2022 NFL Draft

[Chop]

Before honey badger got hurt vs buffalo they were containing them.
Once he got hurt they bareLy survived the make it take contest .

Lucky for them they won the coin toss

[Bandwagon King]

How old was sharper when he came to the saints? 35?
I remember when they said he was washed up .

Personally I like the the guy. But he dadgum sure isn't the best safety to come out in the last ten years who was one of the top three in this league that fell not only to 11, but all the way to 14. If we were going to use that much capital, then get a guy who is a can't miss type player. That is what you use that type of capital for, not the 2nd best position player on his college team who didn't even win their own conference. People can swap spit with this pick all day long. I'm keeping it real. I hope he's the next Jerry Rice, but until proven otherwise this guy is the next Traquan Smith in my book.

[Bandwagon King]

And I notice everyone who is a Saints fan is staying completely clear of the turd they laid with pick #49. I looked at more draft boards this year than I ever have & that guy wasn't in the top 100 on any of them. On most boards he was ranked lower than Butler. And when you hear someone say the best thing about the guy is how great he should be on special teams, that doesn't necessarily bode well for a 2nd round pick.

[Bandwagon King]

And IF Kamara gets the OJ treatment in Nevada, he'll be doing about 18 months in lock up. Nearly knocking a guy's eye out on video isn't a great way to get loved by the Nevada judicial system. I have serious doubts he will be able to buy his way out of that situation.

[BrockMeaux]

And I notice everyone who is a Saints fan is staying completely clear of the turd they laid with pick #49. I looked at more draft boards this year than I ever have & that guy wasn't in the top 100 on any of them. On most boards he was ranked lower than Butler. And when you hear someone say the best thing about the guy is how great he should be on special teams, that doesn't necessarily bode well for a 2nd round pick.

And Alvin Kamara was a 3rd round pick on people’s boards. They mean nothing.

To be clear, he’s not who I would’ve picked, either. They had their choice of TEs, several WRs, or QBs not named Kenny Pickett to choose from, all of which I would’ve rathered. But Dennis Allen (and now Kris Richard) have been here, drafted, and developed guys like Vonn Bell, Marcus Williams, Marshon Lattimore, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and Paulson Adebo in the secondary. If they like his traits enough to take him at 49 and think he can contribute in this secondary, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now.

[CajunT]

And Alvin Kamara was a 3rd round pick on people’s boards. They mean nothing.

To be clear, he’s not who I would’ve picked, either. They had their choice of TEs, several WRs, or QBs not named Kenny Pickett to choose from, all of which I would’ve rathered. But Dennis Allen (and now Kris Richard) have been here, drafted, and developed guys like Vonn Bell, Marcus Williams, Marshon Lattimore, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and Paulson Adebo in the secondary. If they like his traits enough to take him at 49 and think he can contribute in this secondary, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now.

This is why you have a scouting reports and you trust your board. So they drafted him a round above his ranking, but that may not be where they had him on their board. His versatility is why they had him that high on their board. He needs development at corner back, but he can cover the slot and swing to safety as well.

[RaginDave]

And I notice everyone who is a Saints fan is staying completely clear of the turd they laid with pick #49. I looked at more draft boards this year than I ever have & that guy wasn't in the top 100 on any of them. On most boards he was ranked lower than Butler. And when you hear someone say the best thing about the guy is how great he should be on special teams, that doesn't necessarily bode well for a 2nd round pick.

What people see in Alontae Taylor is what many saw in a guy like Michael Jacquet from UL, but even better/higher level. Taylor started his career as a WR at Tennessee, he is still learning the position but his upside is huge. The other thing is Taylor is/was one of the smartest guys in the draft and I know that intelligence does not always mean that a player will succeed in the NFL, but it sure doesn't hurt. Taylor was a 3 time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, graduated with a communications degree in 3 years and was part of the SEC football leadership council including a two time Vice Chairman. He run's a 4.36 40 which is fast (same as Butler) and is projected to be a guy that could play nickel corner and/or safety. That is what makes him special. Taylor was a stretch as 2nd round pick but his versatility and his football IQ and his upside (still learning as a DB) make him a very intriguing draft choice.

