Almost everyone believes that the New Orleans Saints, with their 14th overall first-round pick, should select an offensive tackle. That wasn’t the case in a recent mock draft podcast featuring Field Yates of ESPN and Peter Schrager of NFL Network.
Yates had New Orleans choose LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers in the seventh round by trading up to the Tennessee Titans with the seventh overall pick.
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Yates stated, “I do believe the Saints have a dire need at offensive tackle.” They might suggest, “Hey, let’s talk about it in round two.” Here, they really do need a wide receiver. Their very small off-season investments… This would be the best wide receiver option available right now, in my opinion, as New Orleans is a cunning team in this area.
The ESPN expert added that he wasn’t taking things seriously and that he was just having fun. Yates and Schrager are simultaneously connected to every NFL team and possess a rudimentary understanding of their thoughts. Both also assumed that Nabers would go to seventh if the Saints selected him with the 14th choice and their 2025 first-round pick.
It’s not uncommon for New Orleans to trade several first-round picks in order to advance and select a receiver. It received the 16th and 19th overall picks, a sixth-round pick (194), a 2023 first, a 2024 second, and then a third-round pick (101) and seventh-round pick (237) in 2022. After that, it selected Chris Olave with the 11th pick after trading the 16th pick, along with a third (98) and fourth-round pick (120).
Nabers is being seriously discussed as the best wide receiver available in this draft, surpassing even Marvin Harrison Jr. Nabers was a junior on the top college football offense of the previous season, with 89 receptions for 1,569 yards and 14 touchdowns. One of the few times that New Orleans won’t choose an offensive tackle is if they draft him or any of the top receivers. Olave and Nabers together would give the Saints one of the NFL’s most exciting wide receiver tandems.
But would the native of Youngsville, Louisiana, desire that? He spent his early years in the state and was barely two hours away from the Superdome. That he would want to play for the NFL team he grew up so close to and stay at home would make perfect sense. Nabers spoke with Jayden Daniels, his quarterback and a predicted top-three pick, on Instagram Live in December. When Daniels inquired as to whether they were a package deal, Nabers responded, “I’m not going to the Saints.”
It was five months ago, too. If you’re a Saints fan, that’s not the best response, but we don’t know why he said it at the time or if he still feels that way. He singled out the Saints; why? He said he wasn’t going to New Orleans, but why?
If the Saints stay at 14th and select an offensive tackle, as most people anticipate, then all of this might be for nothing.
