Saints reportedly explored trading up to draft Mac Jones

Mac Jones fell a lot further in the draft than many experts expected him to, and the New Orleans Saints were among the teams that were excited to see the former Alabama star tumble down the board. Had the New England Patriots not taken Jones at 15th overall, the Saints were reportedly waiting to pounce.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports that the Saints began calling teams about trading up from No. 28 once Jones began slipping down the board. They believed they had a chance to land the Crimson Tide QB after the Carolina Panthers passed on him at No. 8.

The Saints had trouble finding a team that was willing to move all the way back to No. 28, according to Howe. They did, however, make progress toward a trade with the Arizona Cardinals that would have allowed them to jump up to 16th overall, but the Patriots took Jones at No. 15.

New Orleans will now enter the season with Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill competing for the starting quarterback job. Head coach Sean Payton has done nothing but praise both players, but this is not the first we heard about him wanting to take a quarterback in the first round.