Athlon Sports draft analyst Luke Easterling recently put out his latest NFL Mock Draft. His four-round mock had a very SEC feel to it for the New Orleans Saints. Here's how the picks went.
Luke Easterling Four-Round Saints Mock Draft
Round 1, 9th Overall: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
Round 2, 40th Overall: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky
Round 3, 71st Overall: Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
Round 3, 93rd Overall: Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas
Round 4, 112th Overall: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
Round 4, 131st Overall: JJ Pegues, DL, Mississippi
Easterling had this to say on the Stewart pick.
Cam Jordan is back for another season in New Orleans, but it's time for the Saints to invest in the future when it comes to their pass rush off the edge. Stewart will be a polarizing prospect because of his sparse production in college, but his rare combination of size and athleticism could still see him off the board in this range.
Stewart has been a very popular Saints selection in mock drafts overall, but wasn't in the sample size we looked at on Monday. Georgia's Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker and Marshall's Mike Green were on the list.
New Orleans could easily address the new Brandon Staley defense with their six picks within the Top 150, and this particular mock was an even split. The Saints are still in the market for a cornerback, so someone like Maxwell Hairston could make sense. He's rising up some draft boards, but allegedly there's also some off-the-field noise that teams will look into.
After recently signing Brandin Cooks on Friday, the wide receiver need might not be as prevalent to address. However, depth wouldn't a bad thing, especially when you remember that Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave are both free agents after the season. I love the idea of taking a tight end, especially Gunnar Helm. The Saints can get a very good prospect at that position well into the third round that has major upside.
As far as quarterback goes, that's going to be a thing until it's not. The Saints have made it clear that they want Derek Carr as their starter for 2025, but beyond that is up for debate. Does New Orleans feel like Spencer Rattler is their guy of the future or would they take someone like Quinn Ewers and make him that? That's probably a Kellen Moore question, and we'll just have to wait to see how that plays out.
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This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 4:10 PM.