New Orleans Saints Can Steal Another Immediate Impact Player In NFL Draft Round 2

New Orleans Saints Can Steal Another Immediate Impact Player In NFL Draft Round 2

by Locked On Podcast Network, Ross Jackson

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About This Episode

30:26 minutes

published 13 days ago

English

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It's the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Man, that sunset is gorgeous.

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Grill, patio, sunset? Hard to get better than that, unless you're browsing Carvana ORG's inventory while you soak it all in. Oh, burger time. So sit back, get comfortable. Carvana's got thousands of cars under $20,000 just waiting for you. I can stay here forever.Carvana ORG, where car buying meets comfort meets convenience. Download the app or visit Carvana.com today. The draft board fell perfectly for the New Orleans Saints in round one,

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and it could happen again here in round two. We got all that and a little bit of laying yet for you on today's episode of Locked On Saints.

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You are Locked On Saints, your daily New Orleans Saints podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day.

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What is good, Houdat PERSON Nation and Houdat family. I am your host, Rosh Jackson, New Orleans GPE. Date of your New Orleans Saints expert and credential member of the media covering those New Orleans Saints as a senior writer and reporter over at Saints News Network ORG. And on today's episode of Locked on Saints, I'm going to give you the numbers behind why New Orleans Saints first round pick, Tally-Sa-Fuanga is a fantastic fit, a perfect fit for the New Orleans Saints ORG new system. We're going to take a look at how the Saints ORG are in good position yet againto make a splash here at pick 45 in the second round, should they stick around that long. We're going to kick everything off with our top three players left on the board in terms of fit for the New Orleans Saints that we'd love to see them select at 45 or potentially earlier. We'll see how they go about it. We appreciate you very much.As always, making Lockdown Saints, your first listen of the day, every day, and for being in Every Day or here on the show, which is a proud part of Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Today's episode brought to you by our friends at LinkedIn Jobs ORG. LinkedIn ORG jobs is to help you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to and hire faster and for free. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com. So it's locked your NFL ORG.That's LinkedIn.com. Just Locked in the NFL ORG to post your job for free terms and conditions apply. So as we take a look here at the New Orleans Saints ORG or the board that faces the New Orleans Saints going into the second round, they're in good position yet again to really capitalize off of what it all looks like. The Saints were able to stand pat and make their selection that we kind of expected them to make from the very beginning at 14 didn't need to trade up despite all the rumors that they might or that other teams might trade up and steal tackles from them and all those other things. Saints actually were able to stand pat and make a fantastic selection at 14 in Taliesae Fuanga who's going to be able to come in and it's a matter of if not or a matter of when,not if he becomes their starting right tackle or starting offensive linemen somewhere on that line at some point here very soon. You could imagine, especially with the big question marks that are surrounding Ryan Ramchick PERSON, the incumbent starting right tackle since 2017. And so the Saints ORG had a really nice board fall to them. Everything kind of worked out great for them in this year's draft in the first round.And it's looking like the same thing could happen here in the second round. The Saints were the 13th selection in the second round. And there's about 15 players that make a lot of sense for the first round. And it's looking like the same thing could happen here in the second round. The same to the 13th selection in the second round. There's about 15 players that make a lot of sense for them that could come in and have an immediate impact. We'll get to the larger group here in a little bit. But let me start off with the top three guys that are left on the board that I thinkcould be fantastic fits for New Orleans GPE. And I'm going to try to stick with the most realistic guys, right? for New Orleans GPE. And I'm going to try to stick