Ranking Saints’ last 10 first-round draft picks

The 2024 NFL Draft is almost here and the New Orleans Saints are set to pick at No. 14. That’s the perfect spot for New Orleans to address one of its several needs. Hoping to address the trenches on both sides of the ball and the wide receiver room, the Saints will be able to draft a top linemen or elite pass catcher.

The question, though, is will New Orleans make the right decision. Some teams have terrible history in the first round and others can’t miss. In recent years, the Saints have had some hits and misses. Let’s look back at New Orleans’ last 10 first-round picks and see how they stack up.

10. DE Payton Turner

Coming in at 10 is defensive end Payton Turner, who was selected with the 28th-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Saints selected him with hopes that he could elevate the team’s pass rush but his first three years in the league has been a struggle. He has sustained multiple injuries that forced him to spend a lot of his time on injured reserve.

In three seasons, Turner has only appeared in 15 total games. In those games, he recorded 29 tackles, eight for a loss, and three sacks. Now, it’s time for the Saints to decide on his fifth-year option and that will most certainly not be picked up. That means Turner’s time in New Orleans could be coming to an end.

9. OL Trevor Penning

In 2022, the Saints had two first-round picks. They used the second, No. 19, on Trevor Penning, a physical lineman out of Northern Iowa. Unfortunately, he hasn’t found much success yet in his young career. He played in just six games as a rookie, mostly as a depth lineman. In 2023, New Orleans was ready for Penning to takeover at left tackle, but after five games starting, he was pulled from the lineup.

Now the expectation is that the Saints will draft another tackle. However, Penning is still young, so it’s possible that he can develop and tap into his potential.