It’s the eve of the 2023 NFL draft, and New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis shared some insight for fans to consider in the final hours leading up to the annual selection event at his pre-draft press conference (you can watch the full thing here), though as always he keeping his most important cards close to his vest. Here are seven takeaways from his conversation with local media on Wednesday:
1
Positions of depth
When asked for which position groups stand out as particularly deep, Loomis said that the classes “are a little deeper than normal in our view” at tight end, cornerback, and quarterback. He also feels like it’s “a good group” at defensive tackle. There are a lot of prospects projected to go in the top-100 picks at those first two positions, and there’s a lot of optimism surrounding this year’s mid-round quarterbacks.
2
Odds of a trade?
"Right now, we have 8 picks" 👀#SaintsDraft pic.twitter.com/1awLMvrHYZ
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) April 26, 2023
Loomis grinned and clarified that the Saints do have eight draft picks, “Right now,” and that he’ll begin talking with other general managers around the league on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning to gauge interest in moving down in the draft order. He said it’s easier to hammer out deals with other executives he’s dealt with in the past, and that those conversations often include haggling on trade parameters to save time during the draft itself.
3
Why not trade down?
The Saints haven’t traded down since 2007, and that’s part of the Saints draft philosophy. If they don’t have a prospect worthy of a certain pick, they feel it’s because they didn’t properly evaluate their options. Loomis says they believe in trusting their big board and either staying put or getting in position to add a player they think highly of: “Find somebody you love and go get them. If you think you can get them where you’re at, then you stay where you’re at.”
4
Draft-day priorities
The Saints use a system of “musts, needs, and wants” to determine their offseason to-do list, and Loomis spoke highly of the work they’ve done to this point, saying: “We don’t have any musts. We have things that we’d like to have.”
Loomis added that the Saints don’t eliminate prospects from their board based on the strength of their depth chart, pointing to the decision to draft Deuce McAllister when they already had Ricky Williams on the roster.
5
Cesar Ruiz fifth-year option
The Saints are facing a May 2 deadline to choose whether to pick up the fifth-year option for Ruiz in 2024, which would be expensive at more than $14.7 million. Loomis said the Saints have already determined which direction they’ll go on that front but he declined to disclose it publicly. Speaking objectively, it would make more sense to sign Ruiz to an extension rather than pick up that option.
6
Concerns on Alvin Kamara's legal situation
Kamara will likely miss the start of training camp while attending court dates in Las Vegas, and he’s probably going to miss time with an NFL suspension once his battery case is resolved. Loomis said that it’s a concern because it’s a situation which impacts their team, but he doesn’t expect it will be a big factor towards any decisions the team makes during the draft, pointing out that it’s a “Short-term, temporary” challenge to overcome when and if Kamara is unavailable.
7
What's in a scouting report?
One day before the NFL Draft MOOOOOD.
Let us know who y'all want ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/9fnlS6DMuo
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) April 26, 2023
Beyond physical ability seen on game tape and measured on athletic testing, Loomis emphasized “Coachability, being good in the community, a good teammate, being a pro, working on your craft, recognizing your strengths and weaknesses, and being willing to work on them,” as points they look to learn about for each prospect on their board. The S2 Cognition Test has made headlines, and the Saints were one of the first teams to lean on it as a resource, though they don’t make decisions off of it alone.
Loomis downplayed the number of players who have been eliminated from their board based on medicals and character concerns, noting that the number of prospects they aren’t considering for those reasons isn’t significantly different from other years.
