NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Round 1 (24): IOL Cesar Ruiz, Michigan
Round 3 (74): LB Zack Baun, Wisconsin
Round 3 (105): TE Adam Trautman, Dayton
Round 7 (240): QB Tommy Stevens, Mississippi State

1st Round: “You weren’t going to get a talent like Ruiz later in the draft. He’s a guy I didn’t love at first because he’s not like Mekhi Becton, where you fall in love with one block. You’re going to fall in love with the fact that you’ve watched four games and didn’t see him have one really bad block. That’s Ruiz to me. He’s just smooth and good and always on balance. They got a very good player,” says PFF’s Mike Renner. Ruiz ranked third among interior offensive linemen and 43rd among all players on PFF’s big board. Ruiz says he is more comfortable at center but that’s the job held by 2019 second-rounder Erik McCoy, who is coming off a solid rookie season.

Balance Of The Draft: The Saints traded pick No. 88 and a 2021 third-round pick to Cleveland for picks Nos. 74 and 244, jumping up 14 spots to grab former Wisconsin edge defender Baun, the only addition on defense. He played a vast majority of his defensive snaps along the edge at the collegiate level but projects as an off-ball linebacker/edge hybrid in the NFL. His quicks and hand usage have given opposing tackles nightmares. The more we watch, the more we like. He ranked fourth among off-ball linebackers and 42nd overall on PFF’s big board ...Trautman cost the Saints a lot of draft capital. New Orleans traded picks Nos. 130, 169, 203 and 244 to the Vikings for pick No. 105 and the opportunity to draft Trautman. He is the closest thing that exists to a complete tight end in this draft class. Trautman offers plus ability as a route-runner and after the catch while not looking out of place as an inline blocker. He ranked third among tight ends and 105th overall on PFF’s big board ... Originally, the Saints didn’t have any picks on Day 3, but they were too tempted to trade back into the draft to take the next Taysom Hill to pass up that opportunity. Stevens had the chance to be the starter for the first time in his career this past season at Mississippi State, and in a season that was shortened by injury, he produced more turnover-worthy plays than big-time throws. That’s never a good sign. At Penn State, he was used sparingly in the backfield and at wide receiver while serving as a backup option at quarterback. 

Steal Of The Draft: Adam Trautman
Draft Grades: Playbook C
ESPN: C+... PFF: B... SI: C-... Composite: C

In closing we highly recommend you view the PFF Player Grades for each player in the 2020 NFL draft. PFF assigns a grade for every play to each player during a football game. Each grade is reviewed at least once, and usually multiple times, using every camera angle available, including All-22 coaches’ tape. You can view it here: PFF.Com/Grades