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Saints Draft Nick Saldiveri 103rd Overall

The Saints help bolster the offensive line by taking Nick Saldiveri from Old Dominion to lead off Round 4 of the draft.

John Hendrix

Saints Draft Nick Saldiveri 103rd Overall
Saints Draft Nick Saldiveri 103rd Overall /
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After trading up with the Bears, the Saints led off Round 4 of the NFL Draft by taking Old Dominion offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri. They traded picks No. 115 and 165 to Chicago to move up.

QUICK THOUGHTS: Offensive line is an absolute area of need for the Saints, and it'll be interesting to see where Saldiveri goes. We kind of floated a pretty strong idea when it comes to the offensive tackle position that involves James Hurst and Trevor Penning. Perhaps Saldiveri will come into play there in a big way.

Draft Profile Notes (from Bob Rose)

Despite his size, Saldiveri can struggle as a run blocker. He'll have to improve his core strength and hand placement for better leverage against power defenders. While technically sound, he'll have to start playing with a more nasty demeanor.

Saldiveri is an outstanding pass blocker. He has great body control and balance while showing the foot agility to counter athletic rushers. His pad level stays square in lateral movement to give him a leverage advantage in pass protection or when pulling on outside plays. He also seems to be a student of the game and makes seamless in-game adjustments to his opponents.

KEY NEEDS: WR, LB, S

Remaining Saints Picks

  • Round 5, No. 146
  • Round 7, No. 227
  • Round 7, No. 257 (compensatory)

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John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net

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