New Orleans Saints 7-round mock draft: Can Mickey Loomis keep franchise competitive in 2024?

Despite having Derek Carr as their starting quarterback, the New Orleans Saints narrowly missed qualifying for the NFL playoffs in their inaugural season.

Their goal is to advance and qualify for the postseason. This can be achieved by addressing some weaknesses in their roster to complement their solid core.

One of the most effective methods for achieving this goal is by utilizing the 2024 NFL Draft. Mickey Loomis, the general manager, will have numerous options to consider during this season, but it appears that bolstering their offensive line is a top priority. Here are three potential mock draft scenarios that could be used to address this need.

New Orleans Saints 2022 Mock Draft 1.0

• Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
• Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
• Layden Robinson, OG, Texas A&M
• Garrett Greenfield, OT, South Dakota State
• Gottlieb Ayedze, OT, Maryland
• Devin Leary, QB, Kentucky
• M.J. Devonshire, CB, Pittsburgh

The New Orleans Saints have made it clear that enhancing their blockers is a top priority in the first simulation, as they have allocated four of their seven total picks towards the offensive line.

Starting off the first round, the Oregon State Beavers selected Taliese Fuaga as their 14th pick. Fuaga is highly regarded as a top prospect and possesses the ability to play various positions on the line.

Additionally, they later added another quarterback to their team, suggesting that the tool is not confident in Carr’s future with New Orleans.

New Orleans Saints Mock Draft 3.0

• Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
• Christian Haynes, OG, UConn
• Christian Jones, OT, Texas
• KT Leveston, OT, Kansas State
• Jamari Thrash, WR, Louisville
• Trevor Keegan, OG, Michigan
• Tykee Smith, S, Georgia

For the second time in a row, the simulator predicts that the New Orleans Saints will prioritize strengthening their offensive line in the upcoming draft.

On this occasion, they heavily focused on reinforcing their depth by selecting five offensive linemen in their first six picks.

The 14th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft was Joe Alt from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who was the standout player of their draft class.

Despite a remarkable college football career, he still has the opportunity to become the top offensive tackle of the year. It is widely believed that he possesses the most potential out of all the offensive linemen in the draft.

New Orleans Saints Mock Draft 4.0

• Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
• Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
• Braden Fiske, DT, Florida State
• Audric Estime, RB, Notre Dame
• Dylan McMahon, OG, NC State
• Keaton Bills, OG, Utah
• Julian Pearl, OT, Illinois

In two of the last three simulations, the New Orleans Saints have been predicted to choose Taliese Fuaga and Michael Penix Jr.

In the 2024 NFL Draft, it is anticipated that the team will select multiple offensive linemen, as they have done in the previous three mock drafts.

Audric Estime stands out as one of the most intriguing selections from this simulation. Despite the Saints’ already strong running back depth, Estime could potentially fill a role as a goal line and short yardage specialist.

Despite being behind Alvin Kamara last year, Jamaal Williams was unable to fulfill this role, prompting them to potentially seek an upgrade.