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The 2023 NFL season is officially over. It is draft season! The New Orleans Saints are in salary cap hell. It makes this year’s draft that much more important. The team will not have any wiggle room to sign free agents and need players on rookie deals. Here is the New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft guide
New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft Picks
The New Orleans Saints have nine picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
- Round 1: No. 14 overall
- Round 2: No. 45 overall (via Denver)
- Round 5: No. 149 overall
- Round 5: No. 167 overall
- Round 5: No. 169 overall
- Round 5: No. 174 overall
- Round 6: No. 192 overall
- Round 6: No. 201 overall
- Round 7: No. 230 overall (via Denver)
The New Orleans Saints are thankful they have some compensatory picks coming their way. The lack of their own draft capital comes from trades for Trevor Panning, Sean Payton, and Mark Ingram. They did get some capital back in the Sean Payton deal, which helps as well. However, this team only has two picks in the top 100.
New Orleans Saints NFL Draft Needs
The New Orleans Saints need the following positions: OT, EDGE, WR, TE, DL, QB
Derek Carr will be the quarterback next year. His money is guaranteed, so the team will likely keep him. The job in 2024 is to protect him. Additionally, Cameron Jordan isn’t getting any younger, and the team needs to find their next great pass rusher on the outside. As with many teams, defensive line depth is needed as well.
On offense, Chris Olave has put together back-to-back solid seasons. He needs some help. The New Orleans Saints need to find a complementary wide receiver as well as a tight end. While Tayson Hill is the do-it-all gadget player, he is getting long in the tooth as well. Ultimately, this team needs players all over the roster as long as they are cheap.
Mock Draft
Mock drafts are done on NFL Mock Draft Database. No trades were executed. Obviously, teams tend to wheel and deal, but this is meant to give a look at what the team can do with the draft capital they currently have.
New Orleans Saints Mock Draft
- Round 1: No. 14 overall Taliese Fuaga OT Oregon State
- Round 2: No. 45 overall Xavier Legette WR South Carolina
- Round 5: No. 149 overall Austin Booker EDGE Kansas
- Round 5: No. 167 overall Javon Foster OT Missouri
- Round 5: No. 169 overall Justin Eboigbe DL Alabama
- Round 5: No. 174 overall Brevyn Span-Ford TE Minnesota
- Round 6: No. 192 overall Dillon Johnson RB Washington
- Round 6: No. 201 overall Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint WR Georgia
- Round 7: No. 230 overall Jalyx Hunt EDGE Houston Baptist
Mock Draft Analysis
The New Orleans Saints are known for wheeling and dealing, so trying to predict what they will do is impossible. However, I have them taking an offensive tackle with the first-round pick. Grabbing Legette is great value for the team in the second round. From there, the Saints are trying to find the diamond in the rough.
On day three, the hope for any team, including the New Orleans Saints, is that someone hits. If even one player becomes a high-quality starter, it gives a team a huge advantage. The team is going to have to shed some salary cap. Whether it is through restructuring or cuts, the team has to get rid of nearly $80 million on their books. I expect the team to be very active in the undrafted free-agent market.
The New Orleans Saints have to figure out their salary cap before they can worry about the draft. This team is caught between eras and, instead of bottoming out, has tried to continue to be competitive. Can they make one last run in the NFC South in 2024?
