Welcome in to the New Orleans Saints Podcast, present a buy seacake. You'll hear from players, coaches, broadcasters and writers that cover the NFL on a daily basis. The New Orleans Saints Podcast starts right now. Here's your host, Aaron Summers.
Welcome to the New Orleans Saints Podcast. Aaron Summers Here, we kick off our position breakdowns today as we are ramping up towards the NFL Draft. We're starting with quarterback prospects. Several names have been talked about for months now, like Miami quarterback cam Ward and Colorado's Shador Sanders. But there are a lot more names we'll hear called at the end of the month with the draft being April twenty
fourth through twenty six. Helping me talk all things QBS today our very own Saints legend, Luke McCown.
Luca.
It's great to have you back on the New Orleans Saints Podcast. It's been a little bit of time now since we were at the Combine. A couple of pro days have happened. How are you.
I'm doing well. I'm doing well.
Track season for my kiddos is.
Starting to wrap up, and so so the late nights you know, track, track season can can or track meets can get long because my kids run the four hundred and the four by four and four by four generally the last meeting. Yeah, and so so yeah, it can. It can create some late nights. So glad that that's kind of wrapping up a little bit. But it's been good.
Yeah, Well, spring is basically underway and we are getting ready for the NFL Draft, So had to have you on to preview the quarterback prospects that we have. There's been a lot of noise around a bunch of them, but last year six went in the first round. How do you think that the talent and depth compares to last year's draft.
Yeah, overall talent wise, I don't think uh, and I think that this I'm not stating anything.
That's that's and I've been said before.
I don't think that overall talent wise, it's quite what it was last year. You know, when you talk about Caleb and gosh, you know Jade Dams and what he did this year, obviously a Heisman Trophy winner, you got both next you just gotta you know, everybody, all the things that that that these guys did on the field when they when they got into the regular season kind of proved to you what they were, you know why they were considered h where they.
Were and and drafted where they were.
And so I don't think overall, talent wise, you you get that from this class. That's not to say that there's guys that that aren't worthy obviously. Uh, you know, necessity kind of rules the day when it becomes you know, when it comes to the draft, and so team that need quarterbacks are going to get quarterbacks. And it really doesn't matter what the prognosticators say. It really doesn't matter, you know what the what the presumed talent level is.
There's gonna be guys that are that go in in areas that maybe they shouldn't otherwise simply from the standpoint of need. And and like I said, necessity becomes king on draft day and if you need a quarterback, you have to go get one.
Well, once again, following the saga of Aaron Rodgers and where he's gonna land, it seems like it's going to be with the Steelers. What are some of the NFL teams that you think do have that need at quarterback that will be drafting for one.
Yeah, Well, obviously the Steelers.
They're trying to address that, you know, with Aaron, and it sounds like that's getting closer and closer to becoming a reality.
Obviously.
The Oakland Raiders are one that you would kind of go that they you know, they need guy. They've you know, they they've tried a few guys in the past and it's just hadn't hadn't really been one to to stick yet. You know, I think there are several teams that that you look at and and and you know, what's what's New York gonna do? And I mean they've they've got obviously Russ and and uh and Jabu now and and so you know, what's their mindset?
Uh, do they feel like they're set?
They've got two veteran guys that have been in the league, that have won games, that have been successful.
What's their mindset.
I know a lot of people have have tried to attach Schador to the Giants in some way, but uh, you know, to me, I think the move and signing both of those pieces tells you that they're not in the market, that they're not interested in a quarterback that they they're going to go about it with with you know, a veteran presence and and not kind of hitch their wagon to a rookie, you know, because quite honestly, the Giants have to.
Have to win this year.
I mean that that staff is it's probably gonna be given a short leash, I would, I would think, And so I can see why they're gonna go to the veteran route. Cleveland obviously, uh has has been quarterback needy since I.
Was drafted there in two thousand and four, So.
You know, they're they're always looking to to to be in a spot there. I think Kirk Cousins makes a lot of sense. He's got a background with Kevin Stefanski and and if that happens, then they're out of the quarterback market. As far as the draft goes, I think, so yeah, it's gonna be interesting, to say the least. I mean, they're there's you know, again, every the quarterback pick early in the draft is always the sexy pick, because everybody.
Goes, well, you gotta have a franchise guy.
We gotta Yeah, but you can set your franchise back if you reach for a guy that's not a franchise guy. You you're gonna turn the whole building around. Because coaches at that point are going to be on the hot seat.
And and so.
I think you're gonna find a lot of teams that are going to explore every option outside of drafting one.
Save cam Ward. I think I think.
