The New Orleans Saints might have been planning on taking a quarterback with their first-round pick all along but after the Derek Carr shoulder injury news hit, it feels clearer than ever that that's the direction they'll be going in with their first-round pick.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic doubled down on this sentiment, reporting that the Saints are "on a mission" and "laser-focused" on drafting a quarterback. This wouldn't upset Saints fans considering the team's need for a quarterback and all signs would point to Shedeur Sanders being who they want to draft.
The problem is that the Saints aren't on the clock until the ninth pick and Russini made it a point to say she's not sure if New Orleans will find their quarterback at nine or not. The dream scenario is for the Saints to be able to land Sanders ninth overall and not have to move up to get him.
The reality of the situation, however, is that if the Saints want Sanders, they might have to be aggressive and go get him. The Browns, Giants, and Raiders are all drafting ahead of New Orleans and all have a need for a quarterback. The Browns don't have to do anything if they want Sanders, as they hold the second pick. The Giants are drafting third and the Raiders have the sixth pick.
Saints seem focused on drafting quarterback in 2025 NFL Draft
At one point, Sanders was considered to be a lock to go in the top three simply due to the teams drafting there needing a quarterback. Now that there's been reports that the Browns aren't interested in Sanders and that the Giants have Russell Wilson, Sanders going to either of those teams might not make as much sense.
Aside from Carr, the quarterbacks on the Saints' roster are Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, and Ben DiNucci, so yeah, drafting Sanders (or any quarterback) would be a solid move for New Orleans. Rattler is probably the backup plan if the Saints can't get a starting-caliber quarterback in the draft.
The good news is that Sanders has been falling down draft boards as of late so hopefully this trend continues come draft night and the Saints can snag him with the ninth overall pick.