Midway through the 2020 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints traded a third-round pick, the 88th overall selection, and a 2021 third-round choice to the Cleveland Browns. In exchange, the Saints received Cleveland's 2020 third-round pick, which was the 74th overall selection. New Orleans used that pick on Zack Baun, a productive DE/LB out of Wisconsin.
During his senior season with the Badgers, he had 12.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. Both numbers were second in the Big 10 conference and earned him 1st Team All-American honors. Over his final two collegiate seasons, Baun had 15 sacks and over 30 tackles for loss while intercepting two passes, breaking up four others, and forcing three fumbles.
Baun's combination of production and athleticism caused some to even project him as a possible first-round selection. At 6'3" and 225-Lbs., Baun is vastly undersized for an NFL 4-3 defensive end. Often used as a stand-up rusher at Wisconsin, there was a big question as to where he'd fit into an NFL defensive scheme.
Over his first three years with the Saints, he didn't.
New Orleans tried to use Baun as an off-ball linebacker. In their defensive scheme, the Saints ask a ton of their linebackers. It's what has made Demario Davis such a special player. However, it's also why they've found it so difficult to find a productive complement to Davis. For Baun, after what he excelled at in college, it was like learning a completely new position in a completely new language on the fly.
Baun was never a fit for the New Orleans scheme. He's not a bad athlete. He simply lacks the agility and instincts in the open field. As a result, he was often a massive liability when he was in the lineup. Especially in coverage for a defense that often employs two linebackers in most of their base alignments.
Over his first three seasons, Baun saw action in less than 15% of the team's defensive snaps. He managed a total of just four pressures, no sacks, just two tackles for loss, and gave up almost 83% completion percentage in coverage. His saving grace, and perhaps what kept him on the team, was the fact that he's an outstanding special teams contributor.
New Orleans finally started to use Baun differently over the second half of this season. Some of that was out of necessity. Early on, he was still used at linebacker because of an injury to LB Pete Werner and lack of depth at that position. However, injuries to DEs Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey, an ankle injury that slowed Cam Jordan, and general ineffectiveness of the position forced the Saints to slide Baun into a new role.
Baun has already played a career-high 242 defensive snaps for New Orleans this season. Over his first three years combined, he had 359 snaps with the defensive unit. He recorded his first career interception in Week 6 at Houston, although he fumbled during the return. His impact has mainly been noticeable as his reps have increased on the defensive line.
Playing a position more familiar to his collegiate days, Baun has been a big part of a resurgent New Orleans defensive line. He's been especially disruptive along the edge as a pass rusher, showing excellent quickness at the snap, good bend around blockers, and a variety of counter moves.
Baun has one sack, four QB hits, and nine pressures this season. The majority of that has come in the last six games while playing a role much more natural to him. He didn't have a sack during the Saints win over the New York Giants last Sunday. However, he was directly responsible for three of his team's seven sacks with his disruption off the edge.
Most effective as a downhill defender, Baun should play a crucial role for the Saints as they chase a playoff berth over the last three games. His breakout season has some similarities to what we saw from Kaden Elliss in 2022. After an outstanding performance, the Saints lost Elliss in free agency last offseason.
Zack Baun is playing out the final year of his rookie contract. Now that New Orleans is using him in a role where he excels, the Saints may be wise to approach him with a contract extension before he hits the open market.
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