with the most realistic guys, right? Like Adonai Mitchell out of Texas GPE is a great fit for them when it comes to scheme fit, great fit for them when it comes to addressing their need at wide receiver, a big body possession guy, height weight speed guy, outside receiver guy, all those things.But he's probably going to be the first player off the board to the Buffalo Bills ORG who just traded away Stefan Diggs once they're on the clock at 33. So that feels like one that might be a little bit too unrealistic. But some guys that are realistic to fall or continue falling could make sense for New Orleans GPE. So I'll start up with one that maybe some will disagree with me as realistic. Others might not.But I'm going to look at Johnny Newton here, the defensive tackle out of Illinois ORG. He's Dane Bruegler's number 28 prospects. Still on the board, we expected him to be a first round selection. He's a guy that comes in and could potentially help the New Orleans Saints ORG bolster, not only their 22nd run defense, our second, 22nd ranked run defense from last year, but also a defense that ranked under 40 sacks for the firsttime since 2016, 2017 on, they've always clocked in at least 40 sacks up until last year, even within 16 games after the 17 game season was implemented by the NFL ORG. So if he's a guy that ends up being on the board at 45, obviously you're jumping for joy and you're sprinting to the podium unless there is something considerably, you know, concerning that has led to this fall. But it might just be that defensive tackle just doesn't have the value for a lot of teams that are looking to get, you know, that are looking to make selections right now. And so that could mean that the new one thing toluck into a new interior defender to help them with their run defense, just like they lucked into their offensive lineman to help them with their rush offense. And otherwise, that could be a way that they could go. And then, of course, the Saints don't have to stay at 45. They could trade up depending upon who's on the field or who's on the field, who's on the board by the time that they're on the clock at 45. I would advocate for them trading down.I think there's a lot of value for trading into the 50s and picking up an 80 or a 90 in the third round. But in any case, if they're able to land a guy like Jazon Newton or Johnny Newton PERSON, however they do it, I think makes a lot of sense. Let's go to number two here on the list for me. Jackson Powers Johnson PERSON, the interior offensive lineman from Oregon, number 23 on Dane Bruegler's top 100. Again, as long as it's not something borderline catastrophic that has led to him falling out of the first round, this feels like a little bit of a rehash for the 2019draft where the Saints didn't have a first round pick, but still got a first round prospect in Eric McCoy, who dropped the second round at pick 48, and the Saints ORG were very happy to end up taking him. Remember that same year, another first round prospect, John C.J. Gardner Johnson PERSON, and C.J. Garner Johnson ended up dropping all the way to the fourth round at 105 to them. So we've seen the Saints be able to take advantage of this and find a long-term starter. Eric McCoy PERSON was a career guard that they moved to center and Jackson Powers Johnson PERSON's a career center that they couldeasily move to guard. Once you played on the interior, especially once you played center, people are pretty confident that you can play anywhere. And he ends up coming in as somebody that could have an immediate impact for this New Orleans Saints ORG offensive line because they're looking for a starter at left guard. Last year's fourth round pick, Nick Sal DeVary PERSON will certainly challenge there and deserves an opportunity there. The retirement of James Hearst PERSON, everybody says, has not been a surprise. And honestly, even before the retirement of James Hurst PERSON, I think you were still looking for competitionfor a starter at the position. So the 6 foot 3, 3 128 pound powers Johnson makes a ton of sense for New Orleans GPE as a player that can come in and immediately be a plug-in-play starter and have an immediate impact for you. So now I'm going to skip past some of the other bigger names like defensive back out of Iowa, Cooper DeGine PERSON, who would be a phenomenal selection for the New Orleans Saints in the second round. He might not make it, though.Adinaim Mitchell PERSON, who I mentioned might not make it. So to stick with one that's maybe a little bit more realistic, although I will say if either one of those guys is available to you at 45, you're in a really, really good place if you're the New Orleans GPE.

