One of the clearest New Orleans Saints draft trends is their tendency to build through the trenches. Since Jeff Ireland was hired to overhaul their college scouting staff in 2015, they’ve invested 7 of their 10 picks in the first round on offensive or defensive linemen (as well as their top choice in 2018, second-round pick Erik McCoy).
That’s a trend that may continue in the 2023 draft. ESPN’s Jordan Reid cites some sources around the league that see TCU guard Steve Avila getting into the first round with the Saints (at No. 29) or the Dallas Cowboys (at No. 26): “With Avila, the lack of consistent options on the interior and a strong showing at the Senior Bowl helped boost his stock. I’ve heard that Dallas and New Orleans are two teams to keep an eye on with Avila.”
Avila moves really well for someone his size — despite weighing in at 6-foot-3 and 324 pounds, he posted an 8.49 Relative Athletic Score after earning positive marks in the array of timing drills prospects go through at the NFL Scouting Combine. Before that, he assembled quality game tape with starts at center (17), left guard (15), right tackle (2), and right guard (1), earning All-Big 12 recognition in each of the last three years. He logged 2,297 snaps as a blocker for TCU while allowing just 4 career sacks and drawing 10 penalty flags along the way.
Would he make sense for the Saints? They need better depth at guard after both of their starters missed time with injuries the last two years, and it’s likely either Andrus Peat or Cesar Ruiz leaves in free agency next offseason. While Avila would not start right away in New Orleans, he’d be in line for a major role in 2024 and beyond. And it’s worth noting that their top backup Calvin Throckmorton has played 86% and 55% of their snaps in 2021 and 2022. Durability concerns for the starters could open the door for Avila to get on the field early.
