Thursday night, the 2025 NFL Draft will officially start. After months of speculation, and an extensive evaluation process, the first round will take place and new storylines will unfold. Amongst others, the New Orleans Saints are a team that could create some massive headlines.
The Saints currently hold the ninth-overall pick, and they’re a team many believe will be in the mix for a quarterback early in the draft. New Orleans doesn’t have a long-term answer at QB, and there’s also a chance Derek Carr misses the 2025 season with a shoulder injury.
However, the consensus is that nine may be too rich to spend on the quarterbacks that will be available. That doesn’t mean the Saints aren’t eyeing a first-round QB, though; it means the team could position itself later in the first round to select a quarterback. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, that’s exactly what the team is trying to do.
Late Wednesday night, the eve of the draft, Schultz reported New Orleans have made calls about potentially sliding back from the No. 9 spot. If the Saints can find a partner, the league-wide belief is the additional picks acquired in the trade would help New Orleans get in the right spot to select a quarterback at the end of the first round.
The #Saints have made calls about potentially sliding back slightly from No. 9 to acquire additional draft capital, with the leaguewide belief being they would then use those extra picks to trade back into the late first round to target a quarterback, sources tell @NFLonFOX.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 24, 2025
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Saints reportedly taking calls for the No. 9 pick
Several reporters have said multiple teams are open to trading down, but they are having trouble finding teams who want to trade up. This could be an issue New Orleans runs into as it tries to pull off this strategy. Aside from Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, and Ashton Jeanty, there aren’t many prospects teams will be willing to move into the top 10 for. All of those guys will be off the board by nine, so the Saints may be stuck picking there.
If that happens, New Orleans will have a choice to make. The team could either draft the quarterback it likes, though it would be considered a reach, or the Saints could take a different position, and attempt trading into the end of the first round with a package centered around their 40th pick. If New Orleans doesn’t take a QB at nine, and are stuck at 40, four quarterbacks could already be off the board by the time they’re back on the clock.