Saint rundown: New Orleans draft clearly had more of an eye on rebuilding than it has in the past

The Saints didn't make a ton of picks that felt like they were more about today than tomorrow.

Think about it. Offensive tackle isn't an immediate need. Quarterback probably is, but theoretically Derek Carr is still on the roster. Defensive tackle? Nope. Safety? Blocked — for now. Linebacker? Nah. Cornerback? That's a maybe.

All of these guys will help. Some of them will start. Kelvin Banks, for instance, will find a spot to start. Or, more accurately, someone will be moved out of the way for him to play. Tyler Shough is probably a safe bet to be the Week 1 starter, too.

But the point I'm making is that New Orleans didn't HAVE to draft an offensive tackle or quarterback. And the fact that the Saints took this approach to the draft is actually pretty appealing. This class isn't about chasing nine wins or trying to win now. This one is much more about trying to build something better for tomorrow.

And that's exactly where the team should exist. The idea that this team is chasing something is now over. It's time to move on and build this thing right.

THE 30 VISIT: The Saints usually bring in players they have questions about for top-30 visits. It's the guys that need to have a medical check or answer some type of blank in their resume that needs to get filled in.

So, they'll come in, meet with a bunch of different people, shake a bunch of different hands and answer a bunch of different questions. Then they'll go on their way and wait and see what happens.

The meeting with Tyler Shough was different. He came in and spent his time with Kellen Moore. This was more of an interview, a compatibility test and making sure than filling in blanks on a resume. New Orleans spent a lot of time around a bunch of different quarterbacks during this process. The time the coaching staff spent with Shough was unique.

From the very beginning of this process, the information we had was that Shough was the team's No. 2 quarterback. By the end of the process, he still existed in the same spot, one notch below Cam Ward.

Feel however you want about who you think is the right quarterback for Kellen Moore's offense. Time will tell if the right decision was made during this draft process. But you want the coach to have the quarterback he wants, and now he has his guy. We'll see how it goes.

For what it's worth, the Saints didn't bring in Banks for a 30 visit because they felt very comfortable with him. They spent some brief but quality time at the combine. Then Moore was one of six head coaches reportedly on site for Texas’ pro day.

TIME'S UP?: The selection of Shough, at least to me, seemed to signify that things are over with Derek Carr. I don't know what it will take to fix that situation or turn the page, but it's time to find some type of solution that allows him to get out of here.

Maybe the Saints can get some money back. Or maybe they can find a worthwhile trade that would put the team in a position to get a nice return.

But to me, it's time to move on. Having Carr around this young team that is building a new future just doesn't make sense. If he's not all in — and we know he isn't, even if he really does need surgery — then it's time to build a new culture around guys who are ready to buy in.

CORNER FIT: Really like the idea of drafting Quincy Riley in the fourth round. Not only does it feel like New Orleans got a great value in that round, it also feels like it got the right guy.

Riley has really good coverage and ball skills, and feels like a smart and mature player. The problem is that he's already 24 and you have to wonder how high his ceiling is coming into the league.

But he should be able to compete for a job and the Saints need guys who can compete. The best part, though, is that he said he played a lot of pattern match coverage in college. If we're about the system this team will run, that should make him a great fit for Brandon Staley's defense.

I still have concerns about this cornerback group overall, though. There is a lot that needs to be proven. Alontae Taylor is still a question mark, and Kool-Aid McKinstry still has a lot to show. It will be an interesting group.

SQUABBLE UP: Hard not to feel like the Saints just put Kendre Miller on notice. Devin Neal, the sixth-round pick out of Kansas, had real production in college.

Last year, he rushed for 1,266 yards and 16 TDs and caught 24 passes for 254 yards with another TD. In 2023, it was 1,280 rushing yards, 217 receiving yards and 17 TDs. Those are big numbers, real numbers. The kind of numbers that make you think this guy might be a little different than a typical sixth-round pick.

Neal isn't quick, and he isn't fast. He ran a 4.58 at the combine. But he fights for yards, plays hard and is productive. If nothing else, he should raise the floor in the running back room.

UNADDRESSED: We knew the Saints weren't going to be able to address everything they needed or wanted to do in this draft just due to the level of need across the board. So, it's no surprise that a few spots were not addressed in the first four rounds.

The two big ones, to me, were wide receiver and pass rusher. The Saints haven't been able to find a big-bodied receiver to replace Mike Thomas the last few years, and the team will again have to piece together a pass rush.

There are still some pass catchers available in free agency, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see New Orleans try to add another veteran player to help Shough.

GREAT REVIEW: Was pretty interesting to hear Riley rave about Shough. He said the quarterback showed up in Louisville and was somewhat of a culture changer.

"A quarterback that is a real leader," Riley said. "The first day he got to Louisville, he had an immediate leadership impact. The throws I see him make in practice, I always say he's the best quarterback in the draft — not being biased because he's my teammate, but (because of) the things I see him do in practice and off the field.

"We'd watch film before practice with the team, but as soon as we'd get done with practice, I would see him be in there for hours watching film after practice. And it was like, 'Oh yeah, this is the quarterback I want on my team.' And he knows how to win games, and he brings so much swag to the team, too."

It's interesting because while Shough is a rookie, he's been around a lot of football and comes in as an older player, which could help him quickly become a culture-setter and leader in this group.

AGING UP: Shough's age is something that is interesting. Won't matter if he can keep improving and getting better. And he should have some room for growth. He's exactly one year older than Spencer Rattler, and I think we all believe that Rattler still has room for growth. So, Shough should too. But still, entering the league as a 25-year-old is a bit different.

He's also older than Chris Olave, Bryan Bresee and Nick Saldiveri, and it feels like those guys have been around for a while.

LATTIMORE TRADE COMPLETED: The Saints made all of their picks from the Marshon Lattimore trade and ended up with S Jonas Sanker, CB Quincy Riley and RB Devin Neal. The Commanders got Lattimore and a fifth-round pick -- which they traded to the 49ers for Deebo Samuel. The 49ers drafted RB Jordan James with that pick.