New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen made an appearance on NFL Network discussing how the hiring of Klint Kubiak impacts draft strategies, where he shared one interesting points on the team’s quarterback situatio.
Allen said they’re sitting down with scouts discussing, “this is what we’re looking for at the quarterback position” followed by the same at offensive tackle and wide receiver. They’ll take a look at all of the positions eventually but of course naming quarterback first caught the ear of Saints fans. It’s the type of comment that could mean nothing or absolutely everything. It’s likely the former.
Let’s be transparent, teams scout players at all positions every single draft. New Orleans scouted quarterbacks when Drew Brees was on the roster, so it would be no different with Derek Carr. The interest comes in the positions it was grouped with. Offensive tackle and wide receiver are positions we know the Saints needed to have conversations about and possibly address.
Quarterback wasn’t in that group and took many by surprise to hear it mentioned. It’s a position many weren’t happy about and were already desiring a younger player at the position. As odd as it was to hear, the Saints still see Derek Carr in their plans.
Since we’re going down the rabbit hole. Would identifying and drafting that player give Allen more job security? Mickey Loomis wants Allen to succeed and will likely give Allen every opportunity to do as such. Still, drafting a leader of the franchise feels a bit risky when your job is on the line. You need immediate impact. Also, it seems as if Allen has too much loyalty to Carr to make an actual splash at the position.