Latest / AFR Saints / The Saints 4 Biggest Draft Needs | Can New Orleans Go Wrong In April?

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The Saints 4 Biggest Draft Needs | Can New Orleans Go Wrong In April? · AFR Saints

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  Speaker 1: AFR on Demand is brought to you by Breck Golf.
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  Speaker 1: full round. Book your tea time today. Golf dot Breck
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  Speaker 1: dot org. Golf dot Breck dot org. The Saints are
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  Speaker 1: going into this offseason, as we well know, a team
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  Speaker 1: that is looking for a head coach, a team that
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  Speaker 1: is aging with its star players, a team that is
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  Speaker 1: at this point some fifty million dollars over the salary cap,
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  Speaker 1: A team that is just not in a very healthy position.
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  Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, I know Ross Jackson had
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  Speaker 1: this up at Louisiana sports dot net today.
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  Speaker 2: The five.
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  Speaker 1: Highest cap hits for the Saints next year are all
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  Speaker 1: players thirty two and older, Derek Carr's fifty one point
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  Speaker 1: four million dollars, Cam Jordan twenty point one million dollars,
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  Speaker 1: Taysom Hills seventeen point nine to Mario Davis twelve point five,
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  Speaker 1: and Tyron Matthew eleven point three. I mean that is
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  Speaker 1: one hundred and thirteen point three million dollars against the
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  Speaker 1: cap for players over the age of thirty two, And
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  Speaker 1: it would have been a sixth player but for Ryan
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  Speaker 1: Ramchick retiring. But granted Ramchick's not over thirty two, but
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  Speaker 1: obviously he's now retiring and you'll spread his money out
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  Speaker 1: off into the future. But bottom line is the Saints
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  Speaker 1: have to get younger. And the surest fire away to
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  Speaker 1: get younger and to get better is the draft. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: the draft is set up as a as a tool
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  Speaker 1: to create parody in the NFL, really in all sports.
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  Speaker 1: It's what the draft is there for the worst teams
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  Speaker 1: pick first so they get the best players. I mean
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  Speaker 1: it's like at recess, everybody standing on the wall, all right,
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  Speaker 1: who gets first pick? You're gonna pick the best player.
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  Speaker 1: That's how it goes. Look at the Washington Commanders haven't
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  Speaker 1: won a playoff game in twenty years, laughable franchise. They
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  Speaker 1: draft Jay and Daniels, Boom, They're in the playoffs and
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  Speaker 1: only in the playoffs they get a win.
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  Speaker 2: You don't need me.
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  Speaker 1: Explain that to you. But I feel like sometimes the
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  Speaker 1: Saints may need explaining.
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  Speaker 2: But it was.
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  Speaker 1: Interesting because as we've talked about this Saints roster going
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  Speaker 1: into the draft, and we've looked at some of the
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  Speaker 1: mock drafts that people are floating out there. My contention
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  Speaker 1: is that I really it does not matter to me
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  Speaker 1: terribly what position the New Orleans Saints target with the
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  Speaker 1: ninth overall pick, because they need everything. You need a quarterback,
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  Speaker 1: You certainly need a left guard. You need help at
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  Speaker 1: tight end. You need receivers. As evidence this year, while
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  Speaker 1: Alave and Shiheed at times have done good things in
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  Speaker 1: their career, you do not have a true number one
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  Speaker 1: receiver running back. You absolutely need help. Kamara is old,
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  Speaker 1: Kendre Miller can't stay healthy. You were one of the
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  Speaker 1: worst interior defensive lines in the NFL this year against
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  Speaker 1: the run. You were bottom half of the NFL in sacks.
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  Speaker 1: You traded away your best cornerback, Your safeties are old.
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  Speaker 1: Like linebacker, You're pretty good, But the Mario Davis is
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  Speaker 1: thirty six years old.
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  Speaker 2: Man, how much long is he going to play?
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  Speaker 3: Like?
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  Speaker 2: You need everything? Like you need everything.
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  Speaker 1: There's not a single spot on the field where you
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  Speaker 1: can look at it and go a good There there's nowhere,
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  Speaker 1: literally nowhere on the field. So whatever they elect to
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  Speaker 1: do at nine, I'm good with it, because whatever position
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  Speaker 1: that is, you need it. So it was curious to
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  Speaker 1: me when I saw this because Pro Football Folcus put
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  Speaker 1: up a piece where they rated the biggest needs using
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  Speaker 1: their metrics, the biggest needs for every NFL team, and
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  Speaker 1: so for the New Orleans Saints they ranked four needs,
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  Speaker 1: two to one offense and two one even. So let's
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  Speaker 1: run through this real quickly. If we could. First up,
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  Speaker 1: I mean, I would say quarterback going to guests, use
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  Speaker 1: Paulie biggest need.
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  Speaker 2: Biggest need for the same right off wide receiver okay,
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  Speaker 2: Polly a good defensive line. Both are listed, but they
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  Speaker 2: did list wide receiver. First.
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  Speaker 1: Give yourself a ding muse, all right, like an angel's
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  Speaker 1: bell from on.
