1Saint09'S MOCK DRAFT

Saints1

  • 1Saint09 DRAFTING FOR THE
    Saints
Draft Selections
Jack Sawyer Head Shot
PICK: 19 RND: 1 (NO)
Jack Sawyer
DE-EDGE Ohio State
Tate Ratledge Head Shot
PICK: 42 RND: 2 (NO)
Tate Ratledge
OG Georgia
Jihaad Campbell Head Shot
PICK: 74 RND: 3 (NO)
Jihaad Campbell
LB Alabama
Deone Walker Head Shot
PICK: 90 RND: 3 (NO)
Deone Walker
DT Kentucky
Jack Bech Head Shot
PICK: 111 RND: 4 (NO)
Jack Bech
WR TCU
Kevin Winston Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 120 RND: 4 (NO)
Kevin Winston Jr.
S Penn State
Oronde Gadsden II Head Shot
PICK: 128 RND: 4 (NO)
Oronde Gadsden II
TE Syracuse
Jake Majors Head Shot
PICK: 185 RND: 6 (NO)
Jake Majors
C Texas
Phil Mafah Head Shot
PICK: 253 RND: 7 (NO)
Phil Mafah
RB Clemson
Draft Picks Received
Jack Sawyer Head Shot
PICK: 19 RND: 1 (HOU)
Jack Sawyer
DE-EDGE Ohio State
Kevin Winston Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 120 RND: 4 (HOU)
Kevin Winston Jr.
S Penn State
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 1 (HOU)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Ashton Jeanty Head Shot
PICK: 10 RND: 1 (HOU)
Ashton Jeanty
RB Boise State
Draft Grade — Saints
Overall B
ValueB+ NeedB+ TradesD+ FutureA
Majors should have been long gone. The Saints pounced, and earned a B.

The board owed the Saints one, and it paid up: Jake Majors, the No. 93 name on the board, sitting there at pick No. 185 like a gift left on the doorstep.

The cornerback spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The future picks help the war chest more than the win-now roster.

The trades cost them a sliver of value they did not need to spend. Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.

Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Pick Analysis
Pick19 Rnd1 Jack Sawyer
In the 19th overall pick they get a premier pass rusher. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Pick42 Rnd2 Tate Ratledge
A quiet steal in the 42nd pick: Tate Ratledge for less than the market said. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick74 Rnd3 Jihaad Campbell
Taking Jihaad Campbell in the Round 3 slot is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. A minor itch, scratched.
Pick90 Rnd3 Deone Walker
Somehow Deone Walker was still sitting there in slot 90, and they pounced on premier interior defensive lineman value. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick111 Rnd4 Jack Bech
Jack Bech slid further than he should have, and pick No. 111 is lovely value for the wide receiver. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick120 Rnd4 Kevin Winston Jr.
You do not let a safety like Kevin Winston Jr. reach pick 120 and blink. They did not. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Pick128 Rnd4 Oronde Gadsden II
Oronde Gadsden II in Round 4, Pick 27 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. The roster fit checks out.
Pick185 Rnd6 Jake Majors
Jake Majors at No. 185 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick253 Rnd7 Phil Mafah
A running back of that caliber at the 253rd pick is the definition of value, full stop. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.