Saints trade up twice in third round to take Baun, Trautman
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The New Orleans Saints traded up twice in the third round of then NFL draft on Friday night, moving up 14 spots to and take Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun 74th overall and trading back into the third round again to select Dayton tight end Adam Trautman 105th.
The Saints traded with Cleveland in order to select the 6-2, 238-pound Baun. He 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.
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.
New Orleans then used its seventh rounder (244th overall) from Cleveland, along with its own fourth- (130), fifth- (169) and sixth-round (203) picks in a trade with Minnesota in order to draft the 6-5, 255-pound Trautman.
The deal left New Orleans with no slated picks on the final day of the draft, barring yet anther trade for either current players or future years' draft picks.
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, 12 1/2 sacks, intercepted a pass and caused two fumbles. He also was named second-team AP All-America and first-team All-Big Ten last season.
'œWe lost a lot of production after the 2018 season and I just knew that someone had to step up as a leader and in production on the field," Baun recalled of his mindset entering his final season at Wisconsin. 'œI went up to my position coach and I said, 'Hey coach, I'm trying to be the best player I can be and I know I have the athletic ability and gifts to be one of the top players in this league and I'm going to do whatever it takes, whether that's getting stronger in the weight room, extra film study, NFL study. ...'
"I did that all throughout the season and it really paid off,'ť Baun said.
While Baun's 2017 season was wiped out by a foot injury, he was viewed by some analysts as a prospect who could have been drafted earlier than the middle of the third round.
'œI really don't have any idea and as a matter of fact I don't really care what the reason was," he said. 'œBut I'm just so happy I've gotten picked and fulfilling a lifelong dream.'ť
Trautman was named AP FCS All-America this past season, when he caught 70 passes for 916 yards and 14 touchdowns.
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 on the roster, the Saints had the flexibility to choose the player they liked best, regardless of position.
However, it appeared that a playmaking linebacker or receiver could help New Orleans most in the short term.
While linebacker Demario Davis has emerged as a defensive leader in New Orleans, the Saints lost fellow linebacker A.J. Klein in free agency, while 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 passing per game, which ranked 20th.
The 6-foot-3, 307-pound Ruiz will join an offensive line that has all five 2019 starters still on the roster, 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.
After both playing the Big Ten, the Ruiz and Baun trained together after turning pro in Arizona and now will be teammates in the NFL.
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