With NFL draft season in full swing comes more people going back to old drafts and considering how things could have been different. That’s what Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon did in his redraft of the 2023 event. In this alternate reality, he has the New Orleans Saints passing on Bryan Bresee and instead going with USC defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu. So they still take a defensive lineman, but go after an edge rusher instead of an interior player.
Here is Kenyon’s reasoning behind the decision:
The reality is New Orleans would face a Catch-22 here. If the Saints don’t select Bresee, their need at defensive tackle rises. But, whew, did this defense lack pass-rushing danger. A second-round pick of the Chargers, Tuli Tuipulotu generated 22 pressures, which would’ve only trailed Carl Granderson in New Orleans.
I think that given a second go at things, the Saints still take Bresee. He was not drafted for his year-one success, instead for having a very high athletic ceiling they can coach him up to reach over his career. Even then, Bresee still broke the franchise record for sacks by a rookie defensive tackle. Switching out Bresee for Tuipulotu doesn’t fix the Saints’ pass-rush issues, as it would have left the interior even weaker.
And it’s not like they reached on Bresee. In this re-draft, Kenyon has Bresee going to the Philadelphia Eagles immediately after the Saints picked Tuipulotu. New Orleans got a good one. Let’s see where his career goes next.
