Saints 7-Round Mock Draft: Big trade gives Chris Olave a running mate

The New Orleans Saints have seen a couple of NFC South teams get better over the course of the offseason, and with the 2024 NFL Draft approaching, it's time they start taking things seriously.

New Orleans has continued to play the money game, pushing financial burdens further down the road, which is why they absolutely must nail this upcoming draft.

The Falcons got a whole lot better. The Bucs are going to be just as good if not better. The Saints? Well, the jury is still out.

In this mock draft, New Orleans goes after some key needs early on while making an early move to bolster the offense.

The Saints kick off the 2024 NFL Draft by adding an impact player to the trenches

With their first-round pick coming at no. 14, the Saints grab arguably the best defensive lineman in the draft, Byron Murphy out of Texas. Murphy is a compact, strong and fast-twitch type of interior lineman who can offer you production in both pass rush situations and in stopping the run.

Murphy's only real knock is that he's a tad on the small end, but his overall strength, quickness and technique are too good to allow his size to hold him back. He's great at simply disrupting plays. That's what he does, in a nutshell. Murphy knows how to be a game-wrecker, and he does it any which way he can.

The ability to blow up a play and stall a drive, singlehandedly, is something the Saints defense will appreciate most about Murphy. He's a guy who can completely shift the outlook of a drive in a matter of seconds. New Orleans' defense just got a lot better, and they'll need to be with how good the offenses will be in Atlanta and Tampa Bay.