The New Orleans Saints have a multitude of directions they could go in in the short term. Either they double down on their insane cap spending and continue down that path with Derek Carr as their quarterback. Or alternatively, they commit to a full reset and have a new outlook in a couple of years.
So far, their offseason moves haven’t given an indication of which direction the team will choose to go in. But, one analyst believes their indecision shouldn’t affect their draft strategy. Rather than debating between fits and positional needs, he argues that New Orleans should look at the best player available.
New Orleans Saints Go in a Completely Unexpected Direction, per Draft Analyst
Last year, an explosive first two weeks for the Saints didn’t stand the test of time. After that surprise start, the Saints cooled down in rapid fashion, eventually ending the season with a 5-12 record. On either end, the team just wasn’t very good.
There is a possibility they replace Carr or add defensive help to a unit that ranked 19th on PFSN’s Defense+ metric last season. However, another area to focus on is the offense around Carr, with no player recording more than tight end Juwan Johnson’s 548 receiving yards.
Reputed NFL Draft analysis Todd McShay is considering all the possibilities with New Orleans and the ninth overall pick. First and foremost, there is the potential addition of a quarterback.
“I gave serious consideration to Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with this pick, even though the Saints just restructured Derek Carr’s deal to secure him for another year (don’t rule out quarterback Tyler Shough or another passer in Round 2).”
But, they could also move back to build up their draft capital and add multiple young, cheap players to the squad. “New Orleans could also move back if it gets a reasonable offer,” McShay notes. However, even with those needs, McShay believes their offense could use the most help.
That help arrives in the form of Tyler Warren out of Penn State.
“But since their biggest needs are at pass catcher, interior offensive line, and defensive line, I gave the Saints Warren, whom I have graded considerably higher than the next-best players at those positions.”
It appears to be a confusing choice from the veteran analyst, considering New Orleans already boasts a plethora of strong rotational tight ends on the roster. However, McShay believes Warren’s youth trumps any potential concerns about overabundance at the position.
“New Orleans just re-signed tight end Juwan Johnson, who led the team in receptions last year. In fact, the Saints’ three leading receivers last year were Johnson, running back Alvin Kamara, and tight end Foster Moreau.
“Swiss-army knife Taysom Hill had 23 catches in just eight games played. But those players are all aging, and Warren would step in immediately as the top target and become a significant upgrade over Moreau.”
For the Nittany Lions, Warren was a modest contributor over his first three seasons. However, in his senior year, he exploded to the tune of 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns receiving, while adding 218 yards and four rushing touchdowns to his tally as well.
It brought him to an impressive 25 touchdowns in his collegiate career and rocketed him up mock boards. Even in PFSN’s latest mock draft, he is going in the first round. However, he drops five spots from McShay’s prediction, instead joining the Anthony Richardson/Daniel Jones combo in Indianapolis.
Instead, that 19th-ranked defense gets a major boost, with Reese Decker predicting edge rusher Mykel Williams as a perfect replacement for franchise legend Cam Jordan.
While both sides of the football need help in New Orleans, adding some defensive help might be the perfect solution, both in the short and the long term.