Hayden’s 2024 Mock Draft 1.0

Saints get their quarterback of the future.

With the 2024 NFL Draft a little under a month away, it’s time for my first mock draft of the offseason. The New Orleans Saints enter the 2024 draft with many directions in which they can go in the first round. They have 9 picks to work with in this year’s draft, so look for them to be active on draft day if they identify a player they must have. For this mock draft I tried to trade up for many of the selections to see what kind of options the Saints may have during the draft. For this mock draft I used Pro Football Network’s draft simulator.

Round 1, Pick 14: Troy Fautanu – OT / Washington

I was always going to go tackle in the first round, especially now given the Ryan Ramczyk news. I made multiple attempts to trade up into the top 7 to take Notre Dame’s Joe Alt but was unsuccessful. When it got to 14 Fautanu was by far the best offensive lineman on the board. He is very versatile, being just as proficient at guard as he is tackle, which means he can remain in the lineup and get valuable experience if the Saints elect to give Trevor Penning one more look at left tackle for this year. Fautanu was an All-American for the Huskies national runner-up squad last year, and won the Joe Moore award, which is given to the nation’s top offensive lineman. He would be a a Week 1 starter on the Saints offensive line and potentially a guy they could rely on for years to come.

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Round 2, Pick 46: Michael Penix, Jr. – QB / Washington

(Trade with Colts: Gave up pick 45 for picks 46 and 117)

For this pick I was going to be content to take the best WR available, but when the pick came and my fourth best QB in the draft was still on the board I had to jump on it. I traded one pick back with the Colts and picked up an extra selection as well and got Penix to go with his top offensive lineman last year. Derek Carr has just one year remaining on his contract, and the Saints do not have their QB of the future in the building right now. Penix carried Washington to the national title game last year and finished second to LSU’s Jayden Daniels in the Heisman voting. Penix had his pro day yesterday and ran the 40-yard dash at an unofficial time of 4.5 seconds, which would have been the fastest among QBs at the combine. Penix is a bit of a project, but he has excellent arm talent and pocket presence and will have a whole year behind Carr to learn the NFL. If in the right system he could be one of the better QBs in this draft, and I think the Saints should be able to provide this.

Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images

Round 4, Pick 117: Calen Bullock – S / USC

The second pick received from the Colts I uses on Southern California safety Calen Bullock. Bullock is tall and fast (6’2” with a 4.48 40 time) and has great coverage skills. With Marcus Maye’s departure, the Saints are in need of a new safety. Bullock picked off 9 passes in his three-year career at USC and has the versatility to potentially play corner as well should the Saints need him to.

Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images

Round 4, Pick 123: Cade Stover – TE / Ohio State

(Trade with Chiefs: Gave up picks 150, 168, and 170 for pick 123)

The Saints could use another TE, and with Stover still around at the end of the fourth round I had to move back up and get him. Stover is one of the top 3 TEs in this draft and is a pure playmaker at 6’4” 251. Stover caught 77 passes for 782 yards and 10 TDs in 22 games for the Buckeyes. He would make a great compliment to Juwan Johnson and give Derek Carr another big body target down the field.

Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images

Round 5, Pick 154: Jaylen Wright – RB / Tennessee

(Trade with Rams: Gave up picks 175 and 190 for pick 154)

The Saints could use another running back to compliment Alvin Kamara and could use some speed in the backfield as a change of pace from Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller. Kamara’s fellow Volunteer has an excellent combination of size and speed at 210 pounds and with a 4.38 40-yard time, the second fastest among running backs at the combine. Apart from the measurables, Wright ran for 1,013 yards on just 137 carries this season for an average of 7.4 yards per carry, tops among running backs with 100+ attempts last year.

Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images

Round 6, Pick 199: Mohamed Kamara – EDGE / Colorado State

Kamara is a pure pass rusher, as he registered 29 sacks over his last three years as a starter for Colorado State. The Saints could use a guy who produces sacks at this rate, as their 34 sacks last year ranked 28th in the NFL. Mel Kiper, Jr. has Kamara rated as his 4th best defensive end in the draft, so to get that this late in the draft could be a major steal.

Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images

Round 6, Pick 206: Justin Eboigbe – DT / Alabama

(Trade with Browns: Gave up pick 239 and a 2025 5th rounder for pick 206)

At 199 I was debating between Kamara and Eboigbe, but with Eboigbe still on the board a few picks later I decided to trade up again and get the versatile Alabama product. Eboigbe has good size at 6’5” 292 pounds and can also produce sacks at a high rate from the defensive tackle position as he got 7 last year. You can never have enough defensive linemen.

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