Saints Draft Picks: Notre Dame's Ian Book Taken at 133rd Overall

A new quarterback enters the picture for the Saints, as they used their first selection of Day 3 to take Notre Dame's Ian Book.

The Saints entered Saturday with four picks to make, and got things going with their fourth round selection at 133rd Overall. New Orleans used it to select Notre Dame's Ian Book, a quarterback. He was a target we highlighted earlier as a potential pick, and now the quarterback room gets a little bit more interesting.

NFL Draft Profile and Notes

Notre Dame's winningest quarterback brings plenty of leadership and overall intangibles with him. He has big game experience in his background, too. However, his size and arm strength fall below NFL standards and there isn't anything in his game that he can really hang his hat on that counters those issues. He makes receivers work too hard for the catch and was dreadful throwing outside the numbers in 2020. He's effective in RPO calls. He also does a nice job of feeling pocket pressure and sliding around it or getting outside the pocket to make plays. He's a capable runner and a plus athlete but doesn't have the necessary play traits to make a splash in the NFL.

"Maybe somebody takes a flier on a Book, but I don't think that kid's got what it takes to play in the league," an AFC coordinator said. "He's got perfectly clean pockets that he bails on all the time, and it's because he can't see." In 47 college games (35 starts), Book completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 8,948 yards and 72 touchdowns with 20 interceptions. He ran for another 1,517 yards and 17 scores. "I enjoyed watching his tape," an NFC coordinator said. "He's got some swag to him. He's got some moxie to him. He knows how to play football."

Top Remaining Needs

• Wide Receiver
• Offensive Line
• Defensive Tackle
• Tight End

Saints Remaining Picks

• Round Six, 218th Overall
• Round Seven, 229th Overall
• Round Seven, 255th Overall