Bryce Petty Passed On by Saints for Garrett Grayson Despite Predraft Rumors

The New Orleans Saints were the team to take the plunge on the 2015 NFL draft's third quarterback, selecting Colorado State Rams signal-caller Garrett Grayson at No. 75 overall in the third round Friday.

ESPN.com's Mike Triplett confirmed through a league source that the Saints had brought in Baylor Bears product Bryce Petty for a private workout prior to the draft. They evidently felt more comfortable going with Grayson as Drew Brees' prospective successor.

Saints head coach Sean Payton added more context to the pick once it was made, courtesy of the team's official Twitter account:

So Petty may not have even been under consideration, which is interesting—considering that Grayson didn't believe his audition for his new team went well, per Fox 8's Sean Fazende:

Adam Schefter of ESPN highlighted the significance of New Orleans taking a signal-caller in the first place:

Pro Football Focus alluded to one of Grayson's notable strengths that may have swayed the Saints' decision to choose him over Petty:

Former NFL QB Bernie Kosar believes Grayson is in an ideal situation as he begins his pro career:

Grayson did come from a pro-style offense, whereas Petty operated from a simplified spread system at Baylor, making it more of an uphill climb to adjust to NFL schematics.

Although Petty may have a slightly stronger arm and perhaps just as much upside, there's no question that Grayson is more prepared for the highest level right now.

If Brees is meant to start under center for the foreseeable future, though, the Saints probably could have afforded to take on a project like Petty. Nevertheless, they clearly chose the player they thought was the best available at the most important position.

New Orleans operates an uptempo, quarterback-friendly offense, as Payton is able to create mismatches as well as anyone in the league. A lot of that is predicated on how cerebral Brees is, but Grayson has the necessary mental makeup to fill that role someday.