That's you can probably write that in Stone after his pro day. I think that he's going to go to Tennessee. Uh.
And I think that's probably the.
The surest bet for where a quarterback is going to go in this draft so far. Uh And and that'll be the right play for Tennessee. They've they've got to get that right. And I think cam is the only one worthy of that. Uh.
That pick, you know, as a number one.
In this draft.
And Ward out of Miami. He didn't participate in the combine, but as you mentioned, did do the on field drills through at his pro day in Miami. What did you see? Why do you think that he really solidified himself in that.
Yeah, I think he's a little more dynamic than than just about every other guy in this draft.
He plays with extreme confidence. His journey is one that you make movies out of.
Right, a zero star recruit, incarnate word in Houston and
kind of growing from there. And so this this trajectory that he's been on for the last four years is really impressive, and as an evaluator, it makes you go, man, he had that type of hunger, that type of chip on his shoulder, whatever you want to call it, that his his progression, his growth is so impressive that you you have to expect that it's going to be that much more so when it's his job, when he's not divided in school, when he's got plenty of money and
the resources to apply to his body, apply to training, all the different things that he's going to do the you know, all the all the the the necessary things off the field to become as good as he can be. And so I think as an evaluator, as a team and you look at it as a coaching staff, you look at that and go, man, that's our guy. And then when he shows it to you on the field and the things that you see in shorts that that obviously don't mean a whole lot obviously, but when when it
matches what the tape shows, that's the big deal. When when your traits match what shows up on tape and it and it leads to productivity, that's when it all kind of comes together.
And Uh, and I think Cam did that magically.
I don't think that he's some wildly athletic He's not an Anthony Richardson athletic kind of a guy like that. But but he's slippery enough, he gets out of the pocket well, he understands angles and and timing and rhythm. He just he gets it from a passer's perspective and plays with just enough of the the off script and athletic ability that you would need to to be successful. And I think that's what separates him from the rest of the you know, the guys in this group.
When you look at somebody like Jalen Millroe, who did rush for twenty touchdowns, has that ability with his legs. Is that something you value based on scheme and what you're doing as the NFL team their offense And when do you rank that?
Yeah, No, it's extremely valuable it but like you just said it, it will be.
More valuable to a certain scheme, right.
Uh.
You would see that that that skill set being.
Very well played out in the Philadelphia Eagles in a Kellen Moore's system, It would be very well played out in a in a Baltimore Ravens system. Even in a in a Buffalo Bill system where they use Josh that way a whole lot. As a matter of fact, I think over the last you know whatever it is two or three seasons, Josh has led the league in in UH in touchdown runs.
Over the span of three years or so. And so.
It is he's one of my favorite guys in this draft.
Not It's not like I think that he's gonna, you know, somehow jump into the first round.
I don't.
I I I tweeted this a couple of days ago.
I think that he's got the highest ceiling of all the quarterbacks in this draft because of his skill set, because of the traits that he has.
Uh, he's incredibly smart.
UH, he's a great leader, and and he has all the raw athleticism that you would want to build around. And you know, he needs to get polished up, and some team out there is going to fall in love with it. And I had a conversation with Kurt Warner on on Twitter just the other day, kind of a back and forth, and it's just because he's raw and has the traits doesn't mean he'll ever realize them. But coaches in the NFL are generally and I say this
tongue in cheek, egotistical enough. They believe they can coach that guy up. They believe that they that they're coaching will get him to the to the next step, to the next, you know, level of progression or development, and somebody's gonna fall in love with him and probably take him.
I think I don't see him going any lower than probably the fourth round, because he's I think that his skill set, his traits are are probably different, not probably are different than just about anybody else in this.
Draft, somebody that's on everyone's radar. I have seen his name associated with the Saints a little bit as Jackson Dart old mess quarterback. I've seen him comp to Garner.
Men.
Shoot, how do you feel about him? You think that's a good comparison.
No, I don't think that's a good comparison at all.
I think Jackson's really sharp, I do, and and his his rise since the Senior Bowl, through his combine performance and then through his pro day performance has been something to watch. I think he has played himself into the first round, potentially at number nine. You know, as much as the kind of the aura has been lately around Mickey and Kellen and and visiting all these quarterbacks in their pro days, it really seems like that it's quite
a possibility. And now again, I still believe that theirs will be a philosophy of best available, and when it comes to nine, I don't know that at number nine that that they're gonna believe that Jackson is the best available on the board. He'll be the best quarterback available, I believe at that point. Right now, I think it's cam Ward Jackson, Darter, I thinks Doors after that, then I think it's Tyler Shuck probably somewhere in the in the second round, and then from there it's uh, it's.
