The New Orleans Saints need a long-term outlook at the quarterback position. Derek Carr is their current starter, but he is clearly not the future under center for the Saints.
With that in mind, New Orleans has been connected to multiple quarterback options in the upcoming 2025 NFL draft. Shedeur Sanders has been talked about a lot for the Saints and Jaxson Dart has been mentioned some as well.
However, the Saints may not have an opportunity to move up for Sanders and taking Dart at No. 9 overall might be a bit of a stretch.
Instead, a new prediction has New Orleans pulling off a trade in the second round to acquire a potential new franchise quarterback.
Field Yates of ESPN has released a new mock draft. In that mock draft, he predicted the Saints to make an aggressive move to bring in a quarterback.
In the second round, he has New Orleans pulling off a trade with the Washington Commanders for the No. 61 overall pick. To acquire the pick, the Saints would give up picks No. 71 and No. 112.
After acquiring the pick, Yates has New Orleans selecting Ohio State Buckeyes' quarterback Will Howard.
"Derek Carr's contract restructure means he will stick in New Orleans for at least one more season, but nothing is guaranteed beyond that," Yates wrote. "Spencer Rattler flashed in his rookie season, but he's no sure thing as a 2024 fifth-rounder. Howard, though, is accurate and mobile. He threw 35 touchdown passes last season, and he ran for seven more scores."
Howard is fresh off of leading Ohio State to a national championship. He completed 73.1% of his pass attempts for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also picked up 226 yards and seven more touchdowns on the ground.
Related: Mel Kiper Jr. Reveals Uninspiring Former Jets QB Comparison for Shedeur Sanders
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This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 4:00 AM.