2021 New Orleans Saints Draft Special (with Maddy Hudak)

NFL Draft Weekend is officially here, and if you're like me, it feels like Christmas.

Don't miss a special New Orleans Saints Draft episode of Black and Gold Rush. Host Rachel Jones and The Saints Wire's Maddy Hudak take one more look at the Saints' top positions of need on offense and defense and analyze the increasing possibility of the Saints trading up from No. 28. After all, they have eight draft picks to work with. What kind of players are the Saints looking for in 2021?

Maddy Hudak is originally from San Mateo, CA, but her mom is from New Orleans, and Maddy remembers first seeing the magic of the Saints when they came to volunteer after Hurricane Katrina. You'll also hear her unique career story - from psychology to legal studies to sports writing.

LISTEN FOR THESE QUOTES

(4:55) "My dad was my soccer coach, and he's really interested in the mental side of things, the football IQ side of football. We're both very analytical in that way, so I found that was a good thing to discuss with my dad, being that there were no sons in the family."

(6:42) "If nothing else, I would l like to serve as a tale of A) it's never too late to change your mind on what you want to do and B) if you think you have an idea of what the five years out of your college experience are going to look like, please don't have that set in stone."

(10:48) "The more that you do mock drafts, one thing I've learned is don't pigeonhole yourself on one player."

(12:02) "While the Saints normally don't draft based on need, the pandemic has put everyone in an unprecedented situation where there's no real ability to retain key talent at positions of need. So their two big positions of need are cornerback and linebacker."

(15:18) "If you're a Saints fan, you have to know the Saints do not ever have a set place that they are picking."

(19:59) "To have eight picks, with a lot of them in the 3rd or 4th round - those are actually picks that people would be interested in getting - that's just so much capital to work with."

(23:07) "What sticks out to me the most is (Zaven Collins) is a linebacker who has the tracking abilities of a safety."

(24:12) "If I could have my dream pick - and it still included a cornerback - then it would be Zaven Collins."

(29:25) Random Round

CONNECT WITH US / LINKS MENTIONED

Maddy Hudak Twitter

2021 NFL Mock Draft - The Saints Wire - Maddy Hudak's first round picks for every team

2021 NFL Draft - The Saints Wire - Seven rounds of Saints mock draft picks, with trades

Who Dat Confessional Podcast on YouTube

Rachel Jones Twitter

Rachel Jones Instagram

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