It's McCord, it's Milrow, it's yours and Howard.
They'll all be interchangeable somewhere in the third to fourth round. I don't see any of those guys probably falling outside of the fifth round. I think that's probably the depth of it. But I do think that Jackson would fit Kellen Moore's offense. I think I've I've spent some time with Jackson in the off seasons prior in Dallas to at some quarterback camps. He's built just like Dak Prescott.
Big uh.
You know, he's got a strong lower half, throws with a great base, runs just well enough, but it's strong in the pocket. He I think what separates him as a passer. He understands the different types of throws. You saw this at at the Senior Bowl. The different types of throws necessary the back shoulders, down the seam, or when to stop a guy or I just think that he has a next level of understanding of the type of throws that are necessary.
And it's not even just the understanding, but the ability to pull it off.
There's a lot of us, a lot of us felt good about understanding the types of throws that we needed, but we couldn't pull it off right.
So I do think that he would fit.
I think I think again, you look at his progression and completion percentage went up every year that he was in college. Touchdowns to interception ratio was beautiful all four years in college, and so I think he would be a fit for what Kevin Moore wants to do. Again, I think his comp is probably more along the lines of adjailent Hurts that throws a little bit better.
I don't see the Gardner.
Minshew comp but but yeah, I think it would fit quite well in a Black.
And Gold UNI.
Yeah, twenty nine touchdowns, only six centers receptions, so very efficient this season alone. So you think that he is going to go ahead of shedor Sanders because I I haven't seen that out there.
Yeah, I do.
And that's just from my perspective, I think, and and Tim Hauselback said it this week. Uh, and I've said it for several weeks now months even.
Yeah, you were saying this at the combine, you were, I think, what's your door?
Lax is the high end physical talent to go in the in the upper half of the first round. He obviously was was very productive Jackson State, very productive at at Colorado. When you're choosing a guy inside the top ten, Uh, it all has to match. I mean you got to check every box. And somebody is going to say, well
what about Bryce, that's an outlier. I don't And even though you would say well what about Bryce young, Nick Saban would tell you he was the best, the quickest guy on their team by far, And so there are physical traits that have to match.
And then you know, you get in trouble when you just rely on physical traits.
Okay, so let's look at the Indianapolis Colts and what they're doing now after drafting a guy just all physical trades. He only had thirteen starts in college that they weren't necessarily wildly productive. But he has traits that nobody else on the planet has, and so they draft him at number four or whatever it was. And so traits are what gets you drafted in the first round trades plus
productivity or what gets you drafted in the top ten. Right, Shudur has productivity, but he doesn't have very many traits that set you apart.
I would say he has an average arm.
And this is not me.
I'm not trying to beraate him or talk bad about him. This is my what I believe when I turn on the tape. I think that he anticipates very well, if he sees the field very well. I think he understands progressions. I think he understands, you know, timing and rhythm and throwing guys open. I think he understands all of that. But he's he's going to be limited in his ability
to escape. He's going to be limited in his ability to affect the game with his legs in a gotta have it moment where stuff breaks down, and he's going to be limited in those things, and and uh, he's going to be limited in what he can do pushing the ball down the field. Lots of guys have been very successful in the NFL that had those exact same limitations, right, Drew Brees with one of them. So that's not to say that he can't be a very good pro or
even a Hall of Famer someday. But when we talk about where a guy is going to get drafted and and and the slot that he should be projected in, and all of it has to match up. You know, talk to coaches and say, when you draft a guy in the top ten with your number one pick, you expect him to wear a gold jacket one day. And and most guys that wear gold jackets have some pretty unique traits about themselves. And then some guys, you know, like Tom Brady, that didn't really have unique traits about it.
His unique trait was just his his grit, his will, and his mindset right some the ice flowing through his veins. Those were his unique traits, but they weren't physical giftings. And so so yeah, I think there's some things that when when it comes down to it, I might be totally wrong, and I'll and I'll be the first to call it out if I'm totally right, it won't be.
Hard to see if he goes second in the draft.
I would just say my for for for what I look at and quarterback I think cam Woard obviously is a clear cut number one.
Jackson Dart I think provides more of that.
The the the physical capabilities that you want to see in a quarterback drafted inside the top ten, and then I do will go in the latter half of the first round, I believe. But but that's how.
I see it.
Colorado's pro day is April fourth. What kind of scene is that going to be?
I can't imagine, you know there, Uh listen, Coach Prime is is uh uh no stranger to uh doing it big, right, And so I expect it to.
Be over the top and a lot of fun.
And uh if you're a if you're a Colorado fan, it will be the awesomest day ever.
