Looking back on past New Orleans Saints draft expert grades since 2016

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN: C-plus. Kiper was skeptical about Zack Baun’s fit in the Saints defense, and he was right on target. The third-rounder has played 82, 194, and 83 defensive snaps through three years as the team struggles to figure out where to play him. He excelled as a pass rusher in college but they’re determined to make him more of a coverage player, and it just hasn’t worked out.

Kiper suggested a first-round receiver may have been a better pick than Cesar Ruiz, and in hindsight the Saints were foolish to pass on Brandon Aiyuk (No. 25), Tee Higgins (No. 33), and Michael Pittman Jr. (No. 34) in favor of a young center who they needed to teach to play guard, even if Larry Warford was in rapid decline. He was right about Adam Trautman’s limitations and the poorly-conceived trade for Tommy Stevens, too. Sean Payton’s ego got the better of him in this draft. His take on their overall haul:

I’m high on center Cesar Ruiz (24), whom I ranked as the clear top interior offensive lineman in this class, and he has some experience at guard. He could end up there with last year’s second-round pick, Erik McCoy, playing so well at center as a rookie. One thing that bothers shorter quarterbacks like Drew Brees is interior pressure, and New Orleans is trying to shore that up as it goes all-in for 2020. I have other needs higher for the Saints — particularly wide receiver — but I do like Ruiz.

The Saints used trades for their other three picks, including adding next year’s third-rounder, to move up to get outside linebacker Zack Baun (74) and tight end Adam Trautman (105). Baun is an interesting fit in Dennis Allen’s defense; is he a defensive end or a versatile linebacker? I thought he’d be great as an OLB in a 3-4. Either way, it’s good value for Baun, who is my No. 31 overall player. The 6-foot-5 Trautman, my second-ranked tight end, caught 70 passes last season and is really just a jumbo wide receiver at this point, but that could be useful in Sean Payton’s offense.

It appears the Saints will try to use quarterback Tommy Stevens (240) in some sort of Taysom Hill role, but he is my 18th-ranked quarterback. I’ll believe he gets on the field when I see it. New Orleans tried for quality over quantity here, but it’s tough for a class with four picks to break into the B range.

Pete Prisco, CBS: B-minus. Prisco had high expectations for Zack Baun, but he hasn’t been able to get on…