New Orleans Saints 2020 NFL Draft grades: Sean Payton does it again
By Josh Hill
Pick Analysis. LB. Scouting Report. Wisconsin. Zack Baun. 74. player. 809
New Orleans has been known for its offense during the Sean Payton-Drew Brees era but don’t sleep on how critical defense has been. It’s because of Payton’s ability to land guys like Zack Braun that keep New Orleans’ roster one of the deepest and most complete in the entire league.
Braun is a classic Payton pick: A guy who was mocked as a first-round talent who might be there in the second but is there for the taking in the third. Bill Belichick always gets credit for being able to have the right guy just fall into his lap, but Payton has quietly made a Hall of Fame career out of it.
A good comparison to Baun is Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who also happened to be the right guy who fell to Payton in last year’s draft. The cornerback was projected to be a higher pick than what he was when the saints grabbed him in the fourth round. He wasn’t a household name across the league, but was the type of player that made plays when it mattered, which is the type of value Payton gets out of guys like him.
Baun is the next evolution of that, a linebacker who likely got dinged for his small size but will be a razor sharp piece of Payton’s system and someone who will make you know his name if you don’t already know it.