Canal Street Chronicles
Let’s see where New Orleans could be drafting and who could be available.
The importance of the NFL Draft cannot be understated, and this holds true for the New Orleans Saints. If the team wants to slowly get in a better cap position and find cheap improvements, the draft is where that could happen. The Saints’ scouting staff will be monitoring their draft position throughout the season and seeing which players could be available for them to draft, and that is what I will also be doing.
Right now, the Saints are projected to draft at pick 18 in the first round. This projection has the Saints just missing the playoffs and being in the last spot of the non-playoff teams. They are projected to join the Philidelphia Eagles as the only teams to win in week one and not be in the playoffs. Now that we have discussed where the New Orleans Saints are selecting, let us look at who could be available.
The Saints’ safeties had a great game against the Carolina Panthers, but Tyrann Mathieu is getting older, and Dennis Allen may want an improvement at strong safety in 2025. For those reasons, I would not be surprised if safety is one of the biggest wants in the draft and pick 18 would be a great spot for this. The good news is the top safety in the draft, Malaki Starks out of Georgia, could be available here. Starks is one of, if not the, most talented safeties in the country and has had a great start to the 2024 season. His versatility in playing all over the field is something Dennis Allen would love to add to the defense.
In Week 1 against the Panthers, Trevor Penning had a great game. If I am just solely looking at Penning’s week one performance in regard to potential prospects, tackle may not be a choice in the first round, but that does not mean offensive line is out of the question. Left guard is still up in the air and could be a focus for improvement in 2025. At pick 18, the number one guard in the draft, Tyler Booker, could be available. Just like safety, guard is not a highly drafted position in the first round but pick 18 is good for selecting one. At Alabama, Tyler Booker has been a dominant force at left guard, being great in run and pass blocking. At 6-foot-5, Booker has the flexibility to also slide to left tackle if the Saints are put into a tough situation. Guards are becoming more expensive in free agency, and if the Saints want a cheap and great fix, the draft would be the perfect place for this.
The last prospect I will talk about that may be available for the Saints at pick 18 is LSU linebacker Harold Perkins. Since the beginning of the college football season, Perkins has not had the strongest start. At times, it has looked like...
