2020 NFL Draft grades for every team: Cowboys ace test, Packers falter
By Randy Gurzi
New Orleans Saints
So the day after the draft, the New Orleans Saints decided to make some noise. Two days after everyone started acting like Jalen Hurts was the second coming of Taysom Hill (what?) the Saints decided to give Hill a massive extension. New Orleans gave their backup quarterback/H-back/tight end/special teams gunner a two-year $21 million extension that including $16 million fully guaranteed according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
That news covered up the stink of them signing Jameis Winston who throws interceptions as quickly as he does touchdowns. But this isn’t about their roster full of quarterbacks and apparently never-ending salary cap. Instead, it’s about their 2020 NFL Draft which was about quality rather than quantity.
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New Orleans ended up with only four picks overall which started with a bit of a surprise. With wide receiver and linebacker as bigger needs than the interior line, they ended up taking Cesar Ruiz at No 24. Ruiz’ pure emotion when he broke down after learning of his status as a first-round pick was powerful, and he will give them one of the best O-lines in the game.
However, they took a risk not taking a linebacker but that paid off. New Orleans later traded up with the Browns, giving away a third-round pick in 2021 to get Zack Baun. A stud linebacker, Baun was a steal at this point, as was Adam Trautman who they took in the third as well.
For good measure, they took Tommy Stevens to round things out because they needed more quarterbacks.
Grade: A-