The 2022 New Orleans Saints season hasn’t gone as many expected — certainly not as the decision-makers on Airline Drive anticipated. While there have been some exciting performances from young players like Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Juwan Johnson, Pete Werner, Kaden Elliss, and Alontae Taylor, as a team the Saints haven’t met expectations. A couple of wins have improved their record to 6-9, but that’s unlikely to be enough to get them to the playoffs.
Which means the Saints probably won’t make their first pick in the 2023 NFL draft until midway through the second round, unless Sean Payton accepts an offer from another team and brings back a first rounder to New Orleans through a trade (which is not guaranteed). So what could we expect the Saints to do on draft day?
To get an idea of their options, we gave the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator a spin and put together this seven-round mock draft. Here’s our holiday wish list of draft prospects for 2023:
Round 1, Pick 9: Traded to Philadelphia Eagles
If the draft started today, this pick would be going to the Eagles at ninth overall. The best prospects available on the board included Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Georgia defensive end Nolan Smith, either of whom would be a big get for New Orleans. Ah well. The Saints have to be hoping that Payton brings a valuable first-round selection back to them once he’s returned to the NFL — assuming he doesn’t return to coach with them himself.
Round 2, Pick 40: DT Siaki Ika, Baylor
Ika is built from the same mold as Jordan Davis and Vita Vea, and he would do a lot to revitalize the Saints run defense that’s fallen apart in recent years. He can also rush the passer with rare athleticism for someone his size (listed at 6-foot-4 and 357 pounds). New Orleans doesn’t have a single defensive tackle under contract next season, so here’s a good start to making that position a strength again.
Round 3, Pick 72: RB Tank Bigsby, Auburn
Bigsby is one of the best running backs in this draft class, having averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a junior at Auburn while scoring 10 touchdown runs in each of his last two seasons. He’s also improved as a receiver with 51 receptions in his last 25 games. The Saints need another running back with Alvin Kamara likely missing time to a suspension next season and few viable options under contract. Regardless of his own availability, Kamara has been at his best when the Saints can spell him with another dynamic runner.
Round 4, Pick 104: WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
The Saints found something special in Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, but they need more at receiver with Tre’Quan Smith and Michael Thomas as their only other noteworthy players under contract at the position for 2023. Thomas has a massive salary cap hit and is coming off of back-to-back season-ending injuries, so his status is in doubt. Flowers brings serious playmaking ability with 78 receptions for 1,077 yards and a dozen touchdown catches in as many games during his senior season. Though he plays bigger than his listed size (5-foot-10 and 177 pounds), there’s still some risk in adding him to the group with Olave and Shaheed, who both stand 6-flat while weighing in under 190 pounds.
Round 5, Pick 136: QB Jake Haener, Fresno State
Look, I’m of the opinion that you shouldn’t stop looking for a quarterback until you’ve got one. And Haener might be an ideal late-round prospect. He plays with a lot of confidence, throws a very accurate pass and is eager to stress defenses over the top and out on the perimeter, and he protects the football well (with just 12 interceptions in his last 23 games as a starter). The downsides are his slight frame (he’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds) and his extensive injury history. If the Saints can find a starter they believe in during free agency, Haener could be a good fit as someone to coach up further down the depth chart.
Round 5, Pick 159 (via Philadelphia Eagles): S Trey Dean III, Florida
Could the Saints use the pick they got for C.J. Gardner-Johnson to trade for his replacement? Dean has been a regular starter for the Florida Gators, racking up 80-plus tackles in each of his last two seasons while breaking up 18 passes in his career along with 4 interceptions and 3 recovered fumbles. He’s also credited with 13.5 tackles for loss in Florida colors. Dean looks the part at a listed 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, which he uses to play a physical brand of football. But that sometimes gets him in trouble with penalties, and he struggles defending the furthest reaches of the field. He’s got some wrinkles to iron out.
Round 6, Pick 168: DE Viliami Fehoko, San Jose State
Viliami “Junior” Fehoko has started all but one of the last 42 games he’s played for San Jose State, consistently disrupting the backfield of opposing offenses for several years now. It’s unclear whether he has the athletic chops to compete in the NFL, but his production is worth taking a flyer on: he’s totaled 47 tackles for loss in 47 career games, along with 23 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. Fehoko is listed at 6-foot-4 and 266 pounds, right on the fringe of the Saints’ prototype; Trey Hendrickson was 6-foot-4 and 263 pounds coming out of college, whereas Carl Granderson was 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds (also, Al-Quadin Muhammad was 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds). Each player needed to add weight before getting into the lineup.
Round 7, Pick 200: OL Jaxson Kirkland, Washington
Kirkland is one of the most position-versatile offensive linemen in the 2023 draft class. After taking a redshirt in 2017, he started 25 games at right guard from 2018 to 2019, then moved to left tackle in 2020, where he stayed for 2021 until an ankle injury derailed his season. After being voted a team captain in 2022, he split time at both left tackle and left guard. If teams are split on his injury history and exact NFL position, maybe he falls on draft day. The Saints are always looking to bolster their depth in the trenches.
- Round 2, Pick 40: DT Siaki Ika, Baylor
- Round 3, Pick 72: RB Tank Bigsby, Auburn
- Round 4, Pick 104: WR Zay Flowers, Boston College
- Round 5, Pick 136: QB Jake Haener, Fresno State
- Round 5, Pick 159 (via Philadelphia): S Trey Dean III, Florida
- Round 6, Pick 168: DE Viliami Fehoko, San Jose State
- Round 7, Pick 200: OL Jaxson Kirkland, Washington
So we’ve put together a draft class that can — hopefully — reinforce trench play on both sides of the ball while adding more playmaking ability to the skills positions. We’re also rolling the dice on a mid-round quarterback prospect and continuing to stack depth in the secondary. Not bad, right? If the Saints can take a hard look at their coaching staff and tackle some of their bigger roster problems in free agency, they could get right back in the thick of things next season.
