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NFL Draft 2015: Saints draft Garrett Grayson to replace Drew Brees

By Josh Hill

Nov 28, 2014; Colorado Springs, CO, USA; Colorado State Rams quarterback Garrett Grayson (18) passes in the first quarter against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2014; Colorado Springs, CO, USA; Colorado State Rams quarterback Garrett Grayson (18) passes in the first quarter against the Air Force Falcons at Falcon Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NFL Draft was expected to provide some surprises, but the New Orleans Saints third-round pick provided a double surprise for a couple of different reasons. 

The New Orleans Saints decided that this was the year they’d go high on a quarterback in the NFL Draft, and they ended up making good on that in the third round on Friday night. The Saints aren’t by any means pushing Drew Brees out of town, but they’ve officially drafted a guy that could end up replacing him in the future.

It’s surprising, outright, that the Saints decided to draft a quarterback knowing that Drew Bress still has a handful of good years ahead of him. What’s even more surprising is that they went with aa quarterback in the third round — a very valuable round for finding talent that could develop on a roster.

But perhaps the most surprising thing about this is that the Saints went with Garrett Grayson as their pick with names like Brett Hundley and Bryce Petty still on the board.

The idea that the Saints were going to take a quarterback in the draft wasn’t all that surprising. New Orleans was rather heavily rumored to be targeting Baylor’s Bryce Petty and that’s where all of the talk about them drafting Drew Brees’ eventual replacement came from.

New Orleans went with the plan to take a quarterback they can groom, but it wasn’t Petty — instead it was Garrett Grayson from Colorado State.

It’s not a bad pick, as Grayson was in the conversation to be one of the first quarterbacks taken after Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, but the needle seemed to be breaking on Bryce Petty’s hype. Grayson is a guy who could end up being Brees’ successor but he could turn into a guy like Matt Cassel who is groomed and then traded.

Either way, Grayson was the third quarterback off the board, and the Saints now have a kid that they can mold in Drew Brees’ eye and who can possibly turn into their Aaron Rodgers.

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