Several issues need to be fixed this offseason and the draft could help provide some solutions.
The New Orleans Saints roster is a concern going into the offseason. Almost every position needs to be upgraded, and the weak points of this roster are extremely weak. With the current cap space for the Saints, free agency will look like a few 1-year cheap deals that help make issues look a bit better. While these moves help fix the cap in the long run and the roster stay afloat, the NFL Draft is where the Saints can get answers. Overall, the 2025 NFL Draft is not the strongest in the 1st Round. This draft class will be remembered because of its depth. Day 2 will be massive for teams to find their starters for the future. Athough the Saints made a great move to acquire a 3rd Round pick in the Marshon Lattimore trade, New Orleans still needs more top-100 picks.
As of now, in the top 100, the Saints have 4 picks:
- Round 1 (9)
- Round 2 (40)
- Round 3 (71)
- Round 3 (91) – From Commanders trade
Three positions on the Saints roster must be fixed in the 2025 Draft: Guard, edge rusher, and defensive tackle. They can address these needs with their first three selections in the draft, but it will depend on what happens in the 1st Round. The issue is that the Saints should not focus on certain positions at pick 9 due to how the roster look right now. The team needs top-end talent, and being open-minded at that pick is the best move. Also, flexibility on Day 2 will be best for the Saints to upgrade this roster. Look at last year’s draft; the Saints did not need to select Kool-Aid in the 2nd Round, but they did because he was the best available talent at that pick. Ultimately, it was a great decision because of the Lattimore trade and Paulson Adebo’s injury Having another top-100 selection allows this flexibility to happen on Day 2 while also allowing the Saints to draft positions of need. So now, the question is, how can they do it?
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Saints have two options to get more top 100 selections: Trade away players or trade back in the draft. Starting with trading players, this option has a low chance of happening. As I mentioned before, the Saints roster is questionable, so there are not many players they can trade away. The other issue is even if they can trade them away, the return will probably be a later-round pick. Depending on said return, the Saints could package some late picks and jump into the top 100, but just like last year’s draft, trading up is not a great idea.
One name that does come to mind is Derek Carr, but there are some issues with this trade. Carr’s contract is not attractive, and if this trade were to happen, the Saints will have to take a huge financial hit. The next issue is Carr’s no-trade clause. This hurts any leverage the Saints have in trade talks and makes a deal unlikely, but still, Carr could be an option.
This next group of players will depend more on how the Saints draft goes. Trevor Penning could be available for trade if offensive tackle is the Saints’ selection at pick 9. He had an up-and-down season, but he took massive strides, and there are desperate teams out there looking for starting tackles. Cesar Ruiz is another name that could be talked about as a potential trade candidate, but that would have to happen if the Saints already drafted an offensive tackle and a guard, so that would be less likely.
The last player that could be traded comes from the Saints’ younger talent. If Paulson Adebo is brought back in free agency, Alontae Taylor could be traded away. Taylor had a very down season when taken out of slot corner. His contract is up next offseason, and he will turn 28 in 2026. This would leave the Saints cornerback room a bit weak, but slot corner is easier to find compared to outside corner, and in this example, the Saints will already have Adebo and McKinstry.
These are some of the players the Saints could trade for selections, but with each move, issues arise, and many variables are at play. The other option for New Orleans is much easier, but it would break a draft trend that has held strong for 17 years.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The last time the Saints traded back in the draft was in 2007. This trade was the Saints’ 2nd Round pick, which was sent to the Lions for a 3rd Round pick, which ended up being Usama Young, and a 5th Round pick, which ended up being David Jones. Since this moment, the Saints have not traded back in the draft, but that could change in 2025. There is no reason for New Orleans to “reach” in the first round, so if they are faced with a group of prospects that the team is lower on or players that are not worth selecting at 9, the Saints should trade back. Again, this would go against a draft trend that has held for many years, but just last year, the Saints did something unexpected. New Orleans did not trade up once in the 2024 draft, and they were awarded by getting tremendous value with almost every selection, so maybe breaking another trend could be a good idea.
At pick 9, the Saints can get some great value by trading back. If a team from around pick 20 wants to trade up, the Saints would get at least first and a second in that trade. An example of this deal would be:
Saints receive: 1st Round pick (22) & 2nd Round pick (55)
Chargers receive: 1st Round pick (9)
This trade would still allow the Saints to get a talented player at 22, with the possibility of focusing on important positions, and then have flexibility on Day 2. Another potential trade the Saints can make is:
Saints receive: 1st Round pick (29), 2nd Round pick (56), & & 2nd Round pick (61)
Bills receive: 1st Round pick (9)
The Buffalo Bills are still in the playoffs, so it is unknown where their picks will end up being, but still, getting two 2nd Round picks by trading back in the first is amazing. This would be the dream trade back scenario for the Saints to fix a bunch of issues on the roster while also having significant flexibility in the draft. With this trade, the Saints would have:
- Round 1 (29)
- Round 2 (40)
- Round 2 (56)
- Round 2 (61)
- Round 3 (71)
- Round 3 (91) – From Commanders trade
Yes, trading back 20 spots is a big jump back, but if the Saints’ perceived top-end talent is already gone by pick 9, why settle with a selection that might have the same talent as prospects at pick 20? The back end of the first round may not have many “1st Round talents”, but it does have impact starters that can heavily improve this roster. Also, with a whopping SIX selections in the top 100, the Saints can draft a guard, edge rusher, and defensive tackle while also being able to draft their best available player at the three other picks.
These are some of the options the Saints have to make significant improvements in this offseason, but in your opinion, do you think the Saints could trade away some players? Who are some of the names that could be in these trades? Would you want the Saints to trade back in the draft? Let us know in the comments below!
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