The New Orleans Saints trade up again in the fourth round to select quarterback Jake Haener out of Fresno State at No. 127 overall, sending a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up 100 slots from their seventh rounder at No. 227.
In terms of play style, Haener gets a lot of Drew Brees comparisons. He’s a very smart, accurate quarterback. He projects to be a great backup in the NFL, but lacks some of the physical traits to really expect to grow into a starter in today’s NFL.
He was impressive at Fresno State, breaking a lot of Derek Carr’s records along the way. He posted a very impressive 68 to 18 touchdown to interception rate. He overcomes the lack of arm strength with his anticipation at times, but is still limited.
This is a much better pick than Ian Book in the fourth, but still isn’t someone you expect to see the field much any time soon.
Grade: C+