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And yes, I think taking a defensive back in day two makes a lot of sense for New Orleans GPE. They do it all the time.

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Marcus Williams, Von Bell, who else, Alante Taylor, Paulson and Debo, we're all day two guys. Debo, of course, the round three guy out of that group, but still day two defensive backs, a big trend for New Orleans GPE. But I'll stick with somebody that's a little bit more realistic. Keon Coleman, the wide receiver out of Florida GPE. We thought that maybe he would be a selection to the Carolina Panthers. Carolina Panthers instead moved into the bottom of the first round and selected XavierLeggett, taking my beloved off of the board at the position. But I think that Keon Coleman PERSON, another wide receiver like Malachi Corley could make sense too. But Keon Coleman at 45 would be excellent for them. He's a big-bodied guy at 6'4, over 200 pounds. He's got an expansive catch radius. And yes, he ran that 4-6-140, and he was the slowest 40-yard dash at the combine amongst wide receivers. But he was the fastest in the gauntlet.I care a lot more about your play speed than I care about how fast you run in a straight line in shorts and t-shirts. They got rid of the underwear, so I have to say shorts and t-shirts now, thanks to Noble. So he also had a top 30 visit with the team, so it's clear that they were checking up on them, and there's maybe some interest in them. The same strapped to two guys that they did top 30 visits with last year, Kendrae Miller, the running back out of TCU ORG, and safety out of Minnesota, Jordan Howden, could Kean Coleman be the next one of those top 30 visits to translateinto a potential draft pick. If he's on the board at 45, I think it's very, very hard to pass up one of the few pure perimeter-wide receivers that can go out there and make tough catches for you. And then with him coming in with a low drop rate, he's somebody that you know you can rely on in that area of the game as well. So to be a weak side loan option on the backside of an offense, that ends up being a big, big, big benefit for you if youcan grab at 45. So the Saints ORG are off to a really good start and should be able to continue that at pick 45. Not only are these the top three players, but we can should take a look at the fact that the Saints are going to watch this board at 45, end up playing right into their hands no matter where it is that they decide to go. We got that coming up for you as we continue on with today's episode of Lockedon Saints, part of Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Today's episode of Lockdown Saints is brought to you by your friends at LinkedIn Jobs ORG.LinkedIn ORG wants to help you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to faster and for free to help build your team, just like the NFL ORG draft. Winning a championship and being the best when it comes to your small business ends up being all about the team that you put around you. And that's why LinkedIn Jobs ORG is so trusted to provide those qualified candidates that you might be looking for to take your team to the next level, that championship level. 70% over 70% of LinkedIn users don't even go to other job sites. And 86% of small businesses report getting qualified candidates for their job postings within 24 hours. And those job postings just got easier.LinkedIn ORG, for instance, just launched a feature that helps you write job descriptions, which expedites and makes it so much easier to post your jobs up. And you can post your jobs for free today at LinkedIn.com. Such locked on NFL. That's LinkedIn.com. So it's locked in NFL to post your jobs up and you can post your jobs for free today at LinkedIn.com. Such locked on NFL ORG. That's LinkedIn.com says locked in NFL ORG to post your job for free terms and conditions. Apply.This episode of your favorite locked on podcast is brought to you by the best meal kit service in the game, Home Chef ORG. No more having to answer the dreaded question. What are we going to do for dinner tonight? Thanks to Home Chef ORG and their chef design recipes that are delivered directly to my door, all pre-packaged, pre-portion. They even peel the garlic cloves for you. And each recipe, one of my favorites,Black and Mahi-Mahi, comes with a full page of easy-to-read instructions that include customization options and pictures to guide you along the way through the step-by-step process so you don't have to ask, is that what Chard looks like? I cannot recommend Home Chef ORG enough, especially right now, because for a limited time, Home Chef is giving Locked-on listeners 18 free meals, free dessert for life, and of course, free shipping on your first box if you head to HomeCef.com ORG slash locked on today. That's HomeCef.com slash locked on for 18 free mealsand free dessert for life. Yes, you heard that right. Homechef.com ORG slash locked on must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert. All right, family, the New Orleans Saints ORG were able to sit around at 14 and they should be able to sit around again at 45 and still land an immediate impact player, no projects, no development guys. They should easily be able to grab a guy that would be able to contribute immediately during their rookie year tonight. Let's talk about some more of the options.We appreciate you very much as always for making Lockdown Saints your first