Jordan Love to the New Orleans Saints is a match made in mock-draft heaven.
The Utah State quarterback likely will be chosen somewhere in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft on Thursday. But whether he’ll go inside the top 10 or outside the top 20 is one of the draft’s biggest mysteries.
The Saints’ pick at No. 24 has been a popular landing spot in many projections. After all, they’re going to need a quarterback soon, since 41-year-old Drew Brees could be gearing up for his final season. And the idea of a dynamic but unpolished talent like Love getting a year to develop under Brees and coach Sean Payton is pretty tantalizing.
Still, it will take a perfect storm for that to happen.
For one thing, the Saints won’t force themselves to draft a quarterback since they like the potential of their own fascinating-but-unproven backup, Taysom Hill. They’ll have to truly … well, “fall in love” if they’re going to use such a precious resource on a developmental QB when they’re trying to win a Super Bowl this season. (They also don’t have a second-round pick.)
Secondly, if Love is that special, then he might be gone well before the Saints are on the clock or have an opportunity to trade up for him.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler listed the Saints as one of many teams doing their homework on Love. But Payton sent some mixed signals on New Orleans’ level of interest in a recent teleconference with reporters.
Payton said he did not even take part in the Saints’ video meeting with Love last month. However, Payton was complimentary while pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of the 6-foot-4, 224-pounder.
“I see real good arm talent. I see a player that’s got a great release. He can throw from out of the pocket. He can throw inside the pocket,” Payton said. “He turned the ball over a lot this season. I think he was above 30 when you looked at his interceptions and fumbles. They had a coaching change, though, that I think hurt him to some degree. But someone that obviously is a talented prospect that’s probably going to get drafted in the first couple of rounds of this draft, first or second round of this draft.”
Indeed, Love went from throwing 32 touchdown passes with just six interceptions in 2018 to throwing 20 TD passes with 17 interceptions in 2019. His completion percentage also dropped from 64% to 61.9%.
But there’s a reason people keep throwing out the Patrick Mahomes comparisons — as ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky referenced in this clip:
Listen-I’m not putting him in the convo with 15-but these are the plays why do people may. The question is this-when YOUR team drafts him-can they coach out his flaws/warts-and still allow for plays like THIS from @jordan3love @GetUpESPN @ESPNCFB @Espngreeny #mondaythoughts pic.twitter.com/fFNJdYCXfB
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) April 13, 2020
We know the Saints loved Mahomes, and they were prepared to draft him in 2017 before the Kansas City Chiefs swooped in ahead of them. But that doesn’t automatically suggest they’ll feel the same way about Love.
As for other quarterbacks, it would probably require a massive trade to move up and get any of the three prospects whom most analysts believe will go in the top 10 (Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert). And the 24th pick feels a little early for someone like Georgia’s Jake Fromm or Washington’s Jacob Eason.
But nothing can be ruled out with a position that is so important — and has finally become a pressing need in New Orleans for the first time in more than a decade.
Here are some other positions that should be top priorities for the Saints:
Linebacker
If you’re playing the odds, you should pair the Saints with either Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray or LSU linebacker Patrick Queen.
This is my choice for New Orleans’ most immediate need, since projected starters Alex Anzalone and Kiko Alonso both come with significant injury questions. (Alonso tore an ACL in January, while Anzalone has missed 26 games over the past three years with shoulder injuries.)
Linebacker is also a glaring long-term need, since first-team All-Pro Demario Davis is 31 years old, versatile backup Craig Robertson is 32, and all four of these guys are heading into the final year of their contracts.
Murray and Queen both seem like ideal fits — athletic linebackers with the ability to drop back in coverage, blitz and roam sideline to sideline. But there is a healthy debate over which prospect fits better.
I’m seeing a discussion of Kenneth Murray and Patrick Queen re: the Saints. Here are my evaluations of both players based solely on tape study. Murray is a bigger man and his tape showed more versatility. pic.twitter.com/3NrUAhL3Rz
— Greg Cosell (@gregcosell) April 10, 2020
The Saints’ history suggests they might prefer the 6-foot-3, 241-pound Murray over the 6-foot, 229-pound Queen, since they have always tended to favor bigger linebackers. Then again, Murray has drawn some comparisons to one of New Orleans’ biggest draft busts in recent memory — 2015 first-round pick Stephone Anthony.
Even when ESPN’s analytics team highlighted Murray as the third-most likely player in this year’s draft class to become a Pro Bowler, they used Anthony as his athletic comp.
Anthony’s biggest issue was recognition skills. The biggest knock on Murray has been that he sometimes lacks discipline and tends to overrun plays. So the Saints would need to be confident that Murray has the ability to clean that up to avoid any further comparison.
Wide receiver
This would have been an absolute “must” had the Saints not signed veteran Emmanuel Sanders in free agency to pair with Michael Thomas. But it should still rank as a high priority, since Sanders is 33 years old and the Saints could always find ways to get three receivers on the field.
Plus, no position is more loaded with talent in the back half of Round 1 this year than wide receiver, where the Saints might have their choice among guys such as LSU’s Justin Jefferson, Clemson’s Tee Higgins, Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk, Colorado’s Laviska Shenault Jr., TCU’s Jalen Reagor and Baylor’s Denzel Mims, among others.
Edge rusher
The Saints have one All-Decade Team edge rusher in Cameron Jordan, and they traded up to draft Marcus Davenport with the 14th pick in 2018. But they could still use another dynamic playmaker in the rotation — especially since Davenport has battled nagging injuries.
Again, their history suggests they would prefer a bigger, longer defensive end who fits their 4-3 scheme such as Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos or Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa instead of LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson or Wisconsin’s Zack Baun. But all of those guys should be considerations as New Orleans looks to inject some athleticism into its front seven.
Guard
Payton specifically mentioned the interior offensive line as a position the Saints will be “paying close attention to” in the draft, which makes sense with right guard Larry Warford heading into the final year of his contract.
So it wouldn’t be a shock to see them draft someone like Houston’s Josh Jones, who could play guard or tackle, or Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz, who could play guard or center.
Cornerback
The Saints have depth with Marshon Lattimore, Janoris Jenkins, P.J. Williams, Patrick Robinson and Justin Hardee, among others. But Jenkins is 31, Robinson is 32 and Williams is on a one-year deal. And both Williams and Robinson are better suited to play inside the slot, so the Saints could still use another outside corner.
This is also a position that should be flush with options in the back half of Round 1, including LSU’s Kristian Fulton, Alabama’s Trevon Diggs, Clemson’s A.J. Terrell, TCU’s Jeff Gladney, Utah’s Jaylon Johnson and Auburn’s Noah Igbinoghene.