3 best moves the Saints made in the NFL Draft

2. Pete Werner

Werner is another guy who appears to fit the Saints’ defensive system pretty well. He’s got good size and range for the position. That works well for a team that generally favors playing two linebackers in their base nickel defense on most downs.

Selecting Werner in Round 2 appears to be an admission that last year’s third-round pick, Zack Baun, doesn’t have the versatility required to transition to linebacker full time. Look for him to revert to being a sub-package edge rusher.

That gives Werner the inside track to start alongside Demario Davis at linebacker. The presence of such a talented partner in the linebacking corps should help ease Werner’s transition to life in the NFL.

Again, value was a serious problem with this pick. Werner doesn’t project as anything more than an adequate starting linebacker. He fills a need for New Orleans but they could have drafted a similar prospect on Day 3. Look for the Saints to tout drafting Werner as a success because he’ll emerge as an immediate starter. That will be a flawed narrative in The Big Easy.