And if you're if you're you know, some of those out there.
That that that don't appreciate the fandom and what Coach Prime has brought to Colorado and uh and and you know kind of the the the vibe that's kind of taking place over the last two years down there. Then there'll be like, oh, it's just a dog and pony show, but.
Uh, listen, I'm here for it.
It's it's the game of football is what we love.
And the more attention on it, the better for everybody, for coaches, for players, for our college athletes, and.
Uh listen, I don't I don't want to.
I don't want to ever uh lose sight of the fact that these are these these opportunities come around for these young men and They've been working for them for their whole life. I'll never forget my pro day and I'll you know, just the the how much fun it was. All these coaches are coming to see you like they are all these gems. They're coming to watch you do your thing. So go out and do it and enjoy it, live it up, have fun doing it, put your best foot forward. And uh and then you know, go to
sleep at night and rest well knowing that. And I've I've prepared my whole life for this moment right here, and I'm getting the opportunity to do it. And if it goes well and and uh and you know, you up your draft stock even.
Better for quarterbacks that have taken their teams deep into playoffs. You know you're looking at Ohio States Will Howard for instance. How much does that play into their stock?
I go back and forth on that because, uh, you know, when I came out, there was a guy named J. P.
Lowsman that got drafted in the first round.
Again, got a strong arm, but didn't have a whole lot of production at at Tulane at the time as far as wins and losses go, and and uh and yet somehow jumped up into the first round.
And so uh you.
You want a guy that has a record of winning, like a guy that and this is why they look. They go all over you know, scouts and gems, They go all the back to high school like what did he do there?
And it kind of.
Goes full circle with a conversation we were just having regarding traits and and Anthony Richardson. His high school record was, from what I understand, really bad. I don't there wasn't you know for a guy that that should have dominated the high school, filled with his size and abilities, you know, that didn't have a whole lot of wins in his high school career, and obviously at Florida just wasn't a stellar and yet gets drafted number four overall.
And then you look at a guy like Will Howard, who's been a winner national championship, you know, played in some tremendous atmospheres and and gone through, especially now gone through the kind of the playoff atmosphere of college football, and what that'll do for a guy, I.
Don't see it doing anything but helping you and and clearly winning.
For a quarterback, you have to know how to win.
We talk a lot about knowing how to win right, how to how to play the down and distance game, how to play the turnover game, how to understand clock management.
All that stuff goes into winning and at the end of the day, it falls on your quarterback.
And so to be able to have a thirteen win season or whatever Ohio State was this year and whatever they were last year, to do what he's done shows his command of all things that point to giving us an opportunity to win.
And you would say the same with a lot of the things that Jaylen.
Milroe has done, and really a lot of these guys quen you wers going through the playoff process.
You know, McCord making was it Syracuse this year relevant? And so you know the.
Process, It at the end of the day comes down to can this guy win.
Football games for us?
And so I don't again, I think I think Howard's probably going to be if somebody really falls in love with him in the third round, probably be more like a fourth round pick. But he'll be a guy that plays for a long time. He'll be a guy that, yeah, I was drafting the fourth round, but be a guy that plays thirteen years, ten twelve, thirteen years Kirk Cousins.
He might get an opportunity to go and.
Lead for four or five games in a season and then somebody goes, hey, we want to give you another shot to come and compete, and he'll build his resume out that way.
But I like those guys. I mean, that was a fourth round pick.
We didn't win a ton of games at Louisiana Tech because we were playing the likes of the Penn States and LSU s.
We were out man. But but but.
I like those guys that they kind of got a grind for it and they'll he'll have a long career.
When you look at somebody like dj Uliangla and what happened with his career trajectory in college. I mean, he's an afterthought now. I think when you talk about the quarterbacks, and it seemed like he was somebody that was really highly rated early on in his career. Do you think that maybe he could fall into another opportunity down the line, Yeah.
I do. I think.
For me, I think it's best for DJ to stay under the radar for as long as po possible. There are some things that he's he's you know, working through the listen. It was well documented the struggles that he had at Florida State and UH, and and then you know, prior to that in Clemson and just kind of the moves that he'd made to try and put him in the in a position, put put himself in a position to to be successful and give himself an opportunity.
A lot of pressure coming on that guy.
I remember whatever it was four years ago and UH and Kyper going on saying he could be a potential number one overall pick before never like set foot on the field.
And I'm going, God, it's.
A lot of pressure for a guy that's you know, and he was taking over at Clemson and all this other stuff and so uh, I think it's best that he remained under the radar and just continue to better his craft and get better and better, stay out of the limelight, no pressure, nobody's expecting anything of you.
