Way-too-early New Orleans Saints NFL Draft preview

The 2023 NFL Draft is April 27-29 in Kansas City. Here is the projected first-round order, per Tankathon.

2022 record: 7-10 | First-round pick: None | Team needs: QB, Guard, DT, CB

Snapshot: New Orleans is operating in the dreaded purgatory, neither good enough to reach the playoffs nor bad enough to get a potentially franchise-altering draft pick. The Saints are among the most reckless with their picks, operating with a you-only-live-once ethos. GM Mickey Loomis loves to wheel and deal. 

Potential second-round picks: Siaki Ika, DL, Baylor; John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota; Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State

New Orleans, which dealt its first-rounder to the Eagles last April, won't pick until the second round (No. 41).

The Saints have a couple of holes in the interior of the offensive and defensive lines, and the team sorely missed C.J. Gardner-Johnson's playmaking ability in the secondary. (He was dealt to the Eagles.) Ika and Schmitz might be out of the Saints range in the second round. If either player falls, he could be a building block to something much greater down the line.

The Saints rush defense was arguably the team's biggest disappointment, ranking 24th in rush yards allowed after ranking in the top five from 2018-2021. 

Center Erik McCoy was the best player on a mediocre unit. New Orleans would have to do some reshuffling if it selected Schmitz, but there's little doubt he's capable of being an elite interior lineman. 

Pro Football Focus highlighted Schmitz as one of its favorite draft prospects. He's a beast, which is evident from the first highlight on this reel, in which he drives a defender down the field. If you don't like this, you don't like football: