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The Saints get credit for being one of the best drafting teams in the NFL.

But, over the last five years, is that really true?

Here are the Saints starters currently on the roster since the 2018 draft.

Eric McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Pete Werner, Paulson Adebo and Chris Olave.

That’s it.

Contrast that with the 2017 draft, one that produced six still starting on NFL rosters.

The draft that produced Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, Alvin Kamara, and three others was one of the best drafts in Saints history, but since, the Saints have had far more misses than makes.

In 2018, the Saints traded a pair of first round picks for defensive end Marcus Davenport, who recently departed in free agency.

Davenport, while immensely talented, played only 63 games in five seasons. He departed with 21.5 quarterback sacks.
A year later, the Saints traded up 14 spots with Miami to select McCoy, who cost the club a pair of second round picks.

In 57 games over four years, McCoy, at center, has anchored the middle of the Saints offensive line.

Ruiz, the first selection by the Saints in 2020, has not played like a first round pick for much of his career.

However, he doesn’t turn 24 years old until June, so there appears to still be an upside.

You can make an argument that Werner has been the Saints most productive pick in the last five years.

The 60th selection in the 2021 draft is a tackling machine, with 92 solo stops in 27 games played.

Adebo had three interceptions in his rookie season, none last year.

And, Chris Olave, was very good as a rookie, with 72 receptions, for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns.

But, then there’s defensive end Payton Turner, a first round pick in 2021, who has played a total of 13 games in two seasons, with three quarterbacks sacks.

And, there’s tight end Adam Trautman, who like Turner shows flashes of potential, but has only 60 receptions in three seasons.

On day two of the 2020 NFL draft, the Saints traded four day three selections to Minnesota to move back into the third round and draft Trautman.

To be fair, drafting is a very inexact science.

The teams who are quite good at it, make the right selection, one out of every two times.

And, in 2022, the Saints may have had a terrific draft.

Second round pick, cornerback Alontae Taylor, had 11 pass breakups.

And, tackle Trevor Penning, has drawn considerable praise from head coach Dennis Allen in the offseason.

Penning had two major injuries in his rookie season, turf toe and a foot that required surgery.

However, Allen said this about the 19th pick in the 2022 draft.

“If we can keep him healthy, the sky is the limit,” said Allen.

The Saints have already had a productive offseason.

Free agent quarterback Derek Carr, at least for 2023, will be the best signal caller in a weak division, and running back Jamal Williams is a talented runner, who gives the Saints a solid option, if legal troubles for Alvin Kamara result in a suspension.

But, the Saints are not big spenders in free agency.

They draft and develop, believing that spending big money in unrestricted free agency is fool’s gold.

Now, they just have to frankly, draft better.

2017, one of the best drafts in the last 20 years, by any NFL team, is a fading memory.