We've arrived! 2024 NFL Draft week is here, so it's only fitting we nailed down one final mock draft.
So what's changed?
Listen to the full breakdown on the latest episode of Inside Black & Gold, located in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
As always, we've used Pro Football Focus' simulator to set the board around the Saints' picks. If you have feelings about any of those other selections, direct your mail to PFF's servers.
But what did we do? For the second time we've made sure to swing a trade, but this feels more likely to actually happen. We were both tasked with finding a trade into the third round, which the Saints certainly have the ammunition to do, owning seven Day 3 selections.
Here's how it went.
━━━━
STEVE'S MOCK
- Click here for mock draft 1.0
- Click here for mock draft 2.0
- Click here for mock draft 3.0
The trade: No. 168, No. 170, No. 175, No. 190 & 2024 3rd for No. 72 (Jets)
━━
No. 14: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Why: He's the most popular mock draft pick for the Saints for a good reason, he's an NFL-ready left tackle ... and the Saints need one of those. No overthinking the situation. Derek Carr's blindside is protected and you figure out the rest of the equation from there.
━━
No. 45: Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
Why: I didn't go into this mock expecting to double up at tackle but the board went a bit wild. Guyton has been a first round pick in a lot of mocks, and falling to 45 feels kismet. Saints address both sides of the line in a draft where they actually could. It's tough to bypass some of the more exciting options, but to me ... not having to see the quarterback peel himself off the ground is plenty exciting. Guyton probably needs time to develop, but he should be able to get that this season with an eye on being the Week 1 starter in 2024.
━━
No. 72: Ruke Orhorhoro, DT, Clemson
Why: A defensive tackle out of Clemson? Sign me up. Ruke is an elite athlete at the DT position (6-4, 290 with a 4.89 40-yard dash) and will join his former teammate Bryan Bresee along the Saints interior line. This is a big-boy draft.
━━━━
JEFF'S MOCK
- Click here for mock draft 1.0
- Click here for mock draft 2.0
- Click here for mock draft 3.0
The trade: No. 168, No. 170, No. 175, No. 199 & 2024 4th for No. 95 (Chiefs)
━━
No. 14: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Why: This has been the pick in all three of my mocks that I didn't trade back, and it's been that way for a reason: Fuaga is the best run-blocking tackle in this draft, and I'm not sure it's even that close. This is a right tackle play, and I'm OK with that. Whatever you get out of Ryan Ramczyk this season is gravy, because you've got an elite replacement learning behind him. Fuaga has some work to do as a pass protector, but I'm OK with that. Getting the running game going will work wonders in terms of making the OL's life easier in pass protection.
━━
No. 45: Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
Why: I've flipped between Keon and Xavier Legette a couple times and I don't think you could go wrong with either. You're adding a big-bodied guy who can battle over the middle of the field. Sign me up. Oh, and the local ties are fun, too.
━━
No. 95: Maason Smith, DT, LSU
Why: We reported last week that Maason Smith had a visit with the Saints, and I'm not fooled by the lower draft projections. Maason has elite traits and I don't expect him to get out of the third round. This is the pick I added in my trade and Maason will slot immediately into the back end of my DT rotation to fill the void left with Malcolm Roach's departure. He's healthy now and I'm all in on Maason reaching the potential he arrived at LSU with.
━━
No. 150: Dylan Laube, RB, New Hampshire
Why: I've talked about Dylan a lot, so it's only fitting that I draft him here. He was one of the Saints' top 30 visits and profiles as the type of scat back you'd want to pair with Kendre Miller. I don't expect to see Laube do much this season barring injuries, but the Saints will have to adjust to a post-Kamara life at some point, and this pick is a good start.
━━
No. 190: Khristian Boyd, DT, Northern Iowa
Why: Another big guy who took a visit to the Saints, this is about restocking my DT rotation even further. He and Maason Smith can push each other in that room.
━━
No. 239: Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE, Minnesota
Why: When you're drafting this late it's about finding players with some kind of elite trait, and you don't see a lot of 6-6, 260-pound guys running a 4.7 in the 40. He'll need to develop as a blocker to utilize his size, but that's kind of the deal this late in the draft.
━━━━
Check out Inside Black & Gold wherever you get your podcasts.
LINKS: Apple | Spotify | Audacy ... remember to rate and subscribe!
