New Orleans Saints Mock Draft 4.0

It is officially draft month and the New Orleans Saints will hold eight total selections in the 2023 NFL Draft the will kickoff on April 27th in Kansas City, Missouri. New Orleans is hoping to hit on their top draft picks like they did last year with the emergence of rookie wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. The top priority heading into the 2023 NFL Draft for the Saints is to retool their defensive line that struggled to open up the 2022 season. Here is the fourth rendition of the Saints mock draft:

Round 1, Pick 29: Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson

Retooling the Saints defensive line has been a big priority heading into the offseason and that was elevated when Marcus Davenport left for the Minnesota Vikings. New Orleans was able to restructure Cam Jordan’s contract and he remains a viable option coming off the edge of the defensive line. Other notable options at defensive end are Carl Granderson, Tanoh Kpassagnon and Payton Turner. There are some question marks surrounding the depth of the position heading into the season and what better way to fill that shoes with Clemson’s Myles Murphy.

Murphy had an outstanding 2022 campaign with the Tigers as he was a First-Team All-ACC selection and was a second-team All-ACC honoree by the Associated Press. During the 2022 season, Murphy was credited with 45 tackles (11.0 for loss), a team-high- tying 6.5 sacks, three pass breakups and a forced fumble in 580 defensive snaps over 13 games. He was the only player in the country to produce at least 10 tackles for loss and at least one forced fumble in each of his three seasons at Clemson.

Round 2, Pick 40: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah

New Orleans was able to resign Juwan Johnson to a multi-year contract in the offseason to bring back one of their top targets during the 2022 season. The Saints also have their go-to gadget in Taysom Hill and Adam Trautman in the mix. Hill has been exceptional for the Saints during his time with the team, but Trautman is yet to show his worth as a third-round draft pick. New Orleans goes offense here in the second round and adds another viable tight end option with selecting Utah’s Dalton Kincaid.

Kincaid played in 12 games with nine starts in 2022 for Utah and he continued to play a pivotal role for the Utes offense. He led Utah in receptions (70), receiving yards (890) and receiving touchdowns (8). Kincaid led all FBS tight ends in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (77.3). The talented tight end earned Pac-12 All-Conference first-team honors for his performance during the 2022 season.

Round 3, Pick 71: Jordan Battle, S, Alabama

The Saints had high expectations coming into the 2022 season with their recent signings of Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye. Mathieu had a slow start to the season, but was able to finish it out on a high note as he played a key role down the stretch for New Orleans. On the other hand, Maye was sidelined for the majority of the season due to an injury and he we didn’t get the see the full potential of Maye during the 17-game stretch during the year. The Saints are able to pick up a slot defender with their third selection of the draft by taking Alabama’s Jordan Battle.

Battle was able to have a successful 2022 campaign with the Crimson Tide as he recorded 71 tackles, including half a stop for loss, to go with two pass breakups and an interception. He would earn second team All-American honors and was selected as a first team All-SEC honoree. Battle quickly became one of the top safeties for Alabama and was one of the nation’s top defenders during the 2022 season.

Round 4, Pick 115: Jaquelin Roy, DL, LSU

New Orleans was able to sign Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd in hopes to retool the interior of their defensive line. The Saints were also able to bring back Malcolm Roach that will help them capitalize on the depth at the position. Adding at least one more viable option to complete the rotation is what the Saints need at the top-half of the draft. New Orleans does just that by selecting LSU’s Jaquelin Roy to help out the interior of their defense.

Roy was a key figure among LSU’s deep and talented defensive front during the 2022 season. During the 2022 season, Roy registered 49 total tackles (25 solo tackles), 0.5 sacks and one fumble recovery. He has experience playing in 30 games for the Tigers during his collegiate career and he was a part of LSU’s rotation on the defensive front.

Round 5, Pick 146: Kendre Miller, RB, TCU

The Saints were busy in the free agency period filling needs throughout the offseason and one of their biggest splashes was signing Jamaal Williams. With the uncertainty on whether Alvin Kamara will serve a suspension during the 2023 season, New Orleans took it upon themselves to acquire a veteran running back that is coming off one of his best seasons in the NFL. The Saints add another complimentary running back to their backfield by taking TCU’s Kendre Miller in the fifth round.

Miller is coming one of his best seasons at TCU during the 2022 season as he had a team-best 1,399 yards which made him the first Horned Frog running back to reach the 1,000 yard mark since the 2016 season. He was able to top 100 rushing yards in seven of the last 12 games. Miller also had a rushing touchdown in the opening 13 games, the longest streak for a TCU running back to begin the season.

Round 5, Pick 165: Ivan Pace Jr. LB, Cincinnati

New Orleans will be looking to fill the void of Kaden Elliss after he left to join the Atlanta Falcons during the free agency period. Elliss had a sensational 2022 campaign and there was a lot of buzz that he would be able to play a pivotal role for the Saints defense. The Saints have one of the best linebackers in the NFL in Demario Davis and has a viable option after that in Pete Werner. Zack Baun is the likely candidate to take Elliss’ role, but New Orleans is able to add another piece to the position with Cincinnati’s Ivan Pace Jr.

Pace Jr. is coming off a sensational 2022 campaign with Cincinnati as he totaled 137 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and three forced fumbles. He became the first ever Bearcat to earn unanimous All-America accolades for his performance during the year. His best game of the season came against Indiana where he recorded 15 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries.

Round 7, Pick 227: Jadon Haselwood, WR, Arkansas

The black and gold was able to restructure Michael Thomas’ contract to ensure that he would be coming back to the team. New Orleans saw the emergence of their two rookie wide receivers last year, but there will be some holes that will be need to be filled. Marquez Callaway signed with the Denver Broncos and Jarvis Landry is yet to be picked up by a team as he is a free agent. New Orleans is able to add some depth to the position in the seventh round by selecting Arkansas’ Jadon Haselwood.

Haselwood started in all 12 games for the Razorbacks during the 2022 season. In 2022, Haselwood led the team with 59 receptions and ended the season with 702 yards on three touchdowns. He recorded at least three receptions in all 12 games for Arkansas. Haselwood would be one of the top targets for Arkansas’ offense during the season and he would continue to be electric in open space whenever he had the ball in his hands.

Round 7, Pick 257: Max Duggan QB, TCU

New Orleans had some question marks heading into the offseason surrounding the quarterback position. The Saints were able to quickly answer those questions with the signing of Derek Carr. Along with Carr, New Orleans was able to bring back Jameis Winston as a viable QB2 option for the black and gold. The Saints don’t have to completely close the book on them taking a rookie quarterback during the 2023 NFL Draft. They close out the draft by taking TCU’s Max Duggan.

Duggan was able to lead TCU all the way to the national championship during the 2022 season. In 2022, Duggan was responsible for 41 touchdowns (32 passing, nine rushing) on the season. He was able to close his career with the Horned Frogs with 9,618 passing yards. Duggan is coming off the best year of his college career and is an extremely athletic quarterback.