Saints mock draft simulation No. 3: A new offensive line choice in Round 1 – and Round 2?

We're now just one week away from the New Orleans Saints being on the clock in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. So it's time for our third weekly mock draft simulation.

We decided to mix things up a bit by turning away from Alabama left tackle JC Latham for the first time. But we didn't stray too far — with two other OL options just as enticing.

ROUND 1, PICK 14

GONE: 1. QB Caleb Williams. 2. QB Drake Maye. 3. QB Jayden Daniels. 4. DE Dallas Turner. 5. WR Marvin Harrison Jr. 6. WR Malik Nabers. 7. DE Laiatu Latu. 8. TE Brock Bowers. 9. QB J.J. McCarthy (projected trade). 10. OT Joe Alt. 11. OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu. 12. DE Jared Verse. 13. CB Quinyon Mitchell.

NICK: About the best board we could have realistically asked for here. We have our choice at offensive tackle between JC Latham, Taliese Fuaga and Troy Fautanu. And if we want to go off script just a little bit, wide receiver Rome Odunze is also available.

We’ve taken Latham a few times. I think we need to look in another direction and choose between Fuaga and Fautanu. Fuaga is the most ready player, and I think I may prefer him at this spot. The flexibility to play inside and outside is so huge. I do think he is limited to playing right tackle and has no potential to go to the left side, but that’s not a problem since the team needs a right tackle with Ryan Ramczyk’s career in jeopardy. I’ve heard (Ramczyk) has already lost a ton of weight, so chances are the team needs to replace him.

Fautanu can play on both sides, in addition to guard. And I think the best course of action could be to get the player with the flexibility to play both sides. Maybe I’m overthinking it now, but I think it might be the safest and smartest move to protect against all outcomes.

Jake Haener has spent a good portion of the last year studying football with Jon Gruden and working on his game with the coach.Zoom calls. Film sessions. Trips to Tampa. Lots of conversations. All of it has the QB confident and ready to compete.https://t.co/vRmOkjn1Lt— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) April 17, 2024

TRIP: Yeah, a lot of people might have Odunze as the highest-rated player on their board here. And if the Saints have him as a top-five player on their board, maybe they should consider zagging. But I’m not worried at all about them “reaching” to fill a need on the offensive line here, because I think they have three players available who could be bona fide top-10 prospects. And getting to choose the one they like best is a huge bonus.

The only thing we need to ask here is: Should we consider trading down? I was planning to ask this regardless — even before the board presented us with so many opportunities. In general, should the Saints consider taking the same type of long-term rebuilding approach into the draft that we’ve seen them taking with their salary cap this offseason?

Here’s one scenario this simulation offered us: The 49ers’ 31st and 64th picks in this year’s draft, plus a second-rounder and fourth-rounder in 2025. That would be a big drop from 14 to 31. But that’s an awful lot of picks for a Saints team that needs to rebuild its young talent base.

🆕: Our Martin's question of the day!What has to happen for the Saints NOT to select an offensive lineman in round 1?FULL EPISODE⬇️https://t.co/kKf0hU0LYv pic.twitter.com/Cn2y1BdgiN— NOF (@nofnetwork) April 17, 2024

NICK: I can’t do it. I can’t even consider it. I might think about moving down to 20 if I’m certain one of the tackles is going to drop and the return makes it worthwhile to take the choice out of our hands. But I doubt it would.

This is such a massive need that playing around with it and leaving anything to chance is too dangerous. The Saints already missed on one tackle (Trevor Penning), they can’t get backed into a corner here. There’s no room for failure. Whatever shot they take has to be the best shot they can take.

TRIP: I’m a little torn. I’m thinking about the 2025 and 2026 rosters here just as much as the 2024 roster, and I see more than a dozen long-term holes — not just the current glaring need on the offensive line. But that being said, teams need elite, special players to build around. And I like their chances of finding a foundational left tackle at No. 14 in this tackle-rich draft. That’s also vital to the long-term future.

And I agree with mixing things up and going with Fautanu. This trio of tackles is special enough that each one could be a run-to-the-podium choice at No. 14 depending on New Orleans’ specific vision for him.