listen of the day. Don't forget to go and check out the Lockdown Sports today. YouTube channel, the 24-7 stream, the first of its kind on YouTube ORG when it comes to national sports, all the information that you need around some of the biggest selections and most surprising selections,like Michael Pennix Jr. to the Atlanta Falcons, the bitter rival of the New Orleans Saints here in the NFC South LOC. You can get that and much more. From the guys that know it best, the people that know it best, that cover the team every single day. You can find it over on the Lockdown Sports Today 24-7 stream on YouTube and also on the free Amazon Fire TV channels at part of Lockdown Podcasts ORG. Network your teamevery day. Oh, we don't just say it, y'all. We live it. And we're here. I think this is like our fourth episode in two days. So we're rocking and rolling right here. And I'll tell you what, I can do another six like right now if I wanted to. I'm feeling so jazzed and so energized by the draft. And I think you should be too. I think the Saints not panicking in the first round has now set them up for a situation to where they could be a little bit more aggressive in the second round if theywant to be or continue to not panic, sit back, wait, see how things go. And then maybe figure out what they're able to do in terms of maybe getting an additional top 100 selection. You have to trade some future draft capital in order to do that, or you got to be willing to trade back from 45. But I'll tell you what, if they stick and pick at 45, they're in good position to land a really, really good player. We mentioned kind of our top three, like most realistic fits for the team in terms of who's left on the boardright now. We mentioned some of the guys that are still on the board but are sure to be gone quickly. Adonai Mitchell, the big wide receiver out of Texas, Cooper DeGine PERSON, the incredibly talented and versatile, defensive back out of Iowa GPE. I'll tell you what, if he's on the board at 45, I think Dennis Allen PERSON himself might sprint to. They got Tayson Hill announcing the pick at 45. Dennis Allen will sprint from the city of New Orleans to the city of Detroit GPE,knock Tayson Hill off of the podium and announced the pick at 45, Dennis Allen will sprint from the city of New Orleans to the city of Detroit, knock Tassum Hill off of the podium and announce the pick himself. I think he would be so excited. That's a guy that I think would keep him up at night dreaming about game planning for if he ended up on the roster. I think that would be pretty cool. But again, unlikely that he's going to be there at 45. But the States GPE could trade up. Like, they like to move for their defensive backs. I don't think that that's necessarily a bad thing either. The one kind of project, actually, we'll get to that in a little bit. Let me tell you the guys that aren't projects.You don't want to hear about projects. You want to hear about shorefire things. So we discussed like Johnny Newton PERSON. We discuss Keon Coleman PERSON. We discussed Jackson Powers Johnson PERSON. Another guy in the defensive interior that could potentially help them out as Chris Jenkins PERSON,the defensive tackle out of Michigan ORG. He's a guy that comes in after Newton PERSON is probably the top defensive tackle on the board. It doesn't have some kind of off-field complication. Devondry sweat out of Texas GPE, of course, is another one of those guys on the defensive interior that people love. Just weight control has been a big issue for him. And then, of course, he's got the DUI, DWI, depending upon what state're in, that's like lingering over the course of him. He might drop out of the top 100. And so maybe you revisitthat if you get the opportunity to trade up into the 120s, one teens, and he's still there. But I do like what you can get with Chris Jenkins PERSON. I think a lot of people would also be very pleased with Brandon Fisk out of Florida State. With those 31 inch arms, he's got the shortest arms of all the defensive tackles in this year's class, not including maybe some of the tweener guys. But Chris Jenkins comes in with 34-inch arms, no concern there in terms of his abilityto have an impact over on your defensive line. So I think that he could be a guy that would be good. So what is that? Six players that we've already named. How about we keep going? Cooper Beebe, the offensive lineman out of Kansas State ORG. We grabbed him in our final mock draft onyesterday, Thursday, Thursday's episode, because traded back from 45, added 52 with the Los Angeles Rams in 99 later on to get a top 100 selection. We grabbed Cooper Beebe at 99. He might not last that long. But hey, if you grabbed him at 45, he's got great value in that case. He's a reliable blocker. He's got team captain experience, which we know the New Orleans Saints ORG absolutelylove. He does have a little bit of an injury history, but I do think that playing in all 12 games last year kind of helps to mitigate some of those concerns at least a little bit, but he's got the athleticism. He's got the size. And I think the other thing is really important, kind of like Talia Seifuanga PERSON, is thatCooper Bibi comes in, in experience or with experience from a team like Kansas State ORG, who is one of the most creative collegiate offenses year in and year out every single season. And so when you think about the idea of bringing a guy in, that could potentially be ready for your