Saints find a way to get the linebacker they needed

Head coach Sean Payton said going into the second day of the NFL Draft that the Saints needed to get a linebacker “in some way, shape or form.”

They found a way early in the third round Friday when they traded up to select Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun.

Saints executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis said the Saints started exploring trading up to as high as the first pick of the second round to try and get Baun, but the cost was “way too rich.”

Eventually though, they got excellent value for a player that some had projected as a first-round pick, but he dropped to the 10th pick in the third round, No. 74 overall.

“I didn’t expect to drop this far,” Baun said in a conference call with reporters covering the Saints shortly after being selected.

Reportedly, some teams had concerns about a health issue, though he started every game the last two seasons after missing the 2017 season because of a foot injury, as well as a diluted drug-test sample at the NFL Combine.

“I have no idea (why he dropped),” Baun said. “I don’t care what the reason was. I’m just happy to fulfill a lifelong dream.”

Baum, a consensus first-team All-American after making 12.5 sacks as a senior, said he was excited to go to “a winning organization with a great coaching staff” and called it “the perfect situation.”

Payton identified linebacker as a position of need because starting strongside linebacker A.J. Klein signed with Buffalo as a free agent. Additionally, starting middle linebacker Alex Anzalone has been injury-plagued in his first three seasons.

Weakside linebacker Demario Davis has led the team in tackles the last two seasons, but the team has thin depth though former Dolphins starter Kiko Alonso provides insurance in Klein’s absence.

New Orleans gave up its No. 3 next season to move up 14 spots in the third round and also received a No. 7 from Cleveland in this draft. It marked the 18th time in 14 years that the Saints have traded up in the draft.

Then the Saints shipped all of their remaining picks – one each in the fourth round, (No. 130 overall), the fifth round (No. 169), the sixth round (No. 203) and the seventh round (No. 244) on Saturday – to Minnesota to get the 105th overall pick in the third round and take Dayton tight end Adam Trautman.

That left New Orleans with no remaining picks going into the final day of the draft Saturday, which allows it to focus on signing free agents once the draft ends.

“We identified and filled needs without reaching,” Payton said.

Loomis said the three picks were all among the Saints’ top 40.

It’s unclear whether Baun will start as a rookie but he seems capable of playing in the linebacker rotation right away.

But the Saints’ first-round pick – center Cesar Ruiz of Michigan – seems likely to start either at center or guard as a rookie. Baun said he and Ruiz had trained together in Arizona.

Payton said Thursday night that Ruiz and incumbent center Erik McCoy are both capable of moving to guard.

Ruiz played guard as a freshman and center his last two years, making all of the line calls.

”I love being in charge of the show,” Ruiz said in a conference call with reporters covering the Saints.

He added that he’s “a big meeting guy.”

“I enjoy meetings a lot,” Ruiz said. “That’s where I flourish, learning football. It’s the best class I’ve ever taken. That’s one thing that I like to harp a lot at, in meetings.”

Michigan run game coordinator/offensive line coach Ed Warinner said Ruiz always sat at the front of the room during position meetings.

“He was very focused,” Warinner said. “He likes to watch film, he likes to study. He’s very detail oriented. He asks questions, communicates, real clear communicator. He’s a joy to be in meetings with.

“Some guys don’t like feedback. Cesar is not afraid of feedback. He just wants to improve.”

Ruiz’s study habits and attention to detail showed in the fact that he drew just three penalty flags in the seasons.

“If you give him a test of 50 questions that he needs to know for a game,” Warinner said, “he’s going to get 49 out of the 50 right because that is just the way he is. He wants to be perfect.”

In fact he was nearly perfect in making line calls last season.

“Last season maybe once or twice he made the wrong call,” Warinner said. “That’s pretty amazing. I mean, we’re talking about 99 percent accurate on his intellectual decision making on the field.

“I would say that is at the highest, highest end of efficiency that you could find in football for that job description of a center or someone making the decisions up front.”

The Wolverines ran a pro-style offense in 2018 before switching to a shotgun spread offense last season.

“That blend of those two offenses together I think is what you see the Saints doing and I think that fits him perfectly,” Warinner said. “He’ll understand inside zone, outside zone, power, counter, drop-back protection, quick-game protection. He’ll be able to just roll right with all the concepts that they do.

”He is a great combination of all the attributes that you’re looking for. There’s really nothing he can’t do. He was a joy to coach.”

Ruiz’s affinity for studying and he’s ability to learn quickly should serve him well in the absence of a supervised off-season program because of the COVID-19 restrictions. He said he’s confident he’ll be ready if training camp starts on time.

“I believe I will be able to be ready in August,” he said. “I’m going to study my playbook, stay in shape, eat right and do everything right and I’m going to do everything I can to stay in shape, be professional and be ready when I get there in August.”