OUR PICK: OL Troy Fautanu, Washington

🆕: Saints Draft Rewind: Grading Day 2 picks since 2015📌: Could Kendre Miller be an X-factor for the offense this year?📌: What will the Saints salary cap look like in the coming years?🔗: https://t.co/iI1fjP0Cim pic.twitter.com/030tZZ7JOl— NOF (@nofnetwork) April 17, 2024

ROUND 2, PICK 45

GONE: 15. WR Rome Odunze. 16. OT Amarius Mims. 17. CB Terrion Arnold. 18. OT Taliese Fuaga. 19. CB Nate Wiggins. 20. OT JC Latham. 21. WR Brian Thomas Jr. 22. DB Cooper DeJean. 23. QB Michael Penix Jr. 24. DT Johnny Newton. 25. CB Kool-Aid McKinstry. 26. DE Chop Robinson. 27. WR Adonai Mitchell. 28. C Jackson Powers-Johnson. 29. WR Keon Coleman. 30. DT Byron Murphy II. 31. OT Tyler Guyton. 32. QB Bo Nix. 33. WR Xavier Worthy. 34. OT Kingsley Suamataia. 35. S Tyler Nubin. 36. CB Max Melton. 37. CB T.J. Tampa. 38. OL Jordan Morgan. 39. DT Michael Hall Jr. 40. DE Bralen Trice. 41. G Christian Haynes. 42. WR Ladd McConkey. 43. DE Adisa Isaac. 44. CB Kamari Lassiter.

TRIP: I see one obvious possibility here in South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette, whom we selected in our first mock draft simulation to fill that need for a bigger physical target. But I can’t help but notice a value being presented here in Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton, who has been receiving a lot of top-20 buzz from analysts recently. I’m not positive about the position fit since he played both center and left tackle in college and is widely viewed as a center prospect. But the Saints have lots of openings!

I also see another strong interior-line prospect here in West Virginia's Zach Frazier. Could the Saints possibly consider drafting offensive linemen with each of their first two picks if the value is there? They certainly have multiple needs across the line at left tackle, right tackle and left guard.

NICK: Barton is incredibly fascinating to me. His previous experience as a center opens the possibility of him playing all five spots. And that kind of makes him the perfect player for the Saints. We don’t know who is going to play where and what holes are actually open.

If the team takes a tackle at No. 14, and Trevor Penning rounds into form, the need would be at left guard. If the team takes a tackle at No. 14 and Penning doesn’t round into form, there’s a need on the outside. Barton could potentially help fill either need. I like the idea.

TRIP: An extreme line makeover it is! And I still don’t feel bad about passing on Odunze in Round 1, even if I knew we’d have this kind of O-line value in Round 2. Double-dipping on the offensive line would make me feel so much better about the Saints’ offense as a whole.

OUR PICK: OL Graham Barton, Duke

🆕: NFL Draft: Ranking every Saints pick since 2015Who are your top 5 Saints draft picks since 2015?https://t.co/Ff87FhXR16 https://t.co/Ff87FhXR16 pic.twitter.com/Pp25u3z43M— NOF (@nofnetwork) April 17, 2024

TRADE UP! ROUND 4, PICK 125

NICK: We drafted a tackle. We drafted a guy who can do everything on the offensive line. So now it’s time to get a big target who can make contested catches. The receivers who feel like they can make a difference here are gone, so I think we should look at a tight end. And I think it makes sense to trade 150 and 168 to move up to 125 to take Penn State’s Theo Johnson.

He’s big (6-foot-6, 259 pounds), moves well (4.57 40-yard dash) and is a functional blocker. Someone like him could open up the offense a bit with his ability as both a receiver and a blocker. He could also make some of the tough red-zone plays Jimmy Graham made last season.

TRIP: All of that makes sense to me, including the trade-up into Round 4. We have now traded up in every mock draft simulation because it would be a huge upset if the Saints actually stand pat with zero picks in Round 3, zero picks in Round 4, four picks in Round 5 and two picks in Round 6. It’s just not in their DNA.

