NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints traded up 14 spots in the third round and took Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun 74th overall in the NFL draft on Friday night.
In a trade with Cleveland, the Saints also got a seventh-round pick from the Browns in exchange for New Orleans’ 88th overall pick in this year’s third round and a third-rounder next year.
The 6-2, 238-pound Baun was the second overall draft choice by New Orleans, which took Michigan center Cesar Ruiz in the first round and did not have a second-round choice.
Baun was a dual-threat quarterback in high school who converted to linebacker at Wisconsin and rounded into dominant form as a senior in 2019, when he had 19 1/2 tackles for losses and 12 1/2 sacks, intercepted a pass and caused two fumbles.
He was named second-team AP All-America and first-team All-Big Ten.
The 6-foot-3, 307-pound Ruiz joins a unit that has all five starters returning, including center Erik McCoy, who was New Orleans’ top draft pick a year ago in the second round.
The Saints, however, value linemen who have versatility and coach Sean Payton made it clear that Ruiz will have an opportunity to compete for a starting role at any of the interior line positions.
The Saints have most core players back from the past three seasons, all of which included NFC South Division crowns — and 13-3 records each of the past two regular seasons.
With no glaring holes no the roster, the Saints had the flexibility to choose the player they liked best, regardless of position.
However, appeared that a playmaking linebacker or receiver could help New Orleans most.
While linebaker Demario Davis has emerged as a defensive leader in New Orleans, the Saints lost A.J. Klein in free agency and two of their other top linebackers — Alex Anzalone and Kiko Alonso — both are recovering from injuries.
The Saints ranked 11th defensively last season, allowing 333.1 yards per game. They ranked fourth in the NFL against the run, yielding an average of 91.3 yards on the ground. New Orleans gave up 241.8 yards per game, which ranked 20th.
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