Saints Predicted To Take QB Not Named Shedeur Sanders With No. 9 Draft Pick

How desperately do the Saints need a young signal-caller?

Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; The New Orleans Saints logo at the Super Bowl LIX Experience at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints don't know who their quarterback of the future will be just yet, but they've at least got some flexibility.

After restructuring Derek Carr's contract, the Saints have their short-term starter locked in. But if they want to get a jump start on finding the next guy, the 2025 draft could be an opportunity to find Carr's successor.

Colorado star Shedeur Sanders has been the name most frequently connected to the Saints in recent weeks. There's hope the 23-year-old could fall to New Orleans at nine, or if the Saints are feeling ambitious, they could trade up to get their hands on Sanders.

However, trading up is risky, and Sanders falling to New Orleans feels at best like a 50-50 bet. Would they still consider taking a quarterback if Sanders (and presumptive number-one overall pick Cam Ward) are off the board?

On Wednesday, FanSided's Sayre Bedinger projected that the Saints would select Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, a popular name trending on mock draft boards these days, with the number-nine selection.

"The Saints are the only team in the NFC South currently without a true long-term QB situation in place. They have to keep up with their division, and while they aren’t going to forced into falling in love with a guy, there are a lot of qualities to like with Jaxson Dart," Bedinger wrote.

"He would be a stunner here in the top 10, but that’s how the NFL Draft is a lot of times. Michael Penix and Bo Nix were stunners last year, you never know when we’ll see it again."

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Dart put together a fantastic senior season for the Rebels, leading the SEC with a 69.3 percent completion rate and 4,279 passing yards. He wasn't a first-round prospect coming into the season, though, and there's still debate about whether his long-term track record merits first-round consideration after it.

Sometimes, the draft is about taking swings. Can the Saints afford to do so with Dart, knowing that it could come back to haunt them long-term if he didn't develop into a quality starter?

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