Free Saints NFL Draft Guide for New Orleans Saints Fans

2022 Player Grades, Rankings, Film Notes, & Comps from an Independent Local Scout

Scout Without Clout
My real name is Luke. I'm a small business owner (a marketing analytics company) in the greater New Orleans area who's scouted the NFL Draft for hobby for 15 years. This year I invested more time than years past & really formalized my process. I take pride in offering the Who Dat Nation & the NOLA community access to a 100% free draft guide. I've loved the draft since I was a child, yet remember all those years not being able to afford the good draft guides. This blog is designed to be Saints specific & fan oriented. Football is part of how we bond in Louisiana. Winning means more to NOLA than it does to other places. Our community unifies through our team. Most analysis & consensus draft boards are based on combine performances, hype/popular opinion, & try to simultaneously grade for 32 teams which isn't really possible. Although I don't have access to the same intel as the pros (like there are players I can't always find tape on), I take pride in grading autonomously. I began my film study this year in early December & most of my player profiles were completed before the combine even began (unless specifically dated & stated otherwise). Thus making this one of the only draft boards in existence that's not only Saints specific, but also based purely on tape and not 'measurables.' This blog is for Saints fans 1st, but also a long term attempt to penetrate a very competitive industry that frankly lacks conventional HR channels. I certainly dream of being the next Mike Detiller (our local regional media scout) & maybe even one day helping to build a contender. My overall goal though is to give something back to our community, as well as maybe give you an edge in fantasy football & pre-draft conversations with friends & fam. If a byproduct of that resulted in discovering a career path within this niche/passion that I so enjoy year after year, than that'd be really cool to. So "pull for me" if you dig it. If you work in the industry and you find this site useful or interesting, feel free to contact me. If you're a fan who wants to give me a holler, then send a message at the bottom of the page & I will respond.

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What's My Process?
In the past I'd try to grade according to how I thought the draft might unfold, but this year treated it more like: where would I grade these players if I were the GM responsible for drafting them? Those are 2 very different grades by the way. My process began in December where I gathered lists of the top 300ish draft eligible prospects via 3 sources (TDN, PFN & PFF). By merely importing the players' names into each post, I have a general idea of other rankings, but I purposely shield myself from analysis, height, weight, & stats in advance. I just want to watch the tape. Not highlights. Game by game, how does the guy play? Each profile is essentially film notes. While watching games, I'll start to factor/add production & ht/wt measurables. I take pride in my Player Comps which you'll see as, "Scout Comp" (normally for QB, RB, & WR). In year's past I've noticed my best success rates are at RB, LB, & QB. DB is the hardest because I really need access to "all 22." WR is hit or miss and more complicated because it's so situationally dependent. I've seen so many good WRs go to like the worst possible fit or situations and fall through the cracks, as well as the inverse. So scouting is a wildly competitive industry that involves a degree of luck. In some sense that's always made me curious how my team would stack up vs "the pros." Anyway, welcome to the new site. I'm honored you're here & if you'd like to contact me, feel free to send a message at the bottom of the page. It'll come directly to my email & I will respond. To all my Who Dats, enjoy! Now let's get some in 2022.