The New Orleans Saints (5-10) will be drafting high this offseason. How high they draft will depend on how long their current win streak goes and whether or not their win total gets much higher than it is right now.
The Saints have fallen to the No. 8 pick presently, and could fall even further with winnable games against the Tennessee Titans (3-12) and divisional rival Atlanta Falcons (6-9) ahead.
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Fox Sports published its own mock draft. One pick may come as a pleasant surprise to Saints fans, as it sends perhaps the draft’s best edge rusher to New Orleans all the way at the No. 8 pick.
The mock draft sent Miami Hurricanes edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. to the Saints after Bain’s Hurricanes knocked off the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Fox Sports gave the following justification of the pick.
“Bain might have the best film of any edge player in this draft, dominating teams like Notre Dame, Florida and most recently Texas A&M. In that first round CFP game, he had a whopping three sacks against an Aggies offensive line that had given up just 12 in 12 games.
Bain is also an elite run stopper and can move inside when needed. According to PFF, he’s the only player in FBS to have over 400 pass-rushing snaps with a pass-rush grade over 90. The other five players to exceed 400 pass-rushing snaps didn’t break a grade higher than 78.9, and he also has a run defense grade of 86.7.
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Bain is the perfect replacement for Cam Jordan.”
Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) tackles Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver KC Concepcion (7) during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Finding the heir apparent for Jordan on the defensive line has been one of the more pressing questions for those who follow the Saints. As Jordan and Kamara age, the last remnant of the Drew Brees era appears to be nearing its end. Bain certainly could help usher in another great era of Saints football.
What would that pick mean for New Orleans? One draft ago, the Saints selected perhaps their quarterback and left tackle of the future in the first two rounds in Tyler Shough and Kelvin Banks Jr.
Should the Saints find a way to draft Bain and the talented player pan out in the NFL, they would have drafted a cornerstone player at the three most important positions in football in just two drafts. Combine that with the fact that they would all develop on rookie contracts and a playoff contending window could open up for the team in 2026 or 2027. That is, if the team can solidify everything else around those players.
The Saints’ current three-game winning streak has generated buzz that this team could be solid next season. They will look to make that notion a reality with a strong draft this offseason.