offense and trying to get more creative. Cooper Bibi PERSON is somebody that feels like a good fit. Kingsi Sua Mataiia out of BYU ORG is somebody that could potentially come in in thatwide zone scheme, has a lot of experience that with that with BYU ORG. And he is a good mover and athletic player, good size as well, good arm length. He's played left and right tackle is believed to be a guy that could candidate to move inside at the league. So he gives you kind of that James Hearst PERSON flexibility in a much younger player that, of course, is not retiring in a rookie body.I think that could go a long way for New Orleans GPE as well. Another wide receiver they could potentially look at is Malachi Corley, the wide receiver out of Western Kentucky ORG, maybe a little bit early for him in some people's eyes. But look, when you got a guy that's got that Debo Samuel PERSON comparison, that could be a game breaking yards after catch threat that doesn't have to rely on screens to be that guy in the, or at least didn't have to in college, shouldn't have to in the league either.That's a real guy that could potentially have an impact. He's another top 30 candidate, just like our top 30 visit guy, just like Keon Coleman PERSON was, the thing to do in their homework on Malachi Corley as well. So we've already named between the first top three that we looked at, some of the unrealistic guys like, you know, or potentially unrealistic guys like Cooper DeGine and, and Adnoy Mitchell out of Texas GPE or Iowa and Texas respectively. It's already 10 guys that we've named.The Saints have the 13th selection in today's second round. I wrote up some honorable mentions over at Saints News Network as well, Ladd-McConkie PERSON, the wide receiver out of Georgia, Tyler Newbin, the safety out of Minnesota, Christian Hayes, the offensive lineman out of Connecticut GPE, Rooka Rora, the defensive lineman out of Texas GPE. And then Patrick Paul, the offensive tackle out of Houston GPE, that could be a candidate to move inside, but also has a lot of experience playing on the offensive line over in Houston GPE andplayed extremely well, very athletic, big guy, strong guy. Like, we've just named 15 players. One of them's going to be on the board when the saints are on the board at 45. That's just simply how numbers work. And these are all players, with the exception of baby one, that could have an immediate impact.So actually, that was 14 players that we've mentioned. I saved the one guy that could be a little bit of a project for last. So this would be number 15. It would be Marshawn Neeland, the edge rusher out of Western Michigan ORG. He was a late riser in this year's draft process, 6 foot 3, 267 pounds, maybe a little bit underneath the height prototype, but certainly meets the size prototype. He's an edge defender that's got a lot of athletic traits, comes from a small school. Tell me if you've heard this before.The New Orleans Saints, not at all afraid to invest early picks in this type of a project. He appeared in 38 games, starting nine of his last 10, has 34.5 inch arms and stands out, and that arm late stands out on tape as well. So while he would be the one project, I don't know if New Orleans GPE is really looking for a project right now. If you look at last year and you think about where they went in their second and third rounds, Isaiah Foskey and Kendrae Miller PERSON, they went with production.Both those guys had high levels of production in college before being drafted to the New Orleans Saints and heading to the NFL ORG. Marshall Neeland PERSON doesn't necessarily have that. He would feel like somebody that might be a little bit more of a roll of the dice, hoping on development, banking on upside kind of a thing. So even if he's on the board, we named 14 others.One of those other guys that's ready to go is also on the board. So no matter what, the Saints will be in position to have an impact player at 45, just like they were able to do at 14. And speaking of that selection at 14, I told you that Taliesae Fonga PERSON would be a good culture fit and a good scheme fit for the New Orleans Saints ORG.Let's focus on scheme fit next. Let me give you the numbers behind that claim so you can share it with your friends. We got all that and much more coming up for you as to continue on and wrap up today's episode of Lockdown Saints ORG, part of Lockedon Podcast Network, your team every day.Today's episode of Lockedon Saints is brought to you by our friends at Monopoly Go PRODUCT. Look, we've all been there. It's half time, whether you're a player or a fanand the team is down. You're hanging your head. Things aren't feeling like they're going great and then all of a sudden you get there, you get that charge, you lift yourself up and you tell yourself that it's time to dig deep, time to get back in the game, pull off some big time bank heist and take as much moneyfrom your friends as you possibly can in Monopoly Go PRODUCT. Yeah, you can feed that competitive side with our friends over at Monopoly PRODUCT Go. It's the Monopoly that you love, but on your phone anytime with tons of new twists, including leaderboards, wrecking balls to mess up some of your friends have going on when it comes to their landmarks and you can even charge players out the wazoo like Jake Madison PERSON always does to me for iconic properties that they might land on. And you can work with your friends to crack community chest and much more. So