Uh, he's in you.
And again, I was with him at a quarterback camp a couple of years ago. You can't such a good guy, such a down to earth, humble young man.
And he's huge.
He's a massive human and so he's gonna have opportunities and abilities that other guys don't have if he'll just develop the emotional wherewithal to stand the I'm not getting noticed, I'm not getting talked to through training camp, nobody is, because that's gonna happen.
And that's a battle in and of itself.
When you're not a guy getting a ton of reps and nobody's talking to you and nobody's telling.
You anything, do you have the resolve to just stay levelheaded about it?
Not?
And so if he can stay with it.
He'll get an opportunity somewhere, just because I think he's been through enough of it that that he's building some thick.
Skin, and guys with thick skin can can play.
A long time.
When yours it seems like he has mixed outings. Yeah, what do you see him as as an NFL quarterback?
Wow?
I would say that Quinn is most people would probably consider himn underachiever in college, considering the hype surrounding him coming out of high school. He for went his senior year in high school to go to Ohio State. He was going to be the second coming uh. And and one year into Ohio State and it's I've got.
To transfer out of here.
And so gets to Texas and and eventually he finds his footing. Has two really solid seasons these last two years, go to the playoffs. Uh, and he really did some good things in the playoffs this year. You saw him have commanded the line of scrimmage.
Uh.
You saw him make some big throws.
His is.
I think there's a there's there's a a faction of coaches that want to see a little more grit in your quarterback.
And he's so.
Such a flat liner, so calm that it can be a turnoff. It can be a I remember because I was a little bit like that.
I remember my experience with John Gruden and he was like, Hey, you guys need to see you get fired up. Sometimes and and so I think there's a little bit of that with Ginn. I think he's very talented. I think he throws the ball extremely well. He's another one that's probably a little bit better than average in terms of arm strength and ability to play book. But he's played a lot of football. He comes from a with Sarkasian with a with a really good background in an NFL
style offense. I don't think that he'll go any higher than probably the third round. I think his floor as far as being drafted will be the fifth round. Somebody will take him somewhere in that neighborhood. He'll get a chance compete right away for a backup spot, I believe. And then it's just about the opportunity and and the right system, uh and and you can't control that part of it. So his ability to adapt will be big to a to an offense that may not be the
best fit for him. I think a West Coast, very timing based offense would be very good for him. If he goes into this heavy play action, you know, run the ball type, I don't know that that will fit him a whole lot, but but his ability to adapt will will determine you know how long he gets to do it, but I think I do think he's talented.
You know, it only takes one.
Everybody will always it only takes one to fall in love with you and UH, and you know, we'll see.
Where it goes.
Is it too early to ask about Arch?
No? Probably not, Probably not.
I you know, if if I were putting together I actually said this, I think a couple of weeks ago. But I think there are there are teams that are
putting themselves in position to have an opportunity. And then I'm not talking about tanking or anything like that, but with draft picks and UH and salary caps and all the different you know, hoops and hurdles you gotta jump through to get yourself in a position to maybe, Hey, if I'm gonna if I've got a guy that's you know, two years left and I'm wanna trade up, I'm gonna try and position myself with draft capital that I can trade and get to a position where maybe I can.
I think the same will be said for DJ Lagway of Florida k Klubnick. I mean, there's some guys that are coming out. I don't mean to say that they're all being the same draft. These will probably all be staggered. But those are three guys that you look at and go, man, they're they're different. They're different guys that can play. And we don't know that completely yet about Arch because he hadn't started enough games I don't think yet.
But what you've seen is like and he's got a little.
Bit different demeanor than Peyton and Eli, probably a little bit more athletic.
You've got a few.
More things in this tool box that are gonna coaches are gonna fall in love with. And there's gonna be a lot of teams lining up trying to get in a position to draft.
You know, one of three.
Of those guys.
Isn't football just the best? I mean, we could sit here and talk about it forever and the next seasons and everything coming up for NFL and college. But the next thing is the NFL Draft here in April twenty fourth. We'll see how it all shakes out.
Looking forward to it. Can't wait.
Thank you so much. First and in the time talking QBS for me.
Yeah, thanks, Aaron, appreciate it.
Great stuff from Luke. As always. For Friday, we'll bring in John stinchcom former offensive lineman here to talk offensive line, so make sure you tune in wherever you get your podcasts.
Thanks for listening to the New Orleans Saints podcast Pret's Going to Buy Seat Geek Join is three times per week on New Orleans Saints dot com, the Saints Mobile app, or you can download the podcast on iTunes. We'll see you next time right here on the New Orleans Saints Podcast, presented by seat Geek