The New Orleans Saints could trade up or down in the first round of the NFL Draft, or any other round for that matter, as is the case every year. However, Mickey Loomis, the executive vice president and general manager, stated on Tuesday that New Orleans will be content if it stays put and selects 14th in the first round.
“Yes,” Loomis said in response to the question of whether the Saints could choose a good player at 14. Indeed. Yes, I believe we’re going to acquire a tremendously talented guy.”
The first round of the NFL Draft will take place on Thursday, the second and third rounds on Friday, and the fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday. The draft will take place in Detroit, Michigan, from April 25 to 27.
With the current order of selection, the Saints are positioned with the Nos. 14 (first round), 45 (second), 150, 168, 170, 175 (fifth), 190, 199 (sixth), and 239 (seventh). During his predraft news conference, Loomis spoke to the media from the Ochsner Sports Performance Centre.
He discussed why, during his time in office, the Saints had mostly traded up rather than down.
“Every year I say we’re willing to do either way and then I’m like, 15-0 going up, right?” stated Loomis. “I find it difficult to consistently state that I’m willing to trade back when I haven’t done so in a while.
“In certain situations, I believe it makes sense to drop back in order to receive more picks. In our case, I believe that most of the time it has just been a step too far back. If you go back two, three, or four places, the player’s level is most likely comparable.
Moving back eight to ten (spots) usually indicates that you’re falling behind in a class, in my opinion. It’s just difficult for me to understand acquiring a less talented player if you have faith in your board and the assessments completed by your staff. Therefore, the fact that I firmly believe in the assessment procedure we employ contributes to its complexity.”
He claimed that the 2024 draft class is more offensive than defensive.
“I believe that attacking guys are having a terrific year. That’s probably how I would phrase it,” Loomis remarked. “A bit more proficient on offence than defence, but I have no doubt that in three or four years, we will reflect on this draft and wonder, ‘Why didn’t we notice that?’ Some outstanding defensive players will emerge. Or, “It ought to have been apparent.”
“I believe that wide receivers and the offensive line are both strong points in this draft. However, players exist for every position. All that matters is how we perceive them in comparison to some of these other clubs.”
Maybe the first position in the draft that New Orleans would target, at No. 14 or wherever the team ends up, is offensive tackle.
The position of left tackle is still up in the air because Trevor Penning, a first-round pick (No. 19 overall) in 2022, has struggled with injuries and execution, and veteran Andrus Peat is a free agent. Three-time All-Pro right lineman Ryan Ramczyk was drafted in 2017; however, his recovery from offseason knee surgery hasn’t gone as well as planned.
According to Loomis, Penning is still considered a tackle by the team.
“I think (his offseason) has gone well and there’s a lot of offseason left here,” Penning told him. “We have a new offensive staff, new offensive line coaches and I think they’re anxious to get to work with him once we’re able to get on the field.”
Regarding Ramczyk, Loomis remarked, “At this point, there are a lot of variables outside of our control. We’re not really thinking about that in-depth, in my opinion. Since Coach Dennis Allen stated that Ramczyk was recovering slowly following surgery, not much has changed. We still have a lot of time left, though.”
Loomis added that the Saints might try to bridge the 105-selection difference between their second- and fifth-round selections.
“I wouldn’t say that we’re spending a lot of time thinking about that right now,” he stated. “As of right now, the first round of the draft is held on Thursday, followed by the second and third rounds on Friday. We therefore have the entire evening—actually, the entire day—to plan how to proceed with the third and fourth rounds.
“And, as you can see, some of that is dependent on the players who are available. Is moving up really what we want? You don’t now spend a lot of time on that process. Numerous factors are involved. Right now, our attention is on what will happen with those top two picks in the first and second rounds.”
The team will also investigate the costs and benefits of sliding back vs moving forward from 14.
“We are currently at 14. “I’m going to examine the requirements for reaching 13, as well as those for reaching 12, 11, 10, 9, and 8,” declared Loomis. “I would probably cut it off at that point. How far back are we willing to go? I’ll go back. I will usually glance ten spots ahead and ten positions behind.
“And for the next few days, I’m going to be asking myself, ‘What’s the point of that?’ a lot. How much longer is it taking? What is the history of someone trading from, say, 14 to 10 or 9 or whatever? And what is the background of returning from 14 to 20?
“So, I’ll be thinking, ‘What does it take?’ Not just for me, but also for our personnel. And after that, over the course of the following two or three days, a lot of calls titled “Hey, what are you thinking?” will be made to the general managers of the teams in front of us and the ones behind us. Are you feeling inclined to speak up? Would you feel inclined to return? Thus, we’ll have a notion.
“And notice that this is what all GMs do. We’ll be aware of potential offerings. It then gets a little more urgent on the day of the draft while you’re working. That’s how it works. It isn’t ideal.
LATT STATUS: Despite trade rumours, Loomis stated he believes Marshon Lattimore, a cornerback, will remain on the New Orleans roster.
“This is not specific to Marshon, but there are always conversations about all kinds of players,” he stated.
“Anybody can be traded; it all depends on the offer you receive. However, that isn’t very typical. I don’t enjoy making a lot of trades. Trading players that have helped us out is something I dislike doing. We’ve made deals in the past, but I want to make the most of the players on our squad. What-if scenarios abound in this situation, though.
“Trading players you already have or acquiring players is not as common as many may believe. Not nearly as many opportunities exist as you may believe. Things are discussed, but there aren’t many opportunities that present themselves. There seems to be a misconception, in my opinion, that you can swap anything for anything over the phone.
And that’s simply untrue. Numerous factors are involved; the replacement and the pay cap make things challenging. You must acquire a replacement player if you deal away a player. There are simply a lot of factors. These kids have received a great deal of time and guidance from you, and we want them to succeed here.”
KEEP A WEATHER EYE: According to Loomis, the Saints will continue to be active in the free agent market following the draft.
“There are some good players out there that haven’t found a home yet, so I’d say we’re going to be in the mix,” he stated.
