How did the 2023 Saints draft class perform in comparison to the other teams in the NFL? This is one national perspective.
It will be little over two months until the 2024 NFL Draft. Every year, a number of rookies have a big effect on their clubs. The contributions from the New Orleans Saints’ 2023 draft class were not what was anticipated. However, the rookie class as a whole did have some promising qualities and contributed more towards the end.
A team’s performance depends on its ability to have an early effect, even though it is reasonable to wait a year or two to fairly judge a draft class. Eric Edholm and Chad Reuter, draft experts for NFL.com, rated the overall performance of each team’s 2023 draft class. This is the order in which they evaluated the 2023 New Orleans rookies’ performance.
EDHOLM: Bresee was a consistent member of the Saints’ defensive tackle rotation despite not starting any games. He had a little slump in the middle of the season, but he bounced back in December, accounting for three of his 4.5 sacks and five of his nine QB hits. Bresee may never be a star, but he made progress against the run and should be a valuable addition for many years to come.
As a rookie, Howden started seven games and was a nice surprise. In addition to moonlighting as a box safety and slot player, he played mostly as the high safety and was generally trustworthy when called upon. Foskey, who finished three rounds ahead of Howden but played more on defense, was a letdown.
Haener had a redshirt season, meaning he did nothing except sit and watch Taysom Hill, Jameis Winston, and Derek Carr. He’ll need to have a strong summer to ensure a position on the roster; in the last preseason, he had accuracy and interceptions issues. Similar to Haener, Saldiveri was a quiet rookie. Despite a shoulder ailment that sidelined him, it may be indicative that he did not play more for a Saints club struggling with offensive line concerns.
The rookie pair of Saints kickers had varying degrees of success. After missing a few crucial kicks and losing kickoff distance during the season, Grupe went from being a feel-good story to the doghouse in a matter of months. However, he closed the season strong—he was 12-of-14 on field goal attempts starting in Week 10—and didn’t miss an extra point. Hedley rode a similar current. Thanks to a hot-and-cold Saints offense, the 30-year-old Australian punter was busy (75 punts); he was called in as a directional kicker and pinned 41.3% of his punts inside the 20. Among 17-game punters, he allowed the second-fewest return yards (168). However, Hedley’s lack of leg strength became apparent when the Saints were backed up; he is not a field-flipper.
A.T. Perry, 17, a receiver for the New Orleans Saints, beats Minnesota Vikings CB Byron Murphy Jr. (7) to score a touchdown pass. Required Credit: USA TODAY Sports/Jeff Becker
Just ahead of the Carolina Panthers, who received a D+ rating, Edholm placed the rookie class of the Saints third in the NFC South. Both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons received B-grades. The only NFC teams with lower grades than New Orleans were the Vikings (C), Giants (C-), Panthers, 49ers (D+), Cowboys (D+), and Washington (D+).
Arguing is difficult. Bresee appears to be an All-Pro candidate after an outstanding first season. On the other hand, Haener, Saldiveri, and Foskey made no contributions. Haener was slated to take a redshirt year, but he further hampered his own growth by serving a six-game ban to begin the regular season. Despite significant problems on the offensive line all season, Saldiveri only played 18 offensive snaps.
Probably the most disappointing was Foskey. In ten games, he was only able to play 83 defensive snaps due to injuries and inefficiency. This is coming from a defense that only mustered 70 tackles for loss and 35 sacks, which ranks fourth in the NFL.
Although it’s too soon to declare Foskey a flop, the Saints will have to make a significant choice this summer because of his little impact. The club has two options: either they choose another edge rusher early in the draft, or they take a chance on Foskey and the frequently injured Payton Turner, a first-round pick in 2021, developing to their potential.
Is Jordan Howden’s performance at safety sufficient to render Marcus Maye, a seasoned player, a cap casualty? is an additional question. For the Saints, safety is an underappreciated need, but maybe less so if coaches see Howden’s potential.
By the conclusion of the season, Miller had recovered enough to show off his explosive potential. Perry demonstrated last season why a number of observers had him selected in the second round. In 2024, both ought to play significant roles in the New Orleans offense.
The potential for the Saints Draft Class of 2023 is still far greater than what they shown as rookies. Their success is mostly reliant on Bresee, Miller, Howden, and Perry continuing to improve, but it also depends on Foskey continuing to advance quickly.
Robert Rose BY Robert Rose
covers the Saints of New Orleans asco-host of the Bayou Blitz podcast and senior writer for the Saints News Network.