Saints first rounder Andrus Peat could fit at left guard, draft expert says – NOLA.com
Since I botched the audio in my Thursday podcast, I’m providing a transcription of my chat with Bleacher Report NFL draft expert Matt Miller as we discuss the Saints’ 2015 draft class.
Thursday’s podcast centered around the defensive prospects. But I’m throwing in our very interesting conversation about the Saints’ offensive picks in this transcription:
Thoughts on Stephone Anthony
“I did think he was a bit of a reach. If you just stack a big board together and say here’s players 1-100, I would say he was probably closer to the 50-60 range, not 31. But the way that I saw this draft kind of unfold, and I think that’s important to consider, not just where you had a guy ranked but how the draft looked at that stage, I think we were about to see a pretty big run on linebackers. Once you got past Green Bay there at 30 and they didn’t take a linebacker, you probably had to start go after guys. So it makes sense to get Stephone Anthony there especially if he’s their top-rated linebacker, that’s an important part of that too. … He was a bit of a reach, but he’s one of the few linebackers that can play every down and play right away. That’s pretty important. You look at guys like Eric Kendricks, Denzel Perryman, Paul Dawson and they all kind of have a negative. Anthony has size, speed, coverage ability, so he’s going to give you a lot more Week 1 as opposed to those other guys.”
Is Anthony the type of player to fit in a Jonathan Vilma/Curtis Lofton’s role
“Oddly enough, I work with Jonathan VIlma at Bleacher Report and when this pick was happening, I was like, ‘Man, this is you.’ They drafted a guy that can do the things he did when he played there. He can play with range, he can get outside the tackle box. He’s a little bigger than Jon is so Anthony stacks up a little bit better there. He has the same kind of ability where he’s not only going to lock down the A and B gaps, but he’s going to get outside and take on screens and tosses and really make plays all over the field. He’s going to give them more athleticism and more speed on defense.”
Evaluation of Hau’oli Kikaha and Davis Tull
“I think Kikaha probably plays right away. The production speaks for itself. He had 18½ sacks last year going up against some really good offensive tackles in the Pac 12 along the way. He’s a guy I think will play immediately. He gives you speed and flexibility off the edge. Junior Galette is a very good pass rusher, but I think he’s more power and Kikaha is your quicker of the two. You here this question a lot: can a guy convert speed to power? Kikaha does that. He did it on film. He did it all week at the Senior Bowl. So he’s consistent. My question mark with him is the two ACLs. I know some scouts I talked to at Washington really didn’t like him from a medical standpoint. It’s interesting the Saints drafted him in Round 2. Obviously the Saints feel fine with the medical side, which is encouraging where you can get a guy that not everyone else was up on.
“You look at Tull and he’s really raw. They kind of have similar type profiles, talking about Tull and Kikaha. Both are about 250 pounds and kind of quick, twitch guys. Tull isn’t that top end, every down linebacker I don’t think. But he is a good situational pass rusher. Because of the small school tag, maybe he’s a guy that uses his traits to become a better player than we thought. But he’s explosive. His vertical jump and broad jump were pretty much insane for his size at the Combine. So you know there’s some burst in his lower body.”
Does Kikaha fit better at Sam where Parys Haralson plays or at Jack where Junior Galette plays
“(Galette’s spot) is more of how he fits as opposed to the Anthony Spencer/Parys Haralson type of guys. I think Kikaha’s ceiling is a lot higher than any of the guys they have one the roster at that position. Galette has been a bit of a surprise coming out of Stillman in 2010. Haralson never really hit his potential, and Spencer has been sidetracked by injuries. I think Kikaha has the chance to be the best pass rusher on the team by the end of the year.”
Thoughts on P.J. Williams and Damian Swann
“As for Williams, several teams like this guy as a possible late first rounder or early second round before he got pulled over for the DUI that was dismissed. But I think there was enough confusion and negativity around him that pushed him down the board a bit. I think he plays like a late first rounder. He’s a guy that if he doesn’t work at corner could be a really good free safety. He has range and size and is the best tackling corner in this draft hands down. … I would like to him as someone who could push Brandon Browner maybe not this year, but if Browner is only there a year for some reason that Williams could push for that spot. I would think that’s the expectation to be your No. 2 corner next to Keenan Lewis.
