Arch Manning looked more like Arch Cutler vs Ohio State Saturday

Lots of expectations come with being the grandson of Archie, and nephew of Payton and Eli Manning.

Arch looked to cave a bit under the weight of those expectations, and it underscores the fallacy of anointing college players as can't miss NFL prospects, and then suggesting a team strategically lose to have a shot at drafting said players.

Nothing against Arch, I'm sure he'll bounce back just fine, but hang around Saints twitter long enough and the campaign to get the youngest Manning has been in motion for quite some time.

Manning had a couple big-time throws throughout the contest but otherwise looked overwhelmed on his way to 17/30 for 170 yards and a 58.0 QBR. OSU was also able to stymie his running ability, holding him to a 3.8 ypc and forcing him to play from the pocket, where he looked a bit slow processing the action, completing only 51% of his passes. A number of inaccurate throws further underscored his struggles in what was ultimately a frustrating watch if you're an Arch Manning fan.

Manning will definitely improve and still has ample time to live up to his lofty projections, but people should be aware that drafting players is akin to purchasing a lottery ticket.

#18 may catch your eye because it holds the max value of a 250,000 prize, but it's just as easy to only walk away with a lap full of silver shavings.

Saints leaning into strength of WR room by tripling down on speed after Trey Palmer waiver claim

By the time their October 17th game vs the Broncos rolled around last year the Saints were down both of their playmaking deep threats. Rashid Shaheed had just been shut down for the season after suffering a knee injury, and Chris Olave was dealing with the effects of a concussion suffered in Week 6 vs the Chiefs.

Their primary backup, Mason Tipton, gave an admirable performance with 6 receptions on 9 targets for 45 yards, but his success didn't come from stretching the field. The Saints would luck up and sign the recently released Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but there was a very clear lesson being taught by the football Gods.

If you're going to build a system around key players or traits the depth behind them, better be sufficient.

So, it came as no surprise the Saints and HC Kellen Moore sought to sign veteran deep threat Brandin Cooks to pair with the returning Tipton to make sure that should they lose Shaheed or Olave again in any capacity, it wouldn't break the offense.

Despite the emergence of Tipton as a big play threat during pre-season the Saints would prove vigilant in adding to a strength by putting in a claim for former Buccaneer's wide receiver Trey Palmer.

Palmer, whom they should remember fondly, torched them for 84 yards and a TD in a December 2023 match-up, averaging a whopping 21 ypc in the process.

"There's a lot of speed in that room, and certainly it's something that we obviously have to lean into, and as we build our plans in the coming weeks, certainly it's something that's popped up during training camp, their ability to get down field, and it's something we'll have to utilize for sure," said Kellen Moore

Moore shied away from confirming if it was the plan in the follow-up question, yet even if it wasn't a conscious objective, plenty of the collective decision makers were also on last year's staff and it's still possible it was subconsciously driven at an organizational level.

Regardless, I'd say the lesson was learned.

The strategic brilliance behind Saints Mickey Loomis acquiring Devaughn Vele from Broncos

Cooper Kupp, Isaac Tesla, Gabe Davis, Tetairoa McMillan, and Keenan Allen. The Saints were connected to them all during the off-season.

Cooper Kupp - Signed with Seahawks

Gabe Davis - Likely didn't look the part coming off a 2024 injury

Keenan Allen - Signed with Chargers.

Tetairoa McMillan - drafted one spot ahead of them by the Panthers

Isaac Teslaa - drafted one spot ahead of them by the Lions, who traded up.

Five swings, five misses. Proof that free agency and the draft can be fickle with regards to acquiring targeted talent.

Trading for a player is less of a dice roll, but the potential to overpay is likely because you're negotiating from a position of need. Yet, if you purchased bitcoin at 20k in 2022 some would have said that was an overpay, three years later it's worth 117k.

Moral of the story, value is in the eye of the beholder, if you believe it's an appreciating asset go get it - fate favors the bold, and detractors become supporters when they see the results.

Bigger picture, there's a similar number of available players that fit in 2026 via Free Agency and the draft.

In free agency Mike Evans, Juan Jennings, Keenan Allen (again), and Christian Watson stand out as possession WR's with size. The draft has names like Denzel Boston, Nick Anderson, and Elijah Sarrat with a similar body type as Devaughn Vele.

However, who's to say the Saints wouldn't face a similar struggle obtaining a preferred talent in 2026?

Getting Vele for a 2026 4th and a 2027 7th guarantees the acquisition of a player that fills a need and gives you a rare body type, as well as baked in NFL production that removes the projection factor typically associated with drafting a player as well as the competition from other teams seeking the same archetype.

Vale caught 41 of his 55 targets for 475 yards and 3 touchdowns in a Sean Payton system where he played multiple positions. Not an easy task by far.

Is he older? Sure, but he's under 30 now, and will be under 30 through the 2026 season. If he under performs he's on a rookie deal that only cost 1.3 million per year, if he performs up to standard, he's on that same deal. In the event he over performs, you're likely not making a decision until 2027 and there will be built in negotiation leverage due to his age - ask Terry McLaurin

Vele is a mature asset, but there's still potential for a 6x return, and if he hits no one saying it was an overpay now will be saying it later.