The New Orleans Saints didn't have the ability to make their pick worse with a win, but in the end they did benefit from the Week 18 loss to the Bucs.
That's because the Bears beat the Packers, meaning the Saints moved up one draft slot due to the strength of schedule tiebreaker. The Saints could've also potentially moved up had the Raiders won, but they lost 34-20 to the Chargers.
Here's how the draft order breaks down for all NFL teams that didn't qualify for the postseason:
1. Titans, 3-14
2. Browns, 3-14
3. Giants, 3-14
4. Patriots, 4-13
5. Jaguars, 4-13
6. Raiders, 4-13
7. Jets, 5-12
8. Panthers, 5-12
9. Saints, 5-12
10. Bears, 5-12
11. 49ers, 6-11
12. Cowboys, 7-10
13. Dolphins, 8-9
14. Colts, 8-9
15. Falcons, 8-9
16. Cardinals, 8-9
17. Bengals, 9-8
18. Seahawks, 10-7
The 5-12 finish marks the first time since 2008 that the Saints landed a top 10 draft selection, that year picking DT Sedrick Ellis at No. 8 overall.
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The Cajun Cannon Bobby Hebert has a simple, albeit heavy, request for the Saints in this draft cycle when they will also have a handful of additional picks due to trades.
“Whoever we pick at No. 9, the Who Dat Nation does not want to hear 'we’ve got to develop this guy, you’ve got to be patient, 2 or 3 years,' " Hebert said. "We don’t want to hear none of this Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner stuff, 'oh, look at the upside.' We want somebody who is gonna come in here and be able to play from the get-go."
The draft result is interesting, because they pick behind the Panthers despite finishing behind them in the division due to Carolina's win over the Falcons in Week 18. The fourth-place finish does reset the Saints' 2025 opponents with a fourth-place schedule, meaning they'll match up with fourth place teams from other divisions.
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We'll have to wait for the full schedule release later this year to learn the order and playoff times, but the home and road opponents are now set for 2025. Here's how they break down:
HOME
- Falcons
- Bucs
- Panthers
- Cardinals
- 49ers
- Patriots
- Jets
- Giants
ROAD
- Falcons
- Bucs
- Panthers
- Bills
- Rams
- Dolphins
- Seahawks
- Bears
- Titans
The Saints will have nine road games in the 2025 regular season, but they will have an additional preseason game at home.
The 2025 NFL draft will begin on Thursday, April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.