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  Speaker 3: High muse every time a bell rings, an angel gets between.
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  Speaker 2: Know that angel, lame muse that much learned that yesterday.
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  Speaker 2: Back to the draft.
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  Speaker 1: Chrystal Lave is yet to play a full season. Three
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  Speaker 1: years in the NFL. He's yet to play a full season.
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  Speaker 1: His first two years, he was a thousand yard receiver,
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  Speaker 1: which was fantastic, But I still don't know that you
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  Speaker 1: would look at Chris A. Lave and say he's a
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  Speaker 1: true legit number one in the way that justin Jefferson,
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  Speaker 1: Jamar Chase Moleik neighbors, Brian Thomas look around the league.
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  Speaker 2: You don't have a true number one receiver.
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  Speaker 1: She heed for his career y sixteen point six yards
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  Speaker 1: per reception. That average would have been good for eighth
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  Speaker 1: in the NFL. So he's a deep threat, which is
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  Speaker 1: very good, but again, you don't have a true number
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  Speaker 1: one receiver. And when both those guys were out this year,
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  Speaker 1: you were decimated there. You need help at receiver. Tight
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  Speaker 1: End was the other offensive position that they listed. And
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  Speaker 1: it's interesting because you have Foster Morow and you have
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  Speaker 1: Juwan Johnson. Well, Foster Morrow signed a three year, twelve
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  Speaker 1: million dollar deal with the Saints before last season, so
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  Speaker 1: Foster Morrow was entering the final year of his deal. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: Juwan Johnson is going into free agency. Johnson was brought
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  Speaker 1: here as an undrafted free agent who started his career
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  Speaker 1: at Penn State, finished at Or. Again, he was a receiver.
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  Speaker 1: They converted him to tight end thinking he could be
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  Speaker 1: that pass catching tight end, but the reality is it
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  Speaker 1: just hasn't worked out.
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  Speaker 2: Now.
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  Speaker 1: This year, in large part because of all the injuries
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  Speaker 1: at receiver, Johnson was the Saints' leading pass catcher fifty
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  Speaker 1: catches for forty eight yards, which isn't much to write
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  Speaker 1: home about. But he's also heading into free agency this year,
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  Speaker 1: so there's no telling he'll be back. Truthfully, ever since
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  Speaker 1: the Saints traded away Jimmy Graham, they have been trying
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  Speaker 1: for a decade now to find that guy that impact
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  Speaker 1: pass catching tight end, and they've gone all over from
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  Speaker 1: Kobe Fleener and Adam Trautman, the Jared Cook, the guys
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  Speaker 1: like Foster Moro and Juwan Johnson, and they just haven't
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  Speaker 1: been able to lock down that spot. Drafting near the
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  Speaker 1: top of the draft, you could very well go get
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  Speaker 1: that freak show from Penn State Tyler Warren, who might
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  Speaker 1: very well be on the board when you pick ninth,
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  Speaker 1: and I think you do far worse, especially consider the
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  Speaker 1: way brock Bowers played this year as a rookie on
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  Speaker 1: the defensive line. Paully mentioned defensive tackle. That is the
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  Speaker 1: first defensive position that they mentioned. It's so interesting because
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  Speaker 1: the core of the New Orleans Saints defense under Dennis Allen,
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  Speaker 1: as they went from the worst defense in the NFL
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  Speaker 1: under Rob Ryan in twenty fifteen and twenty sixteen up
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  Speaker 1: into a top five defense under Dennis Allen before Sean
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  Speaker 1: Payton left and Allen became the head coach. Was the
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  Speaker 1: fact that the Saints were so good against the run,
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  Speaker 1: and because they were so good against the run, that
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  Speaker 1: benefited the team on the back end, where you did
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  Speaker 1: have some talent. This year, you were thirty first in
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  Speaker 1: the NFL and rushing yards allowed. You were thirty first
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  Speaker 1: in the NFL and yards per carry at four point nine.
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  Speaker 1: Let me say that again. The New Orleans Saints allowed
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  Speaker 1: an average.
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  Speaker 2: Of four point nine yards per carry.
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  Speaker 1: Every time someone turned around and handed the ball off,
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  Speaker 1: they ran it for five yards against the Saints.
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  Speaker 2: That sucks.
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  Speaker 1: It was the only team in the NFL that was
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  Speaker 1: worse was the Carolina Panthers. You are awful against the run.
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  Speaker 1: You gotta get better. If you can get an impact
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  Speaker 1: run stuff for early in this draft, you absolutely do it.
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  Speaker 1: And not surprisingly, but defensive end was the other spot.
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  Speaker 1: Cam Jordan's old his productivity is going down. You paid
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  Speaker 1: Carl Granderson. He really strugg to finish sacks this year.
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  Speaker 1: Chase Young was a pretty impactful guy at creating pressure,
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  Speaker 1: but it was a one year deal. He's heading into
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  Speaker 1: free agency and there's no guarantee that he's back. You
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  Speaker 1: were twentieth in the NFL with thirty nine sacks this season,
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  Speaker 1: twenty in the out of thirty two teams with just
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  Speaker 1: thirty nine sacks in seventeen games. It would be criminal
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  Speaker 1: if the New Orleans Saints do not add a pass
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  Speaker 1: rusher in the draft, free agency, or both this offseason.
