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NFL Mock Draft Simulator: Final Saints 7-Round Selections
Happy Draft Day! Here's one final Saints mock draft before we get into the fun stuff.
Draft day is upon us, and we're more than ready to see how things unfold in the first round on Thursday night. The New Orleans Saints obviously have a good bit of needs and musts to address coming into the draft, and they'll get their first crack at it when they pick at No. 14. Of course, that's assuming that they don't trade up, which is absolutely a possibility given their track record.
With the draft nearing, mock draft season is coming to its end. Here's one last one for you regarding the Saints, which is technically my fifth but the first I've put out here officially and have written about. Let's dive in.
Previous Saints Mock Drafts
Mock 1.0 (Two-Round): JC Latham (Alabama), Ja'Tavion Sanders (Texas)
Mock 2.0 (Two-Round): JC Latham (Alabama), T'Vondre Sweat (Texas)
Mock 3.0 (Full): JC Latham (Alabama), Keon Coleman (Florida State), D.J. James (Auburn), Zak Zinter (Michigan), Kitan Oladapo (Oregon State), Javon Foster (Mizzou), Isaac Guerendo (Louisville), Jalen Green (James Madison), Eric Watts (UCONN)
Mock 4.0 (Full w/Trades): Jer'Zhan Newton (Illinois), Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon), Kiran Amegadjie (Yale), Brenden Rice (USC), Malik Mustapha, Kalen King (Penn State), Javon Foster (Mizzou), Jaylen Harrell (Michigan), Dylan Laube (New Hampshire), Tarheeb Still (Maryland)
New Orleans Saints Final Mock Draft
Round 1, 14th Overall: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Jan 31, 2024; Mobile, AL, USA; National offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga of Oregon State (72) shifts
Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
The Board: Brock Bowers (Georgia), Cooper DeJean (Iowa), Laiatu Latu (UCLA), Jer'Zahn Newton (Illinois), Byron Murphy (Texas), Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State), Troy Fautanu (Washington)
Olu Fashanu went to the Vikings at 11th and JC Latham went to the Raiders the pick before the Saints. Look, this isn't difficult. You need a right tackle and you get a true right tackle in Taliese Fuaga. New Orleans has already stated their public plans regarding Trevor Penning, who will stay at left tackle and work with the new coaching staff to hopefully bloom into the player the team believe he can become.
Fuaga was Oregon State's starter for the past two seasons, coming in at 6-foot-5, 324 pounds. This is a player you simply can't go wrong with, which might be a scary concept for the Saints. He plays with an edge of sorts, and really shines as a protector. I don't totally buy the interior move hype. He's a right tackle in my mind.
Round 2, 45th Overall: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
Nov 18, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4)
Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports
The Board: Troy Franklin (Oregon), Tyler Nubin (Minnesota), Zach Frazier (Minnesota), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), Adisa Isaac (Penn State), Keon Coleman (Florida State), Roman Wilson (Michigan), Ja'Tavion Sanders (Texas)
Again, this isn't overthinking the pick. The Saints are in need of a possession receiver, and that's what they could get out of someone like Keon Coleman. The Malachi Corley thoughts are great, but I also wonder whether or not Rashid Shaheed could be that guy. Of course, Corley is tremendous and in a league of his own at times.
Coleman comes in at 6-foot-4 and is an Opelousas native if you didn't know. He'll turn 21 next month. The biggest knock on Coleman is the lack of speed, but New Orleans has plenty of those guys. They need the possession player, and Coleman could give them that.
Round 5, 150th Overall: Malik Mustapha, S, Wake Forest
Let's just start out by saying I don't expect the Saints to sit on their hands and be without a 3rd or 4th Round pick. But for the sake of the mock draft, we're going to play out all of the picks. I like the idea of adding to the back end here, and Malik Mustapha is a great downhill, in-the-box safety. Pairing him with Marcus Robertson would help unlock even more for him, and he's the type of player who could eventually start for you.
Round 5, 168th Overall: Beaux Limmer, IOL, Arkansas
We can't forget about the interior offensive line, although I would highly anticipate the Saints looking to free agency to address some of their needs. Beaux Limmer is someone I'd move to guard and you also get the flexibility of him being a backup center. He can shine as a run-blocker, but will need a little help getting up to speed in pass protection.
Round 5, 170th Overall: Qwan'tez Stiggers, CB, CFL
Stiggers is one of the most intriguing players in this draft. He might not be available at this point, but then again he could be. He has experience being in the CFL, and you can see that there's skills there. They just need some refinement for him to be unlocked and be a solid player. He's a fascinating story, and his Pro Day had 29 teams in attendance. There's plenty of interested parties, but what's key is getting him with the right coaches. New Orleans has that.
Round 5, 175th Overall: Javon Foster, OT, Mizzou
I'm all about rebuilding the trenches for the Saints, and Foster is someone that could blossom into something special. He has experience at both tackle positions and could also be a candidate to move inside. Traditionally, New Orleans likes to cross-train their offensive linemen at multiple positions due to the increased risk of injury. Foster has the power to be an effective pass blocker and can provide strong run support.
Round 6, 190th Overall: Isaac Guerendo, RB, Louisville
Things get a little interesting here. I understand the vision for the Saints at the running back spot. They plan to have Alvin Kamara in the mix as well as Jamaal Williams, but we are anticipating a big leap from Kendre Miller. Guerendo has the tools to be a three-down back, being effective as a runner and picking up the blitz. Perhaps he could challenge others for a spot and make final cuts interesting. One other candidate I might throw out here would be Alcorn's Jarveon Howard if he hasn't been picked already.
Round 6, 199th Overall: Levi Drake Rodriguez, DL, Texas A&M Commerce
This is another one of those prospects who may or may not be here for this pick. Rodriguez has a strong upper body and can get off the ball quickly. There are some areas where he needs to be coached, but he's going to be a good rotational player who has an ability to get after the quarterback. The interior defensive line is an area where the Saints need to figure out after losing Malcolm Roach, and this would be a good start.
Round 7, 239th Overall: Jontrey Hunter, LB, Georgia State
Hunter would be a candidate to replace Zack Baun, and by this point, New Orleans might not even be picking and prioritizing all of their undrafted rookie conversations. There's also no certainty that Hunter will be there, and I honestly could see the Saints taking him earlier in the 6th Round. Hunter brings a little bit of everything to the table, being able to cover as well as ending up ranking in the Top-32 of Pro Football Focus' pass-rushing grades.
