Final seven-round 2020 mock draft for the Saints, with trades

The New Orleans Saints completed several trades in our final seven-round 2020 mock draft, adding prospects like Tee Higgins and Jalen Hurts.

Round 3

We started considering another trade up into the middle of the round, maybe acquiring one of the Las Vegas Raiders’ back-to-back picks at Nos. 80 and 81. But with the Atlanta Falcons lurking with similar needs at No. 78, we tried to get ahead of them at No. 77 with the Denver Broncos pick. The cloud of players on our board at that spot included:

  • DT Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
  • C/G Matt Hennessy, Temple
  • QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
  • RB Cam Akers, Florida State

Unfortunately, the Broncos weren’t interested in our offer, and actually swapped with the Falcons to pick Madubuike. Defensive tackle isn’t an immediate need for the Saints but it could be a long-term issue if Sheldon Rankins can’t rebound from a series of lower-leg injuries, and Madubuike is someone the Saints have shown interest in this offseason.

But we kept trying. The New York Jets, picking at No. 79, turned us down and picked Hennessy. We haggled with the Raiders until they accepted a move down from No. 81 to No. 107 (the fourth-round pick we got earlier from the Bengals), giving up our third- and fourth-round picks in next year’s draft.

That’s a steep price to pay, but we’re still left with three picks in the first three rounds in 2021 (our own first-round pick, the Bengals third rounder, and a projected comp pick in the third round). And Hurts might be worth it. The improvement he’s shown as a passer each year in college combined with his athleticism and team-first attitude makes him a perfect fit to compete with Taysom Hill as the future starting quarterback in New Orleans.

The pick: QB Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma

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