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  Speaker 1: There it is by Pro Football Focus four things biggest
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  Speaker 1: needs for the New Orleans Saints wide receiver, tight end,
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  Speaker 1: interior defensive line, and defensive end. But as we've said,
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  Speaker 1: they kind of need everything, and I'll i'll continue to
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  Speaker 1: say for me, if I had my druthers, if I
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  Speaker 1: had to close my eyes and throw a dart at
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  Speaker 1: the board, I would kind of hope that it would
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  Speaker 1: land on Graham, the defensive tackle from Michigan. Not only
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  Speaker 1: is a guy that can create an interior pass rush,
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  Speaker 1: very good against the run, you put him in Brazil
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  Speaker 1: on the interior, I think you got a one two
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  Speaker 1: punch of first round picks there at your interior defensive line.
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  Speaker 1: That could be a good tandem moving forward. For future
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  Speaker 1: years and we'll see if LSU can continue to assume
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  Speaker 1: me if the New Orleans Saints can continue to build
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  Speaker 1: at the line of scrimmage the way they have for sometimes.
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  Speaker 1: So I was looking at a text about LSU. Have
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  Speaker 1: either of you thought about what you would like to
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  Speaker 1: Is there a player? I mean, like in years past,
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  Speaker 1: I have very clearly been able to identify a position
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  Speaker 1: or player that I wanted the New Orleans Saints the draft,
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  Speaker 1: Like last year it was the offensive tackle out of
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  Speaker 1: Penn State.
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  Speaker 3: Uh?
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  Speaker 2: Or Fashion? Was it? Olu? Yeah?
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  Speaker 1: Fashion is the guy that I threat the process is
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  Speaker 1: very clearly identified.
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  Speaker 2: That's who I wanted. Uh.
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  Speaker 1: He came off the board before the Saints picked. They
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  Speaker 1: ultimately ended up with Tali sa Fwonga, who and they
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  Speaker 1: had four high level ots last year and Saints had
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  Speaker 1: to get one of them.
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  Speaker 2: They got one.
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  Speaker 1: It looks like they hit. I mean Tally sa Fonga
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  Speaker 1: played very well as a rookie this year. Whether he
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  Speaker 1: stays at left or goes the right, I don't know,
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  Speaker 1: but he hit Either of you was like a player
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  Speaker 1: that you would love to see.
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  Speaker 3: Man, I really haven't given it that much thought yet,
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  Speaker 3: just because I'm really in the same boat as you.
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  Speaker 2: I they have so many needs.
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  Speaker 3: Like you were talking to me earlier about the profoball
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  Speaker 3: focus thing and I was like safety and you're like, well,
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  Speaker 3: they need everything, and they do. So I haven't really
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  Speaker 3: zeroed in on player yet. I can tell you defensive
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  Speaker 3: line is where I would like them to spend their
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  Speaker 3: first round draft pick.
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  Speaker 2: Give me a name.
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  Speaker 3: My children don't have a name, Matt.
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  Speaker 2: I haven't thought about names. Just pull up a mock
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  Speaker 2: draft and give me a name.
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  Speaker 3: Okay, hold on, Paul, you go while I do this.
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  Speaker 1: Well, you got anything, show a name and nobody's holding
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  Speaker 1: you to it. Just go out a name, Paul. Anybody
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  Speaker 1: a Mecca Abuka? Okay, I'd be solid. Is he projected
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  Speaker 1: at the top around one? The receiver I would see
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  Speaker 1: at the top as the kid from Arizona McMillan.
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  Speaker 2: I've seen him in the middle of around one. Okay.
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  Speaker 2: I'd be happy with the Arizona kid too, either one.
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  Speaker 2: I'd be happy with anything.
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  Speaker 1: Just just don't who Just don't draft Vernon Golston. You
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  Speaker 1: know what I mean, Like, don't draft the guy fifth overall.
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  Speaker 1: Don't don't draft Jonathan Sullivan. Let me give you a
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  Speaker 1: Saints and now don't draft Jonathan Sullivan. Like, just get
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  Speaker 1: me a player that's going to be an impact starter.
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  Speaker 1: I don't care what position it is. You got one, muse. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: I mean all right, let's hear it.
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  Speaker 3: I think Michael Williams would be fantastic edge. That'd be great,
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  Speaker 3: great answer, muse, thanks for that.
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  Speaker 2: I agree.
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  Speaker 1: By the way, I would love to see Michael Williams.
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  Speaker 1: He's a freak show. When he's healthy, he's awesome. And
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  Speaker 1: I got my Georgia red on today.
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  Speaker 2: Look at that.
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  Speaker 1: You're a grown man barking at other people walking down
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  Speaker 1: the street.
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  Speaker 3: With bulldogs tattooed on your head.
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  Speaker 2: That's what they do.