get back out there.Don't give up just yet. Put your game face on and download Monopoly PRODUCT. Go now for free on the App Store or Google Play ORG. Let's get it. Hoadad Nation, the New Orleans Saints ORG landed, the player that they needed to get the right pick at 14.And I think there are some things that evidence just how highly the New Orleans Saints thought of their first round selection, Tally-Sa Fuanga PERSON. I'm going to give you the numbers behind it. And also a little bit of perspective about the sort of specifics or nuance of the selection at 14 when every defensive player was on the board.That tells you a lot about what the New Orleans Saints thought about Bunga PERSON. So let's go ahead and dive in here. We appreciate you very much as always. Don't forget we are your team every day. So we'll be right back with you this evening with another live show outside the facility and another show to just get you all caught up with everything that happens in day twoand they get your prime for day three as well. So we appreciate you very much for being here. Don't forget we'll be here all throughout the weekend. Can't wait. Cannot wait. My favorite time of the year. All right. So the New Orleans Saints drafted Talia Se Fuanga PERSON and I told you that he would be a good fit in this offense. But you know how we roll here. We don't just we don't just talk about it. We be about it.And so let me put some numbers behind it and give you the full context of why I believe that he'll be a good scheme fit for the New Orleans Saints ORG for their incoming scheme, right? We have to erase what we once knew about the New Orleans Saints ORG offense and what that looked like. And we have to think about what it is that they want it to look like. And what we know, even though every wide zone offense looks different, is that they will be trying to implement some type of wide zone offense with Clint Kubiak, the offensive coordinator who did his kind of first real appearance with SaintsMedia over with WWL Radio ORG where he spoke a little bit about the scheme, how it works, spoke with Deuce McAllister PERSON, had a really great conversation with him about, you know, if this is happening, then this happens, and if this happens, and this happens, and you can just tell he's got it. Like he gets it when it comes to the offensive game. Putting it in a practice will be the next test, of course, for that. But great to hear sort of the insight there. And so when you're talking about a wide zone offense, just as a quick reminder, what you'rereally talking about is expanding your run game to run outside of the tackles, right? And running the zone offense where your offensive line isn't blocking the person directly in front of them, they have an assigned area of the field that is their responsibility and assigned gap. If nobody's attacking that gap, they climb to the next level. If there's nobody climbed to in the second level, they climbed to the third level. Telly, S.A. Fonga did this incredibly well at Oregon State ORG. There's some great tape.We studied it over on the Insiders Group with the look at the, with the look at against UCLA ORG. Sorry, I lost my train of thought there, or I forgot what team I was talking. I was thinking about there, but with UCLA ORG. And so these are the things that kind of set them apart. But let's take a look at more here, right?So just in terms of experience and exposure, Fulanga PERSON played twice the amount of run plays in zone blocking schemes than he did in man blocking schemes last year, actually more than twice. 214 snaps in zone run or zone blocking with just 94 in man slash gap schemes. So he doubled his pace in terms of playing that zone blocking. So some experience there. If you go back to 2022, the disparity was even bigger. 305 snaps in zone run and just 86 in man or gap scheme on the offensive line there.So three and a half times the amount. So he is ready for the new Orleans Saints are looking for. Now don't forget that it's not just about running zone runs, right? Zone blocking schemes because there's inside zone and outside zone. Wide zone wants to attack those edges around the tackles, around the tight ends on the outsides as well. That's where they want to be able to run the ball. Well, 41.5% of all rushing attempts, which includes quarterback scrambles, reverses, jet sweeps,all that other stuff, 41.5% of those rushes went outside of the tackle or outside of the tight end. So it really was, as he explained on his post-draft selection, his introductory press conferences, media call with us, that Oregon State ORG outside zone, wide zone, was their bread and butter, and the numbers back that up. So again, either two up to three and a half times the amount of zone exposure, then man exposure in college, 41.5% of the runs going to the outside, Chef's Kiss ORG.Chef's Kiss ORG, it is perfect in terms of what it is that you're looking for. And look, I know that different people put different amounts of stock into PFF, pro football focus grades. I think the raw data is really good. I think grades, of course, every grade has a flaw. But look, when it comes to PFF, they're one of the only onesthat does a grade on zone run and man run. And Tally-Say ORG was fantastic in that zone blocking scheme with a 91.3 zone blocking grade out of 100. So even if you're not one that really buys into pro football focus grades, if we accept that this is simply a metric by which all offensive

