Saints Day 2 Draft Guide: What Will They Do And Who Will They Take?

Just one pick for the Saints to make on Day 2 of the draft, for now. Will New Orleans continue to look at the trenches or address another need?

Author:
John Hendrix
Apr 26, 2024

In this story:

NFL Draft

New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints News

Saints News

New Orleans Saints Draft

Saints Draft

Dennis Allen

Taliese Fuaga

The NFL Draft is back this evening from Detroit with Rounds 2-3 to get through. We'll get started an hour earlier from opening night and teams will have less time to make selections. For the Saints, they enter Friday evening with just one pick to make, which will actually be announced by Taysom Hill, assuming they make the selection. Here's what you need to know about Day 2 when it comes to the draft and the black and gold.

NFL Draft Schedule

Rounds 2-3: Friday, Apr. 27 at 6 p.m. CT (7 Minutes Per Pick for 33-64, 5 Minutes Per Pick for 65-100)
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, Apr. 28 at 11 a.m. CT (5 Minutes Per Pick for 101-220, 4 Minutes Per Pick for 221-257)

HOW TO WATCH: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes

HOW TO STREAM: YouTube TV, Hulu+ Live TV, Fubo TV and Sling TV

FULL NFL DRAFT ORDER: Rounds 1-7

Saints 2024 Draft Picks

Round 1, 14th Overall - Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Round 2, 45th Overall (via DEN)
Round 5, 150th Overall
Round 5, 168th Overall (Compensatory)
Round 5, 170th Overall (Compensatory)
Round 5, 175th Overall (Compensatory)
Round 6, 190th Overall
Round 6, 199th Overall (via PHI)
Round 7, 239th Overall (via DEN)

What to Expect From the Saints On Day 2

KEY NEEDS: OL, DT, WR, TE, DB

Dennis Allen said on Thursday night that there's 12 teams picking in front of New Orleans this evening, and as of right now there's just one selection for the team. After their pick tonight, they won't be up until No. 150 in Round 5, which we have hard time seeing them sitting on their hands waiting.

Addressing a need and must while seeing it perfectly line up was hopefully a good sign of things to come for the Saints, and they really need to get this pick right. You normally would expect a signifcant contributor with starting upside with this pick, and New Orleans has got some good ones in this round over the years.

John's Cloud Of Players For The Saints To Target/Watch For Pick No. 45

Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois
Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon
Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota
Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
Ja'Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
Kingsley Suamataia, OT, Yale
T'Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas
Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas

The Saints could continue to build up their trenches and take another lineman, which is why someone like Oregon's Jackson Powers-Johnson would make a good bit of sense. There's an argument to be made for the back end, so seeing Tyler Nubin reunite with his college teammate Jordan Howden could give New Orleans a fairly strong outlook for future years.

The interior defensive line does have a need with the loss of Malcom Roach, and a run-plugger like T'Vondre Sweat who offers a lot more could be on the table, but it's also a bit surprising that Jer'Zhan Newton didn't go on opening night. As we always say, there's no sure things with the draft and always expect the unexpected.

What makes a lot of sense for New Orleans is taking a wide receiver, specifically a possession receiver. In my mock, I had Keon Coleman as the pick for No. 45, but there are some other players that could be worth considering when the Saints get to the podium. It'll greatly depend on how the board falls, but the bottom line is that the team should be able to add another strong player to their roster this season.

Top New Orleans Saints Fits Remaining Ahead Of NFL Draft Day 2: Options To Address Most Dire Needs Remain Plentiful