggressively moved up on Day 2 to add Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun and Dayton tight end Adam Trautman to a small draft class that began with Michigan offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz in the first round.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said they were able to come away with three players who were ranked among the top 40 on their board by the end of the night.
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Unless they pull any surprises on Day 3, New Orleans’ next task will be getting a head start on the class of potential undrafted rookie free agents, among whom they hope to find another gem like All-Pro rookie kick returner Deonte Harris in 2019.
Here’s The Athletic New Orleans’ instant analysis of the Trautman trade, from Saints writer Katherine Terrell and columnists Larry Holder and Jeff Duncan.
Terrell: The Saints were all smiles at the end of the draft, and I see why.
They were absolutely determined to get Zack Baun, to the point they were spending most of the second round on the phone, to no avail, and somehow got him anyway. And now they’ve added another playmaker for Drew Brees in Trautman, who had 70 catches for 916 yards and 14 touchdowns last year. Considering how much the Saints work their tight ends into their offense, I don’t see it as a consolation prize.
Quality over quantity is what Loomis touted.
And look, people can point to Marques Colston and Zach Strief all they want as examples of how late-round picks can contribute, but it’s certainly no sure thing. Remember Tavon Rooks? Marcel Jones? Rufus Johnson? Probably not. This is a deep roster, and it would have been difficult for any sort of big rookie class to break into the top 53.
Holder: The Saints walked into this draft with a sneaky need at tight end given the lack of depth behind veterans Jared Cook and Josh Hill. They went mini-Mike Ditka from the ’90s and full Bum Phillips from the ’80s by trading four picks (one in each of Rounds 4-7) to pluck Trautman.
Our own Dane Brugler rated Trautman as this year’s top tight end and No. 56 overall prospect: A four-year starter at Dayton, Trautman was the “Y” tight end in Dayton’s shotgun spread offense, lining up primarily detached and out wide. He leaves Dayton as the program’s all-time leading receiver, which is remarkable considering he spent the first 19 years of his life as a quarterback and his first reception for the Flyers (September 2016) was his first-ever catch in a football game in his life. Trautman is a fluid big man, and his basketball background shows at the catch point with his ability to adjust and attack. His routes need fine-tuning, and his blocking is based more on effort than technical understanding right now. Overall, Trautman doesn’t have the body of work versus top-level competition, but his athleticism and pass-catching traits for a player his size make him a highly intriguing prospect, projecting as a future NFL starter and top-75 draft pick.
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Duncan: I said before the draft that the Saints’ goal should be to find a way to come out of it with three of the top 100 picks. They had to wheel and deal away all of their Day 3 picks, but they made it happen.
This draft was the definition of quality over quantity. The Saints got three players in Brugler’s top 56-rated prospects: No. 36, Baun; No. 39, Ruiz; and No. 56, Trautman.
Their strategy makes perfect sense. The Saints have the most talented roster in the NFL. They needed to get elite players who were good enough to make their final 53, and you rarely find those guys in Rounds 5-7. Now they can focus their attention on the undrafted free-agent ranks and get a head start on the rest of the league.
I love all three of the Saints’ picks. The Trautman selection fills a need. With Jared Cook having just turned 33, the Saints needed a young player to groom behind the veteran and No. 2 guy, Josh Hill. Trautman is the top-rated one in the draft, according to Brugler. He’s a great athlete, a former basketball player and high school quarterback, and will give Payton another matchup player on the perimeter. I think the Saints will use him the way they did Dan Arnold in recent years, only Trautman is a bigger, more athletic player than Arnold.
I love what the Saints did in this draft. They came away with three high-quality players at positions of need. They managed to get value and need with each pick.
(Photo: Trevor Ruszkowski / USA Today)