Saints traded up with the Bears to select Old Dominion OG Nick Saldiveri with the No. 103 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Capable of playing both tackle and guard, Saldiveri (6'6/318) was announced as a guard. Although he has 35 starts at the G5 level, Saldiveri doesn’t have a lot of experience on successful teams, only winning 10 games across the three years he started in Norfolk. The offense primarily tasked him with either sealing a defender inside or washing them out on the edge. Thus, he is proficient at angling defenders and pushing through a shoulder to redirect their momentum. With good dimensions, Saldiveri will appeal to teams as a prototypically solid lineman that is ripe for further technical refinement. He isn’t the most fluid or flexible of athlete, leading some to believe he may fit best on the interior, despite starting 34 games at tight Tackle. An NFL S&C program and a higher level of coaching will hopefully unlock the steady lineman with shades of Trey Pipkins.
