Saints address present and future needs in final seven-round mock

We're finally made it to Draft Day, and New Orleans Saints fans are wondering how their team will retool and reload. We've got you covered Saints fans.

With the 2023 NFL Draft a little more than 24 hours away, #MockSzn has never been hotter. Everyone crams to look at mock drafts from sea to shining sea to get a potential preview of the madness to come. Speaking of madness, much like brackets of March Madness, mock drafts are a shot in the dark. That said, we can still have a general idea on what our teams will do, and that includes the New Orleans Saints. This is a crucial draft for the Saints, as they have what they hope is their next franchise quarterback in Derek Carr, so it's important they put the best team on the field as possible around him.

Here is how we think the seven rounds will go for the Saints in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Saints first-round pick: Steve Avila - Guard (TCU)

The future (and honestly present) of the current starting guards for the Saints in Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz remain a bit murky. Both could very easily be gone after this season, and the Saints need to prepare for life after them to protect Carr.

Heck, they might even be able to draft one to step in and start day one. Enter Steve Avila.

Avila killed it as one of the protectors for Max Duggan and the TCU Horned Frogs for their National Championship birth in 2022. He's now ready to make a killing in the NFL, and would be perfect for the Saints.

He's already been linked to the Saints, and has come to the Big Easy for a pre-Draft visit. Avila would be able to compete for a starting job from Jump Street, and feel life near Bourbon Street to resemble that of Easy Street. The Saints would do well in improving their trenches.