“Swann has kind of been up and down. In 2013, he got abused at times. Sammy Watkins just absolutely destroyed. In 2014, I thought he was a little bit more confident. And again, he gives you size. Last year the Stanley Jean-Baptiste pick hasn’t paid dividends, but at least they know what they want with corners with guys with size and who can play at the line of scrimmage. I think Swann gives you that.”
Thoughts on Tyeler Davison
“I think he’s an underappreciated guy like Mike Mayock referred to him. I had him as a late third rounder or a fourth rounder. So you’re getting good value. On that Fresno State defense, their front seven didn’t have a ton of talent and so teams realy keyed in on him. He can play anywhere along that front line. He can play nose tackle and that’s where the Kyle Williams comparison comes in. He can play that five technique if you need it. He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s really athletic with good leverage and aggressive. To get him in Round 5 and with your second pick is great value. A lot of times you look at this draft pick and you might not expect much. He’s someone who can work into that lineup. John Jenkins hasn’t really been effective after being taken in the third round. Brodrick Bunkley is getting a little older. Even if he slides in to play nose, I wouldn’t be shocked if he was their guy long term.”
Thoughts on Andrus Peat
“I had him as a late first rounder but I had a lot of scouting friends who thought he was a top 10 player and maybe someone the Giants would have taken at No. 9 or to the Rams. Opinions on him were wide spread. But he’s a great athlete and the trend with offensive tackles is you want a guy with a good lower body and you could build up his strength and improve his hands. That’s what it’s going to take with Peat, There are game films where he dominated and game films where he got dominated. … He’s up and down, but he’s young. I do think this was a best player available pick. I don’t think he’s a better left tackle than Terron Armstead is right now. Maybe eventually. Zach Strief is getting a little bit older so maybe this was one of those picks where we’re going to make this pick now and figure it out down the road. Peat could probably play guard for a year and kick outside. It might not be weird to see him at left guard for a year and then figure out what happens from there. He’s talented guy with big upside, but at that spot, even with some of the off-field issues with the edge rushers, I thought that’s where they would have gone looking at Shane Ray at that point or Alvin Dupree.”
Is moving Peat to guard a realistic option
“I think could be effective because he’s athletic enough. But I don’t think he’s ever played there. I view him as an ideal right tackle. I don’t know if that move inside would be real hard for him. Some of his issues were protecting his outside shoulder. You put him at left guard, he’s not going to have that issue because he’s going to be covered up. He’s quick and strong in the run game. That’s where he’s best. So it does make some sense there. The Saints like to spread out on the offensive line so having another good pass protector in at left guard makes sense. Maybe even Zach Strief can move inside. I don’t think that would be completely unheard of considering where he is in his career. That left guard spot, I would circle that right now as a huge weakness where they have to figure out who’s going to play there. I don’t know what Sean Payton will do, but I would get my five best offensive linemen on the field and figure out how to play them together. Peat would be one of those five.”
How does Garrett Grayson fit the Saints and does he have what it takes to be Drew Brees’ heir apparent
“I think he does have the ability to eventually become the starter there. He was one of the few quarterbacks in this class that has some starter potential. Obviously Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. After that, I thought it was down to Bryce Petty or Grayson. What he does well is what the Saints have done. He’s a great deep ball thrower. His touch and ability to put some arch on the ball and lead guys down the field is a plus. You think about Drew Brees and how he doesn’t have great arm strength, but his downfield throwing has always been really strong. I think that’s what Grayson has too. He’s not real big, but he’s athletic and quick out of the pocket. He makes fast reads and he comes out of a system that asks him to do that. He can diagnose what a defense is doing and get the ball out of there. Now that led to him getting tunnel vision at times at Colorado State and he’s going to have to learn to go through his progressions a little faster. But he’s smart at that deep touch is that redeeming quality. His mechanics need to be worked on a lot, but Sean Payton can clean that up. He’s probably the No. 3 quarterback this year, but you have a ton of time to work with him on how he throws the ball, which could add velocity. … The offensive philosophy is going to be the same post-Drew Brees because he’s a smaller guy with good mobility who throws a really nice deep ball.”
Marcus Murphy’s role
“I heard a lot of people saw that he’s not very fast. You can’t look at his 40 time because he is quick. He led the SEC in all-purpose yards last year. So you know what he can do the in running game, passing game and the return game – kick and punt return. I think he can help in all phases. He’s a little bit of those guys that won’t run between the tackles but he can makes people miss in open space. His big value is as a kick or punt returner. If he’s going to make the roster, that’s where he’s going to make it and be an impact guy with Jalen Saunders his only real competition.”
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