usatsi-jake-haener-fresno-state.jpg

The New Orleans Saints added two former Fresno State signal-callers this offseason. They signed former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, and then drafted Jake Haener in the fourth round at No. 127 overall. 

Haener was the sixth quarterback selected in this year's draft, and the first to hear his name called on Day 3. He has potential as a prospect, but Saints assistant general manager Jeff Ireland believes this investment is also "smart business." That's what he told Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune recently. 

"So we tossed a lot of these things around, like the idea of having a young developmental quarterback learn a new system with Derek and Jameis [Winston]," Ireland said, via NFL.com. "So that's just a smart business move, in our opinion. We felt like that was a smart move to get a young player in there to develop. We just want to see him develop in a system where we feel like it's going to be successful. Learn from two guys that have been doing this and battled as starters in this league. We feel like that's smart business."

Targeting an intelligent quarterback to have him learn under a couple of veterans does sound like good business. CBS Sports' pro comparison for Haener is Colt McCoy, who has made a nice career for himself as a backup quarterback that can step in and win some games as well.

Haener threw for 2,896 yards, 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 10 games played last year for the Bulldogs, and was named First Team All-Mountain West. One knock on Haener is that he's a shorter quarterback, but he's shown the ability to overcome that by being a good thrower of the football. 

"You wouldn't think he was 6-foot tall when you watch him," Ireland said. "He's got great processing ability. He's got great vision. He's got a quick stroke. He's extremely smart. He's a sixth-year senior, so he's really mature for being a college senior. He's competed in two different programs, he's competed at Washington, competed at Fresno State. And I was just really impressed with the person, how he plays. He's had several fourth-quarter comebacks. He does kind of remind you or there's some similarities to No. 9 (Drew Brees). He's undersized, the way he creates windows and processing speed, quick release, the accuracy."

Ireland quickly stifled the Brees comparison despite bringing it up, saying, "There's only going to be one of those guys forever." But the bottom line is that the Saints view Haener as someone who could potentially fit their scheme on offense down the line if needed.