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Did the Saints draft Garrett Grayson to eventually replace Drew Brees?

By Juan Basadre

Jan 22, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad quarterback Garrett Grayson of Colorado State (8) passing during Senior Bowl practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 22, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad quarterback Garrett Grayson of Colorado State (8) passing during Senior Bowl practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Why Garrett Grayson was drafted to possibly replace Drew Brees

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On Friday night Colorado State Quarterback Garrett Grayson was drafted by the New Orleans Saint in the 3rd round, 75th overall. Many are calling Grayson Drew Brees’ replacement, citing Brees’ age as a major concern for the Saints in the future. Considering who was left on the boards and the team’s needs, drafting Grayson was a good move.

Grayson is one of the most pro-ready QBs in this draft (outside of Jameis Winston), a seemingly rare commodity due to the proliferation of the spread in the college game. This means that we have seen him take snaps under center and throw to wide receivers running a pro route tree, things every NFL team needs their quarterback to do. Although he played in a weaker conference, which means weaker competition, Grayson dominated, especially as a senior. He completed 64% of his passes, throwing for 4,000 plus yards and 32 touchdowns against just seven picks.

This isn’t to say that he is ready now. Grayson isn’t going to burn someone with his legs, which can hurt young quarterbacks because it doesn’t allow them to pull the ball down and run when the pocket collapses. Furthermore, while Grayson comes from a pro system, he doesn’t throw with a great motion, hurting his release speed. Most fans will argue that this fact is overstated, but in the NFL those milliseconds matter. Tim Tebow comes to mind immediately, but another example that stands out: a Sunday night football game which pitted the Steelers against the Ravens in 2012.

An injured Ben Roethlisberger was replaced by Byron Leftwich, who was making his first start for the first time in three years. In that game Leftwich was picked apart, as an awkward release meant the Ravens defense had a little longer to time his throws. Leftwich finished the night 18-for-39 for 201 yards and one interception, taking 3 sacks in the process.

The Saints are also savvy. They know Drew Brees isn’t getting younger (he will be 37 next year) and clever teams don’t wait till the last minute to prepare for their future. Even if Brees wants to play for another three years, there is no guarantee that he will be able to. His production hasn’t slowed, but players careers can end suddenly especially as they age. Simply put most players don’t leave on their own terms.

Grayson for the Saints is a luxury pick, not a pressing need but one that can give coach Sean Payton some time to prepare for a possible change at QB. Furthermore, the Saints have a little bit of time to develop Grayson and really see if he can be a franchise quarterback. While it is early to declare the Garret Grayson era here in New Orleans if you’re a Saints fan you can breath a little sigh of relief knowing they have a backup plan.

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