RaiderRich'S MOCK DRAFT

trade way down

  • RaiderRich DRAFTING FOR THE
    Saints
Draft Selections
Kenneth Grant Head Shot
PICK: 28 RND: 1 (NO)
Kenneth Grant
DT Michigan
Omarion Hampton Head Shot
PICK: 40 RND: 2 (NO)
Omarion Hampton
RB North Carolina
Jordan Burch Head Shot
PICK: 71 RND: 3 (NO)
Jordan Burch
DE-EDGE Oregon
Barrett Carter Head Shot
PICK: 90 RND: 3 (NO)
Barrett Carter
LB Clemson
Malachi Moore Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (NO)
Malachi Moore
S Alabama
Tez Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 111 RND: 4 (NO)
Tez Johnson
WR Oregon
Oronde Gadsden II Head Shot
PICK: 128 RND: 4 (NO)
Oronde Gadsden II
TE Syracuse
Jaeden Roberts Head Shot
PICK: 138 RND: 5 (NO)
Jaeden Roberts
OG Alabama
Theo Wease Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 183 RND: 6 (NO)
Theo Wease Jr.
WR Missouri
Thor Griffith Head Shot
PICK: 253 RND: 7 (NO)
Thor Griffith
DL Louisville
Draft Picks Received
Kenneth Grant Head Shot
PICK: 28 RND: 1 (MIN)
Kenneth Grant
DT Michigan
Malachi Moore Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (MIN)
Malachi Moore
S Alabama
Jaeden Roberts Head Shot
PICK: 138 RND: 5 (MIN)
Jaeden Roberts
OG Alabama
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 1 (MIN)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (MIN)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Ashton Jeanty Head Shot
PICK: 9 RND: 1 (MIN)
Ashton Jeanty
RB Boise State
Draft Grade — Saints
Overall B-
ValueB NeedB TradesD- FutureA
The phones sank the Saints this weekend: B-.

There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Saints started one anyway for Jordan Burch, 39 picks ahead of schedule. No fireworks, but a solid B-.

The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. They banked enough surplus on Moore to cover a lot of smaller sins.

The cornerback hole is the one line item this class does not answer. It is a bet on later, and a defensible one for a team playing the long game.

All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but cornerback.

Pick Analysis
Pick28 Rnd1 Kenneth Grant
In the 28th pick they get a pocket-collapsing interior rusher. A clean fit for the roster.
Pick40 Rnd2 Omarion Hampton
You do not let a running back like Omarion Hampton reach slot 40 and blink. They did not. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick71 Rnd3 Jordan Burch
Jordan Burch at No. 71 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick90 Rnd3 Barrett Carter
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Barrett Carter in the Round 3 slot. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Pick97 Rnd3 Malachi Moore
Steal is underselling it; Malachi Moore at the 97th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick111 Rnd4 Tez Johnson
Tez Johnson is a better player than Round 4, Pick 10 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick128 Rnd4 Oronde Gadsden II
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Oronde Gadsden II. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick138 Rnd5 Jaeden Roberts
Jaeden Roberts at No. 138 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick183 Rnd6 Theo Wease Jr.
A reach for Theo Wease Jr. in the 183rd overall pick; a little patience would have been rewarded. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick253 Rnd7 Thor Griffith
They left a pile of value on the table to take Thor Griffith this early at the Round 7 slot. A need, and now a little less of one.