Saints Given Surprising Shot At Polarizing Prospect

Who will the New Orleans Saints select when they are on the clock at No. 9 on Thursday night? 

At this point, it seems like a move for a quarterback would be a pretty big shock. While this is the case ESPN’s Ben Solak ranked New Orleans as the No. 3 fit for Sanders.

"No. 3. New Orleans Saints," Solak said. "The Saints are awkwardly built. Their offensive line was constructed with a heavy run game, and accompanying play-action pass, in mind. Left tackle Taliese Fuaga and right tackle Trevor Penning are better run blockers than pass protectors, and receiver Rashid Shaheed excelled as a downfield target off deep play-action fakes...

"Chris Olave would give Sanders an excellent receiving option. Olave has great hands, runs tight routes and would benefit from Sanders' skill set. However, Olave needs to stay healthy -- he has suffered four concussions since entering the league in 2022. Sanders would fit the Saints, but the Saints might not be his best landing spot -- especially if they have to rebuild under their new management and he is forced to endure a bad offensive roster for a few seasons. If the Saints do not take Sanders at No. 9, it is unlikely they would get him at all. They have additional third- and fourth-round selections they could trade, but moving up from No. 40 to leapfrog both the Giants (34) and Browns (33) seems challenging."

He noted that the Saints don't currently seem likely for Sanders and are more likely fits for Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss and Jalen Milroe out of Alabama.

He’s arguably the most polarizing figure in this draft class. He’s a great talent but there’s been a wide range of opinions about him this offseason. Finally, it will all be put to bed on Thursday unless he drops past the first round.

It’s a very interesting and tricky situation. What are the Saints going to do?

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