NFLdraftbuzz.com had him as the #24 ranked DB (CB's and Safeties) while Percy was #52. The 52 is low for PB, but obviously you can see he was not rated below Butler. SI had him as the #20 CB in the draft. PFF which is the premier draft coverage had Taylor as the #138 DB while Butler was #192. I don't see any of the major sites that had Butler ahead of Taylor, now I didn't check every single one, but the big ones it wasn't even close. Again #49 was a stretch for Taylor but the Saints weren't going to get him with the 161st pick in the draft where they took D'Marco Jackson (Great Pick by the way) and I wouldn't be surprised if D-Jack makes this team on the Day 1 roster and not on the practice squad but on the main roster.

[Million$Mullet]

What people see in Alontae Taylor is what many saw in a guy like Michael Jacquet from UL, but even better/higher level. Taylor started his career as a WR at Tennessee, he is still learning the position but his upside is huge. The other thing is Taylor is/was one of the smartest guys in the draft and I know that intelligence does not always mean that a player will succeed in the NFL, but it sure doesn't hurt. Taylor was a 3 time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection, graduated with a communications degree in 3 years and was part of the SEC football leadership council including a two time Vice Chairman. He run's a 4.36 40 which is fast (same as Butler) and is projected to be a guy that could play nickel corner and/or safety. That is what makes him special. Taylor was a stretch as 2nd round pick but his versatility and his football IQ and his upside (still learning as a DB) make him a very intriguing draft choice.

My brother in law is one of the biggest UT fans I know. Both my niece and nephew attend college there. My youngest nephew will be there next year. By default they have become my second favorite team to follow in all sports. The kid has all the talent in the world. BIL says Alontae has was one of the best corners to ever play there. Does that translate to the NFL? Who knows but I’m excited about it

[RaginDave]

My brother in law is one of the biggest UT fans I know. Both my niece and nephew attend college there. My youngest nephew will be there next year. By default they have become my second favorite team to follow in all sports. The kid has all the talent in the world. BIL says Alontae has was one of the best corners to ever play there. Does that translate to the NFL? Who knows but I’m excited about it

Based on everything I have read on him, I think taking him early was a great move. Again the versatile nature of his game is what I like, if he can bounce from Nickel to Safety than it allows you to not have to take him out in obvious passing situations. This is what makes CD2 so special. Many NFL safeties can not play that Nickel spot because they are not fast enough, this kid is fast and strong and long as well. He has all the qualities you want in a versatile DB. Think PJ Williams but younger and better.

[Bandwagon King]

So, everything I've read for the past 5 posts is justification for a completely horrendously bad pick. In the mean time, the tight end from CSU, Damion Pierce, James Cook, the running back from the jack rabbits, Perrion Winfrey & at least a dozen other potential annual pro bowlers are going to camp with someone else. I get it. The powers that be f'd it up by falling in love with "that guy" then severely over reaching by at least 75 picks on the third guy. But IF you are a"real" Saints fan you will salt & pepper that s--t sandwich & pretend it is delicious with a fresca, or a tab cola.

I give the Saints a generous grade of C- only because they got the no brainer, which they stood a huge risk of losing by taking Penning at 19 instead of 16 & by getting the LB from App St. with the 5th pick. Otherwise, they would have had the worst draft of all 32 teams.

[BrockMeaux]

So, everything I've read for the past 5 posts is justification for a completely horrendously bad pick. In the mean time, the tight end from CSU, Damion Pierce, James Cook, the running back from the jack rabbits, Perrion Winfrey & at least a dozen other potential annual pro bowlers are going to camp with someone else. I get it. The powers that be f'd it up by falling in love with "that guy" then severely over reaching by at least 75 picks on the third guy. But IF you are a"real" Saints fan you will salt & pepper that s--t sandwich & pretend it is delicious with a fresca, or a tab cola.

I give the Saints a generous grade of C- only because they got the no brainer, which they stood a huge risk of losing by taking Penning at 19 instead of 16 & by getting the LB from App St. with the 5th pick. Otherwise, they would have had the worst draft of all 32 teams.

Perrion Winfrey was drafted 59 picks after Alontae Taylor. So by your metric of where Winfrey was drafted and how far the Saints overreached for Taylor - based on your extensive scouting - they'd be rated roughly in the same ballpark.

