Let’s focus on the good news — the New Orleans Saints won their third game in a row, and it sure looks like they have the quarterback to get them back to contending in the NFC South. Now the hard part is going to be surrounding him with help. The Saints will have opportunities to do just that in free agency, but for now we’ve fired up the Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator to add some rookies to the mix. Here’s how we did after the Saints beat the New York Jets to improve to 5-10, and pick 8th overall.

Round 1, Pick 8: WR Makai Lemon, USC

We won’t do this for every pick (given how many names are involved), but here are the first seven players off the board in this simulation:

LB Arvell Reese, Ohio StateQB Dante Moore, OregonEDGE Rueben Bain Jr., MiamiQB Fernando Mendoza, IndianaS Caleb Downs, Ohio StateWR Carnell Tate, Arizona CardinalsRB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

This left us with two prospects we’re seriously considering, both wide receivers: Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) and Makai Lemon (USC). And it’s a tough debate. Tyson is the bigger player, listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds against Lemon’s listed 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds. Tyson is known for making physical catches, but Lemon played bigger this year catching 10 of 15 contested targets (Tyson went 7-of-16). Beyond that, Lemon converted first downs at a higher rate and averaged more yards per routes run. Tyson had a bad year after racking up a series of injuries. While Tyson has 400 more college reps to evaluate than Lemon, his combination of knee, collarbone, and hamstring injuries is going to make medical checks at the combine very important for him. Expect this debate to last all spring.

With all that in mind? This time, we’re taking Lemon, passing on Tyson and defenders like Clemson lineman Peter Woods and Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey. Maybe we’ll regret that choice. Let’s see where it takes us.

Round 2, Pick 40: OL Austin Siereveld, Ohio State

The two best available prospects in this run were defensive linemen — Christen Miller (Georgia) and A’Mauri Washington (Oregon), but we’re keeping focus on offense. It’s critical that we keep Tyler Shough upright. With a hole at left guard, an injured Pro Bowler at center, and an inconsistent-at-best starter at right guard, Siereveld is our pick. He played guard on both sides of the line last season before being promoted to the starting lineup at left tackle this year, and while he’s come on strong for the Buckeyes his future in the NFL probably lies at guard. Pencil him in as a Day 1 starter on the left side between Kelvin Banks Jr. and, hopefully, Erik McCoy. But drafting for need and passing on difference-makers at defensive tackle, where the Saints had to play a bunch of guys over 30, doesn’t feel like a perfect outcome for this pick.

Round 3, Pick 72: EDGE Derrick Moore, Michigan

Moore broke out in a big way for the Wolverines this year, racking up 10 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss across 12 games — plus three pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He seems to have put some things together after treading water for a couple of years in Ann Arbor. It’s uncertain whether Cameron Jordan will be back with the Saints next year and Chris Rumph II, a top backup with a couple of sacks, is also a free agent. Let’s see if Moore can step into the rotation behind Chase Young and Carl Granderson and keep his momentum going.

Round 4, Pick 131: S Terry Moore, Duke

This pick comes from the Seattle Seahawks. Ohio State tight end Max Klare was somehow available here, but no way he makes it this far in real life. Right? We ended up going with a possible sleeper in this draft class. Last year, Moore had four interceptions and six pass breakups, seven tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles, plus 71 combined tackles while leading the Blue Devils defense. Then he suffered an ACL tear in their bowl game and missed the entire 2025 season recovering from it. Now he’s a senior who graduated with his degree in May and might have to declare for the draft. If he had been healthy and built on that momentum from 2024 he’d have been a top-50 draft pick. He could be a steal here. This is the part of the draft where you make gambles like this.

Round 4, Pick 138: RB Raleek Brown, Arizona State

This is a projected compensatory pick, which won’t be made official until March. Brown is undersized at a listed 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds, with game-breaking speed (he had 31 rushes of 10 or more yards this year and finished second in the Big 12 in rushing yards)… much like De’Von Achane was coming out of college. We’ll get Brown into the stable and see if he can translate that big-play ability to the NFL. He also has some chops on passing downs, with 33 catches for 239 yards and an encouraging performance in blitz pickup on his resume.

Round 5, Pick 147: OL Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech

One of the most physical players in college football, Rutledge turned a lot of heads this year after receiving barely-draftable grades from some scouting services. He’s spent his entire college career at right guard and could develop into a replacement for Cesar Ruiz in New Orleans. Unlike Trevor Penning, Rutledge’s physicality doesn’t manifest as chippiness after the play; he was only penalized 15 times across nearly 3,000 snaps in four years. Penning was flagged 34 times on a little under 2,000 snaps at Northern Iowa. And Rutledge got to compete against other future NFL players.

Round 5, Pick 170: DT Cole Brevard, Texas

The other pick from the Seahawks trade is being used on a big run stuffer. Defensive line coach Bo Davis didn’t overlap with Brevard in Austin for long (he transferred in from Purdue this year) but the 6-foot-3, 346-pound nose tackle figures to become a natural successor to Davon Godchaux in the middle of the defense. As much as Rutledge sets the tone offensively, Brevard might be his counterpart on defense.

Round 6, Pick 186: TE Lawson Luckie, Georgia

Luckie was a great blocker for the Bulldogs, though he didn’t get many opportunities to make plays with the ball in his hands. He would (hopefully) be an upgrade over guys like Jack Stoll and Moliki Matavao at the bottom of the depth chart and earn more snaps from there as Juwan Johnson progresses into the next leg of his career. Foster Moreau being a free agent opens doors for a rookie like Luckie.

Recapping our draftRound 1, Pick 8: WR Makai Lemon, USCRound 2, Pick 40: OL Austin Siereveld, Ohio StateRound 3, Pick 72: EDGE Derrick Moore, MichiganRound 4, Pick 131: S Terry Moore, DukeRound 4, Pick 138: RB Raleek Brown, Arizona StateRound 5, Pick 147: OL Keylan Rutledge, Georgia TechRound 5, Pick 170: DT Cole Brevard, TexasRound 6, Pick 186: TE Lawson Luckie, Georgia

This isn’t a perfect draft, but none of them are. We got more playmakers on offense and improved Shough’s protection. We were selective adding defenders who may fit Brandon Staley’s scheme. This team is faster and tougher than it was before, and its arrow should be trending up. Let us know what you think.