Why teams do what they do.
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Chicago and New Orleans had a trade to kick off the 4th round. Loomis needed his trade fix (the Saints never trade down) and they had a player in their cloud they wanted.
So, the Saints went up 12 picks and the Bears went down 12 picks, plus the Bears got a fifth rounder from the Saints.
The guy the Saints drafted is Nick Saldiveri from Old Dominion. There are reasons teams do what they do...
- The kid has high RAS scores (>9) as an offensive tackle, but the Saints don't want or need a tackle. But his RAS scores as a guard put him at an elite level.
- The Saints love to work the Senior Bowl and have changed their draft board multiple times after working that game. This is where they worked with this young man. And they found traits the Saints value:
A. He was a team captain
B. He played right tackle, but he also played guard in college
C. He can pull really well. The Saints use a lot of plays with pulling guards
D. His college ran zone blocking schemes in college. The Saints are a zone blocking team.
E. They found out at the Senior Bowl that he has an explosive arm punch and his base is very good in pass blocking.
Draft services have him listed as a third rounder. The Saints have him listed as a low second round or third round pick, but the Saints see him as a guard who could play RT in an emergency. To the Saints, he fills a need (Peat's replacement after this year). For the Bears, it gives them another pick for the roster or for bundling a trade.
