Saints 7-round mock draft: New Orleans makes a trade early on

Round 4: Pick 114 - Cameron Ward, QB (Washington State)

Hey, a quarterback!

The Saints spend their fourth-round selection on Washington State's Cameron Ward, who through seven games has 1,962 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He also has a rushing touchdown but is certainly not a running quarterback. This is Ward's first year with the Cougars after he spent two years at Incarnate Word.

According to The Draft Network, Ward's head coach during his time at Incarnate Word was Patrick Mahomes' offensive coordinator while he was at Texas Tech. This means that Ward can implement a nifty air raid offense and that's what NFL teams are turning into.

"Man… the natural talent pops off the screen pretty quickly when you watch Cameron Ward throw the football. He’s got a snappy, whip release and generates a ton of natural velocity as a thrower when he’s targeting all levels of the field. You can see his ability to drop the arm slot as needed—he’s a creative thrower that invokes stylistically some of the same components you get from Patrick Mahomes."

- Kyle Crabbs, The Draft Network

Make no mistake here though -- Ward needs time to sit and learn. If the Saints did spend a Day 3 selection on the Washington State product, he wouldn't be able to lead the team to victory as a rookie. This is a pick that Sean Payton would have loved but it's Dennis Allen's team now and one would think Pete Carmichael could dial up some fun plays for this kid.

Round 5: Pick 162 - Jermaine Burton, WR (Alabama)

With Jarvis Landry hitting free agency, the Saints are going to need some help at wide receiver and Jermaine Burton could provide them with just that. The Alabama product might not be as flashy as some of his teammates but he still has three touchdowns on the year so far and averages 14.8 yards per catch.

With Michael Thomas and Chris Olave as the two stars, the Saints wouldn't need Burton to step up and be a stud right away. That's why this pick could end up being sneaky good.

Round 7: Pick 210 - Ja'von Hicks, S (Cincinnati)

The safety position has struggled this season with the losses of Marcus Williams and Malcolm Jenkins. While Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye will be members of the Saints past this season, taking a flier on a late-round safety such as Ja'von Hicks could be smart for New Orleans.

With three pass breakups and two interceptions on the year as of this writing, Hicks has shown that he can make things happen in coverage. He could fight for a roster spot and be someone that surprises people.

This mock draft saw the Saints make a trade early on to add an extra pick. They drafted three offensive players, including a quarterback who could lead the next air raid offense for the Saints. Defensively, they addressed the d-line and the secondary.

How does this mock draft look to you?