Like I said in my last post, Taylor isn't the guy I would've drafted, either. But when our current defensive staff invests a 4th round pick or higher on a player in the secondary, they have an EXTREMELY high success rate. Secondary players drafted in the 4th round or higher while Allen was here, either as the secondary coach, defensive coordinator, or now head coach are:

2007: Usama Young (3rd round, played in 52 games over 4 years for the Saints)
2008: Tracy Porter (2nd round, played in 43 games over 4 years for the Saints)
2009: Malcolm Jenkins (1st round, played 199 games over a 13 year career)
2009: Chip Vaughn (4th round, never played a regular season snap for the Saints)
2010: Patrick Robinson (1st round, played 123 games over an 11 year career)

Of that group, Chip Vaughn is the only bust. From 2011 through 2014, Allen was first the DC with the Denver Broncos then HC with the Oakland Raiders. In that time, the Saints drafted Johnny Patrick (3rd round, spent 2 years with the Saints), Kenny Vaccaro (1st round, 110 career games), and Stanley Jean-Baptiste (2nd round, appeared in 5 career games over 2 years with the Saints and Ravens, finished with his only recorded stat being 1 solo tackle for Baltimore). Of that group, Kenny Vaccaro was the only good player.

Allen returned in 2015.

The next guys I'm just going to list because we all know. Vonn Bell in 2016, Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Williams in 2017, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in 2019, Paulson Adebo in 2021, and now Alontae Taylor in 2022. That's 3 Pro Bowlers, future potential Pro Bowlers in Gardner-Johnson and Adebo, and Taylor. Not a bad run.

I can't believe I typed all this at 5am defending a pick I don't even really love, but I said all that to say this: maybe Dennis Allen knows a thing or two about drafting and developing players in the secondary, and certainly more than me, you, and Mel Kiper Jr. and his Big Board. Could this dude be Stanley Jean-Baptiste 2.0? It's possible. But the odds right now are that he's going to develop into a contributor for the team based off of history.

[RaginDave]

Perrion Winfrey was drafted 59 picks after Alontae Taylor. So by your metric of where Winfrey was drafted and how far the Saints overreached for Taylor - based on your extensive scouting - they'd be rated roughly in the same ballpark.

Like I said in my last post, Taylor isn't the guy I would've drafted, either. But when our current defensive staff invests a 4th round pick or higher on a player in the secondary, they have an EXTREMELY high success rate. Secondary players drafted in the 4th round or higher while Allen was here, either as the secondary coach, defensive coordinator, or now head coach are:

2007: Usama Young (3rd round, played in 52 games over 4 years for the Saints)
2008: Tracy Porter (2nd round, played in 43 games over 4 years for the Saints)
2009: Malcolm Jenkins (1st round, played 199 games over a 13 year career)
2009: Chip Vaughn (4th round, never played a regular season snap for the Saints)
2010: Patrick Robinson (1st round, played 123 games over an 11 year career)

Of that group, Chip Vaughn is the only bust. From 2011 through 2014, Allen was first the DC with the Denver Broncos then HC with the Oakland Raiders. In that time, the Saints drafted Johnny Patrick (3rd round, spent 2 years with the Saints), Kenny Vaccaro (1st round, 110 career games), and Stanley Jean-Baptiste (2nd round, appeared in 5 career games over 2 years with the Saints and Ravens, finished with his only recorded stat being 1 solo tackle for Baltimore). Of that group, Kenny Vaccaro was the only good player.

Allen returned in 2015.

The next guys I'm just going to list because we all know. Vonn Bell in 2016, Marshon Lattimore and Marcus Williams in 2017, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in 2019, Paulson Adebo in 2021, and now Alontae Taylor in 2022. That's 3 Pro Bowlers, future potential Pro Bowlers in Gardner-Johnson and Adebo, and Taylor. Not a bad run.

I can't believe I typed all this at 5am defending a pick I don't even really love, but I said all that to say this: maybe Dennis Allen knows a thing or two about drafting and developing players in the secondary, and certainly more than me, you, and Mel Kiper Jr. and his Big Board. Could this dude be Stanley Jean-Baptiste 2.0? It's possible. But the odds right now are that he's going to develop into a contributor for the team based off of history.

I trust Dennis Allen, Mickey Loomis and Jeff Ireland on talent evaluation just a tad more than I trust Kyle.