How different would the 2022 NFL draft’s first round look if everyone had the benefit of hindsight? That’s a premise explored by David Kenyon at Bleacher Report, where he recently conducted a re-draft to reevaluate every team’s needs and considered how various rookies performed around the NFL. And it brings major changes for the New Orleans Saints.
For one thing, the Saints missed out on Chris Olave in this run. The star wide receiver didn’t make it to their pick with the New York Jets selecting him at No. 10 overall, just one slot ahead of where the Saints picked Olave. In reality the Saints were going to move up the board as far as needed to get Olave — they traded up from No. 16 to 11 on the night of the draft to pick him. But in this scenario they weren’t able to make it happen, and he’s playing elsewhere.
So who did the Saints get instead at No. 11 overall? Kenyon has left tackle Charlie Cross falling to them, which would’ve been a good get. Here’s what he wrote of the match:
“While continuing the run on receivers might be appealing, the Saints should be thrilled to grab Cross. He started all 17 games at left tackle for the Seahawks and did an admirable job of holding down the position. New Orleans later picked Trevor Penning, who endured a rough preseason and a foot injury before managing just 124 offensive snaps.”
Cross would’ve given the Saints more of a sure thing at left tackle than Trevor Penning, and he probably starts ahead of James Hurst, too. That changes the look of the Saints offensive line for sure. But the ripple effect of this move is that New Orleans passes on Penning at No. 19 in Kenyon’s re-draft, instead picking wide receiver Treylon Burks:
“Treylon Burks closed his rookie season with 33 receptions for 444 yards and one touchdown. Two injuries limited him to 11 games, and Tennessee’s instability at quarterback didn’t help. However, it’s easy to imagine Burks’ production would rise in a still-not-great-but-moderately-functional passing game in New Orleans.”
I’m not sure I can sign off on this pick. Burks validated some of the concerns teams held about him before the draft between poor conditioning early in the season and some inconsistent hands as a pass catcher. Is Andy Dalton really a better quarterback option than who the Titans trotted out last year? Maybe, maybe not. For now, let’s just be happy the Saints got Olave, and hope Penning can develop into the starter they’re expecting him to be.