2024 New Orleans Saints NFL Mock Draft

Somebody tag Mickey Loomis, because I just knocked this mock draft for the New Orleans Saints out the park.

The Saints have plenty of needs to fill in this year's draft that will take place tomorrow. The team needs to address offensive tackle, safety, edge rusher, interior lineman, wide receiver, and much more.

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The Saints will have the #14 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft tomorrow. Everyone who wasn't in a coma last season knows we need an instant starting offensive tackle with this pick. Trevor Penning, one of our first round picks in 2022, is on the verge of being labeled a draft bust and Ryan Ramczyk who has been one of the best right tackles in the game since suiting up for the Saints may never play football again because of knee injuries.

This year I used the website NFL Mock Draft Database to do my mock draft. Not much went into my thought process, I just really liked how their draft board images looked and thought it would look nice in my article.

With this mock draft I was faced with a huge dilemma right out the gates. Former Georgia TE Brock Bowers was still available at the #14 pick in the draft.  I would be lying if I told you that my first instinct was to pass on him. In fact, I had to talk myself out of picking the absolute electric TE that could help bring our offense to the next level. The name Darren Waller immediately came to mind, because if we're honest Derek Carr made him.  He got a huge contract because of the numbers that he and Carr were putting up and when Derek was out of the equation, well, he's mediocre at best. Knowing that Carr and Bowers could be a game changing connection, I had to come to the realization that all that can't happen if Carr is on the IR. So I needed to sacrifice that pick and protect our franchise QB.

Also, I was able to move down in the 2nd round just a few spots from pick #45 to pick #48 and gained three picks out of the deal (the picks with the red rectangles by them).

New Orleans Saints 2024 Mock Draft:

With the 14th pick in the first round of 2024 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints select, Olumuyiwa Fashanu, offensive tackle, Penn State.

Bleacher Reports says:

Overall, Fashanu has high-end physical tools with rarely seen polish as a pass-protector that is counterbalanced with being more underdeveloped as a finisher in the run game. His ability to thrive on an island in pass protection right away with the tools, runway and flashes necessary to make improvements as a run-blocker indicates a franchise-caliber blind-side protector who can at least be average in the run game.

Olumuyiwa is a massive man standing at 6'6" and weighing in at 312 pounds. He was a team captain at Penn State and he's known for his pass blocking, so that makes him a perfect fit to be the Saints new blindside left tackle. That means we can move Trevor Penning to right tackle and take a load off him and hopefully he can mature into the beast we saw at the Senior Bowl two years ago that lead to the Saints taking him in the first round. Getting tackle is more important now than ever with Nick Underhill reporting that the uber-reliable James Hurst has announced his retirement from the NFL.

I was able to trade down a few picks and still get my man at #48. When I watched Kanas State at the Pop Tart Bowl, I was really impressed what I saw and heard from Cooper Beebee. The guy is a born leader and tough as nails, and the fact that he's a huge human helps.

Bleacher reports says:

Overall, Beebe is a highly decorated, massively built, sawed-off, smart and strong presence with proven versatility to project as a high-floor, solid starting guard in a downhill run scheme. His strong processing skills boost his play speed, but his below-average athletic ability and length narrows his margin for error when isolated against top competition.

Right now, there's only two guards on the Saints roster, Cesar Ruiz and Tommy Kraemer. Ruiz hasn't lived up to his 1st round selection and Kraemer is a backup at best. Beebee will bring in a day one starter and straight DAWG at left guard. He will bring stability and toughness to our offensive line.

I couldn't believe this next player slipped down to me at pick #96. After losing Michael Thomas and only picking up role players at the WR position in free agency, we needed to add an impact WR in the draft so I selected Jalen McMillan from Washington.

Bleacher Report says:

McMillan should contribute right away in the NFL. His well-rounded athletic profile, route-running chops and reliable hands will allow him to be productive from day one, both from the slot and outside. McMillan's alignment flexibility and balanced skill set make him a fit for any offense.

As the draft continued I selected positions of need with safety and cornerback. Then when pick number #168 came around and I looked at the players remaining, it was evident to me that we had to pick edge rusher here. Cam is in the twilight of his amazing career, Granderson isn't pass rusher, and I'm going to say it...Turner is a bust.

I had to take a flyer on Javon Solomon from Troy. I know some people are reading this and thinking, you just selected Marcus Davenport 2.0. However, Solomon had 16 sacks last season and he has 33 over his four year career.

Bleacher Report says:

Javon Solomon is an intriguing pass-rusher who was highly productive in college with 33 sacks over the last four years. Thanks to his good use of hands and solid athleticism, he's shown a handful of moves that he can win with and impressive bend to turn a tight corner. The former Trojan does have long arms, especially at his height. Overall, he'd be a good fit as a standup outside linebacker who can contribute on passing downs.

Look, I know the Saints don't run a 3-4 defense, however, we can bring him in on passing downs as a specialist and he can be a stand-up defensive end.  We have to start getting more pressure around the edges on opposing QBs and Solomon has shown he can get back to the QB...a lot.

As the draft continued we filled more needs on the team. Then came pick #199. I was originally planning on selecting at LB at his pick, however, I saw a name that intrigued me and frankly floored me that he was still available. I had to pull the trigger and draft QB Joe Milton from Tennessee.

Bleacher Report says:

Milton is too talented to not take a chance on. His arm talent is otherworldly, and his pocket toughness is a good cornerstone trait. With that said, being a 24-year-old developmental player with spotty accuracy suggests Milton faces a long and winding road before he becomes a serious starting quarterback in the NFL.

Milton is huge, standing at 6'5" and weighing in at 235 pounds. He not only has an absolute cannon for an arm but he is agile for his size as well and can take off and run when needed.

I would imagine he will slip in the draft tomorrow because of his injury history, but his arm talent can't be ignored. Whoever gets Milton will most likely have a starting QB in place and they can take their time maturing his game and getting him the treatment and workout regiments to strengthen his injury sites. That's why I think he's perfect for the Saints, we have Carr until 2026, Joe will have plenty of time to learn the offense, get healthy and be ready to take the reigns for the 2027 season.

One last pick I have to mention, it's our final Selection in the draft. It's offensive tackle Nathan Thomas from ULL. I was listening to my local ESPN affiliate on the way to work today and one of the local shows were talking with the head coach from ULL. They started discussing Thomas. He wasn't a big recruit coming out of high school and he was a tight end. The Cajuns switched him to tackle, which he had never played before.  He's a two year starter and he's a mountain of a man (6'5" 322).

Bleacher Report says:

Overall, Thomas is relatively new to the offensive line, and it shows in how raw he is with technique. However, he possesses starting-caliber physical traits with the runway to develop into a contributor at guard over time under a seasoned offensive line coach. Initial expectations for Thomas should be modest, but he has the tools to provide a positive return on investment.

Bleacher Report also regards Thomas as a "High-Level Developmental Prospect" and gave him the NFL comparison to Quinton Spain. He may not be ready to play for a few years but the NFL has the best offensive linemen coaches in the world. He would be an interesting pick to nurture into a future starter. Also the fact that he played at a Louisiana university and was born in New Orleans would give his story an awesome arc to Saints fans.

How Did My 2024 New Orleans Saints Mock Draft Rank?

I'm very happy with this mock draft.  I feel like my first three selections would be day one starters. We filled a lot of needs and got proven depth with this draft. We also got two steals in the late rounds with Milton, Solomon, and Thomas who could mature into eventual starters for the team.

Geaux Saints!