Saints 2023 NFL mock draft roundup: Breaking down the predictions | Inside Black & Gold

By Jeff Nowak, WWL Radio Sports

It's NFL mock draft season, the time of year where we all take stabs at being wrong about who the New Orleans Saints will draft next!

But even if the picks don't always pan out, there's a lot of value in going through the projected picks from the mock draft-i-verse, particularly now that the Saints have the No. 29 overall pick to work with.

So this week, we rounded up 23 different selections from NFLMockDraftDatabase.com and broke them down on Inside Black & Gold. Check out the full conversation in the player below. Can't see the embed? Click here.

But what are some of the key takeaways? Here's a breakdown:

Picks by position in RD1:
- IDL: 8
- Edge: 4
- WR: 3
- IOL: 2
- RB: 2
- CB: 1
- S: 1
- LB: 1
- TE: 1

Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson (11) Photo credit USAT Images

Players selected:
- (2) Bryan Bresee, DL, Clemson
- (2) Mazi Smith, DL, Michigan
- (2) Calijah Kancy, DL, Pitt
- (2) Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas
- (2) O'Cyrus Torrence, IOL, Florida
- Lukas Van Ness, DL, Iowa
- Derick Hall, Edge, Auburn
- Nolan Smith, Edge, Georgia
- Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
- Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
- Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Edge, Kansas State
- Tyrique Stevenson, S, Miami
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
- Tui Tuipulotu, Edge, USC
- Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
- Siaki Ika, DL, Baylor
- Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU
- Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
- Cam Smith, CB, S. Carolina

NOTES: The mock drafts are clearly indicating one thing, and that's a need along the interior defensive line. It was a need that was apparent last year, but the Saints opted not to address it in the first round, and that's what many expect to change with a whopping 8 of 23 mocks grabbing a DT at No. 29. Three of those picks (Bryan Bresee, Mazi Smith and Calijah Kancey) appeared in multiple mocks. The interesting position missing is QB. Every other position on the field is represented at least once, an odd quirk for a team that is very much in limbo regarding its next QB.

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Picks by position RD2 (8 mocks):
- DL: 3
- QB: 2
- S: 1
- LB: 1
- DB: 1

Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan (58) Photo credit USAT Images

Players selected:
- Siaki Ika, DL, Baylor
- JL Skinner, S, Boise State
- Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson
- Mazi Smith, DL, Michigan
- Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
- Tanner McKee, QB, Stanford
- Calijah Kancey, DL, Pitt
- Sydney Brown, DB, Illinois

NOTES: Three of the players listed here (Ika, Smith and Kancey) were picked to the Saints in the first round of a different mock above. It shows a couple things, one being that the difference from No. 29 to 40 isn't hugely significant. It is possible that a player the Saints are targeting in the first round might be available when they hit the clock again on Day 2. How the Saints navigate that will be interesting to watch. The QBs also appear here, with both Hendon Hooker and Tanner McKee getting to a team in desperate need of a QB. But if you're passing on the signal-caller at No. 29, what does that really say about how you view their potential?

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Picks by position RD3 (6 mocks):
- IOL: 2
- DL: 1
- DE: 1
- RB: 1
- QB: 1

Players selected:
- Keeanu Brown, DT, Wisconsin
- Keion White, DE, Georgia Tech
- Zach Evans, RB, Ole Miss
- Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
- Steve Avila, IOL, TCU
- Joe Tippman, IOL, Wisconsin

NOTES: There's Hooker again, and much like Malik Willis last season there are some who view him as a third-round option. Is that where you get your QB of the future? It's a tough position to be in. One way or another I think these mocks have pulled the right thread, though. Whether it's with one of all three picks, I expect the Saints to target an interior offensive and/or defensive lineman on Day 1 or 2 of the draft.

Check out all 23 mocks in the list below.

USA TODAY (Nate Davis)

- No. 29, Saints: Lukas Van Ness, DL, Iowa

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