I don’t think we can count on a fourth-round tight end to play a big role in the passing game right away. But the Saints need to add young TE depth at some point in the draft to rotate in with Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau. And Theo Johnson appears to have enough upside to possibly surpass both of them going forward.

OUR PICK: TE Theo Johnson, Penn State

Have the Saints' savings added up this offseason?We did a deep dive into the numbers to see what their cap costs look like in 2025, 2026 and beyond.The quick summary: Still ugly, but not doomsday, as they gradually chip away.https://t.co/OvA59e2tVq— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) April 17, 2024

ROUND 5, PICK 170

TRIP: I promise we’re not going to just copy-and-paste our way through the rest of this draft (outside of my inevitable demand to draft Iowa punter Tory Taylor, of course). But once again, I see Georgia safety Tykee Smith here at the end of Round 5. And I still agree with all of the reasons why we took him last week— depth at a position that needs it, versatility to find a niche alongside Tyrann Mathieu and Jordan Howden in nickel or dime packages, and special teams ability.

NICK: No arguments there. The team needs to keep injecting youth into the position, and they do a great job of developing players. You'd like a little more range than Smith offers, but it's the fifth round.

OUR PICK: S Tykee Smith, Georgia

ROUND 5, PICK 175

NICK: The Saints could use some help on run defense. This is typically the range where you can find a run-stuffer, and Clemson’s Tyler Davis could fit the bill. He isn’t the massive player you typically want in that role (6-foot-1, 301 pounds), but he plays strong and is effective in his role.

If his strength translates to this level, the team could potentially find a starter-caliber player in the fifth round. Davis is worth the risk in this range. If you swing and miss, it’s not a huge deal, and there are enough traits there to justify going with a slightly smaller player.

TRIP: Adding to your swing-and-miss analogy, this is a position where you just need to make contact. If Davis can give you 15-20 snaps at a position where they like to rotate the big bodies so much, he’s bringing excellent value at this stage of the draft. Malcolm Roach left a void when he signed with Denver in free agency, but to your point about the value that exists at nose tackle on Day 3 of the draft, Roach himself was undrafted out of Texas in 2020.

OUR PICK: DT Tyler Davis, Clemson

ROUND 6, PICK 190

TRIP: I didn’t even realize I was doing this at first, but my favorite value among the options I saw here was yet another Clemson defensive lineman — edge rusher Xavier Thomas. That would pair him with both Davis and former Clemson DT Bryan Bresee, whom the Saints took in Round 1 last year. I guess technically that makes this an unlikely pick. But it doesn’t change how I view the player and the fit.

Thomas is yet another smaller edge rusher at 6-2, 253 who might bring a boom-or-bust quality. But if the Saints are serious about trying to get more versatile and creative to add speed into their pass rush, this could be a good range in the draft to add a specialized sub-package rusher.

NICK: You're drafting traits this late, and Thomas has some worth developing.

OUR PICK: DE Xavier Thomas, Clemson

ROUND 6, PICK 199

NICK: Let me guess. Punter again, huh?

TRIP: If this wasn’t a collaboration, I probably would’ve taken him in Round 5 just to be sure. And I genuinely think he could be gone that early in the real NFL Draft. I’ve said it for three straight weeks now, although I’m biased as an Iowa alum, that just gave me insight into how special Tory Taylor was for a team that relied on him waaaaayyyy too much. Although the Saints like the progress they saw from rookie Lou Hedley in 2023, there is obvious room to upgrade there. And they have the luxury of doing so with such a stockpile of picks in this range of the draft.

OUR PICK: P Tory Taylor, Iowa

ROUND 7, PICK 239

TRIP: I was all set to tee you up for another one of our favorite picks — the seventh-round return specialist. But then I glanced over and saw a look on your face that let me know you’re excited about a wild-card choice you dug up.

NICK: I am. I'm going with a deep sleeper here. Texas A&M Commerce's Levi Rodriguez had a huge season last year, as he posted 5.5 sacks and was strong in the run game. He’s the right size at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds and plays with explosiveness. I think he has a chance to develop, and you might have to draft him to make sure someone doesn’t snag him away as a priority UDFA.

OUR PICK: DL Levi Rodriguez, Texas A&M Commerce