Mock Draft Rebuild Series: New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have been in NFL purgatory for the last handful of seasons. They have been good enough to bite at and make a push for the post season, but never enough to make a deep playoff run. Not to mention they have been backed into a corner by the salary cap, and while they are still $17 million over the cap currently, they are in a better spot now than years past. Derek Carr is getting up there in age, and his performance last season was forgettable to say the least. Still, there aren’t many holes on this Saints roster. Defensive line and Tackle seem to be the biggest areas of need if Carr is still the guy, but Carr will retire within the next 2-3 seasons, so this could be the draft where a Quarterback is taken too.
The Saints are also loaded heavy on draft picks on the back end of this draft. 2 Picks between the first 4 rounds, and 6 picks between their last 2 rounds, therefore the Saints will need to hit and hit big with their first two picks.
As always, we will be using the PFF (Pro Football Focus) Mock Draft Simulator to assist us in this draft, as well as any PFF rankings that come with the upcoming class of rookies. Lets begin:
Round 1, Pick 14
The Saints are going to reinvest in their running game and Alvin Kamara, especially with Klint Kubiak, the San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator joining the offensive staff of the Saints. Finding an Offensive Lineman that can do both will be the main focus of the Saints in this first round. While they still have Ryan Ramczyk and Trevor Penning (1st rounder in 2022), Tackle is still the position of need.
Pick: Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Tackle, Penn State
Fashanu ranked as the 27th best Tackle last season out of 628 total Tackles, but he hasn’t allowed a single sack in 2 seasons as the starting Left Tackle for the Nittany Lions. Fashanu is a stellar pass blocking Tackle, and while his run blocking isn’t as good, he is still very good in that category as well. Fashanu is also only 21 right now, and will be one of the youngest prospects in the draft come April. Drafting him this high can come with some immediate risk, due to him potentially not being physically mature enough top contribute. That being said, his talent is too much to pass up, and the Saints would be getting a phenomenal athlete.
Round 2, Pick 45
The Saints can go multiple different directions here. With reports coming out about a potential Michael Thomas cut, Wide Receiver can now be a position of need. Defensive Line needs to be addressed, as well as depth at Linebacker and Cornerback. There is also the glaring need of Quarterback, and if it can be addressed at this point. All of these things depend on who falls, and what happens with the Saints between now and the draft. In this mock draft, we cannot account for all of those things, so we go with what information we have.
Pick: Michael Penix Jr, Quarterback, Washington
Penix has been one of the top Quarterbacks in college football for the last two season, ranking 32nd out of 308 in 2022, and 11th out of 307 in 2023. Penix has the talent of an NFL arm, and he has showed production in a very pass heavy offense in college. What Penix lacks is the capability to take the easy throws, even when they are open. He is always looking for the home run shot, and while that isn’t an issue all the time, it can be when he starts to make mistakes because of it. The Saints have a very good, young receiving core with Chris Olave, Rasheed Shaheed, and Alvin Kamara. Penix won’t start right away for the Saints, and that is probably a good thing. Derek Carr has been in the league for a long time, and he can mentor Penix to take the reigns when he finally decides to hang the cleats up. Penix can be a very good NFL Quarterback, he just needs the right mentor early on in his career.
Round 5
The Saints have 4 5th round picks in this draft. They will be able to find rotational pieces, and good depth pieces at this point, or they could couple a few of these pics together and move up in the draft. It remains to be seen how they will approach it, but there is potential later in the draft.
Pick 149
Pick: Khristian Boyd, Defensive Line, Northern Iowa
At 6’4, 317 lbs, Boyd has the size to play multiple positions on the Defensive Line. Last season for Northern Iowa, Boyd split time almost evenly between time as an A gap player and as a B gap player. Boyd has played fantastic for the last two seasons as well, ranking as the 14th best and the 10th best Defensive Lineman in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Boyd is going to suffer from not going to a big name school, and therefore not getting more national recognition. Still, Boyd can be a great late round steal for a team like the Saints, where he will have the opportunity to contribute early and often.
Pick 167
Pick: Dallin Holker, Tight End, Colorado State
Tight end isn’t exactly a point of need for the Saints, but this is an interesting pick. Drafting a Tight end would allow the Saints to move Taysom Hill to more spots on the offense, which is expected with the addition of Kubiak to the staff. It will also give them some flexibility of Foster Moreau isn’t healthy, and if Jimmy Graham finally decides to retire. Holker isn’t the most athletic Tight end in this class, and he doesn’t have the end line speed to make him better than everyone else. Holker likely will never be a Tight end 1 in any offense in the NFL, but in a multiple Tight end offense, like the Saints, he can succeed.
Pick 169
Pick: Roger Rosengarten, Tackle, Washington
Rosengarten is one of the many athletes that had a much better 2022 than 2023, which is ultimately hurting his draft stock. Rosengarten is also a far better pass protecting Tackle than a run blocking Tackle. Having played exclusively Right Tackle, he is different that Olumuyiwa Fashanu, who has played exclusively Left Tackle. Depth behind Ryan Ramczyk is key considering he is beginning to get up there in age, so if there is a point that he gets injured next season, Rosengarten can fill in if need be.
Pick 174
Pick: Jowon Briggs, Defensive Line, Cincinatti
Briggs also had a better 2022 than 2023, and it is also hurting his draft stock. Briggs stands at 6’2, 297 lbs, meaning he will likely stay towards the outside of the Defensive Line. Briggs would benefit greatly from being behind experienced Defensive Lineman, and being able to learn from pros that have done it at the highest level for a long time. Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson have both been successful for the Saints. Granderson had 8.5 sacks last season, and while Jordan only had 2, he has 117.5 in his hall of fame career. Briggs would benefit greatly from learning from these two individuals, and can become a depth rotational piece for the Saints down the line.
Round 6
The Saints have their two final selections in the draft during the 6th round. Taking the best available player at this point is what they will be looking to do, and hoping there are some players who may fall in the draft.
Pick 192
Pick: Kamal Hadden, Cornerback, Tennessee
Kamal Hadden is a name that would be expected to be called much earlier in the draft come April, had it not been for a season ending injury that he had 7 weeks into the season last season. Prior to his injury, Kamal Hadden had only allowed 12 receptions for 96 yards, and had 3 interceptions in that time. Hadden will need to show NFL teams that he is recovered, or at least on the right recovery path, from his shoulder injury. If his recovery goes well, he can become a nice starter for this Saints Cornerback group that is already one of the better ones in the league.
Pick 200
Pick: Marcus Harris, Defensive Line, Auburn
Mainly an interior Defensive Lineman, Marcus Harris thrived for the Tigers last season, having 7 sacks, 1 QB hit and 16 QB hurries. Despite the pass rush success, Harris is a far better run defender, ranking near the 99th percentile in run defense with a grade of 87.4 per PFF. Harris hasn’t seen his stock be higher this draft cycle, because his 2023 season seems to be an outlier at the moment. He was very mediocre in 2021 and 2022, and even though he is coming from a top tier program, NFL teams will need to see more consistency from him. Harris can be a good interior piece for this Saints roster down the line.
The Saints will need to be creative this free agency cycle in order to get under the salary cap, and be able to add some key pieces for the 2024 season. Their draft prospects will be huge because they simply cannot be big spenders in free agency. The 2024 class of rookies for the Saints will likely be asked to contribute early and often, even if in reserve or rotational roles. Still, with a draft class like this, and the NFC South being weaker than it has ever been, the Saints can compete for a division title as soon as next season if things go their way. Next up in the NFC South: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
