New Orleans adds QB with strong ties to the Saints already
The New Orleans Saints bolstered their QB room by adding QB Jake Haener with the 25th pick (127th overall) of the fourth round.
He should feel right at home.
Haener is the second Fresno State quarterback the team's added this offseason after signing Derek Carr in free agency. ESPN's Katherine Terrell reported Carr was aware of the pick before it was announced and has already spoken with his new teammate.
Haener doesn't just have a connection to the Saints via their 2023 starting QB. He's also well aware of the NFL great whose footsteps he's following. He wore No. 9 at Fresno State and after being drafted by New Orleans, Saints reporter Luke Johnson spoke with him about why he chose that number.
Like Drew Brees, Haener is on the shorter side for a QB at just over 6 feet tall. He always played bigger than his size, no more so than during a brilliant fourth-quarter comeback against UCLA in 2021. After the Bruins took a 37-33 lead with 54 seconds remaining, Haener calmly led the Bulldogs down the field with several high-quality throws, winning the game on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 14 seconds left.
In 33 career games (29 starts), Haener was 731-of-1,072 (68.2 percent) for 9,120 yards, 68 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Last season, he completed 72 percent of his passes, second-best in college football.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler gave him a fourth-round grade and ranked him the sixth-best in the class, behind first-round picks Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson, and Day 2 picks Will Levis and Hendon Hooker.
In Steven Muench's predraft analysis for ESPN, he described Haener as the "most underrated quarterback in the 2023 class."
Carr's offseason signing ideally gives Haener years to develop. With former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston on board as well, Haener shouldn't see much playing time outside of the preseason.
But when Haener does get his chance, he'll have the opportunity to continue his Drew Brees tribute act in the same city Brees built his Hall of Fame career.
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