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linemen across the country are graded, you feel really good about Fulanga and his 91.3 zone blocking grade. And by the way, if you're wondering why I'm saying Taliesa PERSONy as opposed to Taliesa as opposed to Fawanga PERSON, we got clarity on the pronunciation of his name directly from Talley S.A. who gave us the appropriate pronunciation as well. He also gave Jeff Noak PERSON the appropriate pronunciation all the way back at the Combine as well. So just to kind of clue you in on that, four syllables in the first name, and then that kind of soft end sound that you hear with a lotof Polynesian NORP descent names or Polynesian descended names, excuse me, in the last name. So just a quick note for you there. By the way, very excited he is to continue the Polynesian NORP descended names, excuse me, in the last name. So just a quick note for you there. By the way, very excited he is to continue the Polynesian NORP heritage or to be the next in that Polynesian lineage to get to the NFL ORG, along with some other guys that enter from that heritage and that background as well, this draft cycle. The other thing that I think makes Fung a really good bit for the New Orleans Saints is what Dennis Allen PERSON had to say about himwhen it came to the post draft day availability. He said, quote, I think he's got a kind of a tough

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guy demeanor to him. I think that's something that we could use up front. I think that he was one of the more mature people that we talked to. I think he's a grown man. And I think that that's good for that position. Yes, being a grown man is indeed good for that position. And I mean that in every sense of the way you want guys to just go out there and be stronger and bigger than the guys across from them. But I do think that it's telling that the Saints ORG have invested again in a guy thatDennis Allen PERSON himself said has a culture builder mentality, talked about the maturity. We know how much the culture is important to the New Orleans Saints ORG, especially right now. They're trying to get everybody to buy in to a winning culture. And it sounds like Long is absolutely ready to do that coming into the NFL ORG. I also think that it's telling, just as the last note here on this selection, I think that it's telling that the New Orleans Saints at 14, with 13 offensive players, six quarterbacksgoing off the board ahead of them, they had their pick of the litter when it came to literally every single defensive prospect available Dallas Turner. Leatu Latu, Johnny Newton, Byron Murphy, the defense attack out of Texas GPE who we thought was going to be a top 10 selection, so on and so forth. Dallas Turner, the edge rusher out of Alabama GPE that we thought was going to be a top 10 selection.And the Saints went with Bwanga PERSON. I think that that means something because we know that New Orleans Saints ORG won't reach far beyond wherever on their board they have the best player available to address a need. If the best player available on the board is their, let's say, 10th best player on the board, overall, and then their biggest need is at a position where the best player at that position is the 18th player on their board.They're going with the number 10 guy. We've seen this over and over again with edge rushers and all that other stuff. The Saints pass on every single defensive player to pick Talia Seifuonga PERSON. And I think that that tells you just how highly they had him ranked and that there wasn't that much of a gap between him and the best player available or he was indeed the best player available on the board. In any case, I think the Saints ORG are showing you just how confident they are in his abilityto be able to have an immediate impact on their offense. And I think that selection, considering the nature of the board around him, is absolutely telling of the confidence they have in this selection. We appreciate you very much, as always, making Lockdown Saints your first listen of the day, every day. Don't forget to go and check out Lockdown, Pelicans ORG.You got to get ready for another Pelicans game against OKC ORG. Not feeling too good about the Pelicans ORG fate here in the opening round of the playoffs. But, hey, at least they got there and he got the opportunity to dance. You could also go and check out, of course, Locked in LSU with Caroline Fenton PERSON on the way. Appreciate you very much, as always, making us a part of your day, part of your routine for saying yes to me on the show. As always, if you see me, please say hi.And if you need anything else around your New Orleans Saints ORG in between these episodes, make sure you follow me on your favorite social media at Ross Jackson ORG, N-O-L-A. Hit me up. They're not a family doing about how you live. Let me know how you're mom in them. And trust you, that nation, I'll holl at you. Hey, Prime members.

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