Saints traded up to select Wisconsin LB Zack Baun with the No. 74 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
A former Wisconsin Offensive Player of the Year winner for his dual-threat quarterbacking as a senior at Brown Deer High, Baun (6’2/238) buoyed that athleticism into consensus first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten honors with 73 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks (second only to Ohio State’s Chase Young) as a redshirt senior. Baun was deployed in a hybrid edge role with the Badgers but will likely transition as an off-ball outside linebacker given his smaller frame and elite explosiveness, including an unprecedented 99th-percentile 10-yard split (1.54 seconds) and 4.65 40-time. “You’re talking about a defensive end playing inside linebacker...That’s a whole different world,” one anonymous scout said. Baun admittedly needs more technical refinement to be a truly impactful player at the next level, but he’s versatile enough to open the year as a rotational player immediately.