Where did Draft Wire rank Payton Turner among first-round picks?
We spent months talking about how unpredictable the New Orleans Saints can be on draft day, so it shouldnt have shocked anyone to see another little-hyped prospect land with the black and gold when Houston pass rusher Payton Turner heard his name called back in April. Draft Wire ranked every pick made in the first round, but its a tough scroll to the bottom for Saints fans. Turner clocks in at No. 30 out of the 32 selections, with only two worse draft-day choices behind him: the Las Vegas Raiders picking Alex Leatherwood and the Arizona Cardinals selecting Zaven Collins. Turner wasnt projected to go in the first round of many mock drafts, but that speaks more to media opinions than prospect grades handed out around the league. Multiple teams were eyeing Turner at the end of the first round, and three of the four players picked after him in round one were pass rushers. If the Saints hadnt picked him at No. 28, someone else would have made him a first rounder. Still, putting Turner so far behind every other first-round defensive end feels like an exaggeration. The Ravens pick, Odafe Oweh, didnt have a single sack last year at Penn State but hes in the cluster of other edge rushers Draft Wire slotted about ten spots ahead of Turner. Well see if the negative reaction is justified in the fall.