NFL Draft: Where would Saints pick if the season ended today?

The New Orleans Saints are 5-4 and sitting as the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs. Where would they be picking in the 2022 NFL Draft? 

With the 2021 season halfway in the books, it’s only natural for fans to start to look ahead and wonder about the 2022 NFL Draft. For New Orleans Saints fans, the draft is going to be huge, as this team has a lot of pressing needs, ranging from quarterback to wide receiver to tight end on the offensive side and then pass-rusher to cornerback to potentially safety on the defensive side.

With all of that in mind, how likely would New Orleans be able to grab a decent player in the first round? Where are they even picking at?

Well, with the team currently slated to make the playoffs, they’d be picking no earlier than No. 19 overall. Since we don’t know how the playoffs will play out just yet, we have to go by seedings, and by that alone, NOLA would hold the No. 21 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Where would the Saints be picking in the 2022 NFL Draft?

At this point of the draft, the biggest names are typically long gone but New Orleans would still have a great opportunity to land a top-notch wide receiver or EDGE rusher. Their hopes at landing a quarterback in the first round would be diminished by this point but most fans would be okay with the team re-signing Jameis Winston and giving him another go in 2022 instead.

The draft feels far away at this point but we’re already halfway through the 2021 campaign, meaning we’re only inching closer to April’s draft. The Saints have six total picks, according to Pro Sports Transactions, forfeiting their sixth-round pick due to COVID protocols last season and also trading their third-rounder to the Texans in exchange for Bradley Roby.

While the season is still going on and the Saints have a chance to compete past the regular season, it’s still totally understandable for fans to be eyeing the draft and when New Orleans might be on the clock.