Tag: order

Where the Saints are picking in the 2025 NFL draft after Week 14

Here is where the New Orleans Saints stand in the projected 2025 NFL draft order after Week 14’s win over the New York Giants:

After the New Orleans Saints started the season in the dumps, they have started to pick up some wins after replacing Dennis Allen. In seemingly classic Saints fashion, they don’t have a great shot at the playoffs and look destined to pick up enough wins for a fringe-top 10 draft selection.

Darren Rizzi is somehow 3-1 as the New Orleans head coach and has the team at 5-8 overall. They picked up a close win over the New York Giants this past weekend and rose up the draft order again.

The Saints could be back into tank mode for the 2025 NFL draft, though, after Derek Carr suffered a hand injury that could keep him out for the rest of the season. Either they start to lose and help their draft stock or they win and build some momentum with a young quarterback in Carr’s stead.

Here is a look at where New Orleans stands after the Week 14 victory and their full draft order projection from Tankathon:

  • Round 1, No. 10 overall
  • Round 2, No. 44 overall
  • Round 3, No. 75 overall
  • Round 3, No. 87 overall
  • Round 4, No. 111 overall
  • Round 4, No. 123 overall
  • Round 6, No. 187 overall
  • Round 7, No. 253 overall

The Saints could be looking at another drop in the draft order this weekend as they have a tough game against the Washington Commanders on Dec. 15 at Noon CT/1 p.m. ET.

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Saints move up in the 2025 draft order after their bye week

The Saints remain in the top-10 of the 2025 NFL draft after their bye, but a surprise Week 12 victory changed their position:

The New Orleans Saints moved up one spot in the NFL draft order after Week 12, and they didn’t even have to lose a game to get it done.

There was a point where New Orleans had a top-five selection. A coaching change and 2 wins in a row later and New Orleans was the last team in the top-ten. After Week 12’s action, the Saints moved from the tenth pick to the ninth.

Ironically, it was a Dallas Cowboys victory that helped them out. When the Cowboys surprisingly defeated the Washington Commanders, it created a complete logjam with several competing teams at 4-7. The Saints may have beaten the Cowboys head to head, but in a tie between the Saints, Cowboys, Bengals and Bears, New Orleans would have the highest draft pick.

There’s not a large separation at the top of the draft. The Patriots have three wins and the fourth overall pick and the Bears are at No. 14 with four wins. The Saints could easily find themselves in either of those regions depending on this week’s outcome.

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Which teams should Saints fans be rooting for during the Week 12 bye?

As Saints fans watch the Week 12 slate of NFL games, here is who you should root for if you want a higher draft pick or if you want potential playoff seeding:

The New Orleans Saints are in a nice little middle ground between competing for a potential playoff spot and having a strong draft pick. As they are now on a 2-0 streak under Darren Rizzi, the favor has gone towards competing for a spot in the playoffs rather than a high pick for some fans, which is completely understandable.

Both sides make sense in this equation, and ultimately it becomes personal preference over all else. With that, we can now take a look at which teams you should be rooting for in either case as we look ahead to the Week 12 bye. Here is a rundown of both options:

In the case of competition

When it comes to trying to compete, the AFC has little to no connection to where the Saints reside and their playoff chances. So, looking at the NFC schedule, the first and foremost issue resides with the other NFC South teams. The Atlanta Falcons are on a bye week as well, which makes things a little difficult as they can’t lose, but they also can’t win so it’s about net even. The two divisional games are:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Giants:

The decision here is easy, a New York Giants win would put the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 4-7 and tied with the Saints, with one remaining matchup between the two teams later this season. In addition, a Giants win does not really put them in the picture yet as they are 2-8, and even if they enter the picture, the Saints have a chance to play them later as well and take back the momentum.

Carolina Panthers Vs. Kansas City Chiefs:

This game is not exceptionally a major issue either way, but obviously a Kansas City Chiefs win would help keep the Carolina Panthers at the bottom of the division and away from the Saints for another week. This would be the preferable outcome, despite many not being fond of the Chiefs.

This covers a divisional route for the Saints, as a wild card appearance is very unlikely at the moment given the bottom seed right now would be the Washington Commanders at 7-4. A monumental collapse from either them or the 7-3 Green Bay Packers would make things easier, but it would still be a difficult hill to climb. For a potential wild card appearance, here is the preferred outcomes:

Chicago Bears beat Minnesota Vikings

There desperately needs to be more parity in the NFC North for this scenario, and with the Minnesota Vikings holding the top wild card spot, a Chicago Bears win would help despite them also being ahead of the Saints here. The ultimate goal is dragging the wild card teams down close enough to where, if the Saints go on a win streak, a spot is attainable.

Dallas Cowboys Beat Washington Commanders

This is a similar notion to the previous game, where the Washington Commanders are the last wild card team right now, and a loss would bring them even closer to the Saints. With the Dallas Cowboys already being beaten by the Saints, they are not a threat if they are tied which they would be in this scenario. While this is certainly an unlikely outcome, it would definitely be preferred for the Cowboys to win in this matchup for the sake of a Saints playoff push.

San Francisco 49ers Beat Green Bay Packers

This matchup is a little different, as both the 5-5 San Francisco 49ers and 7-3 Green Bay Packers remain ahead of the Saints at the time being, and both have a full game lead at least. However, more parity between those teams and none pulling away leaves the Saints with a great opportunity if they continue to win. So, with a 49ers win, they would be 6-5 and the Packers would be 7-4, rather than 5-6 and 8-3 respectively.

Arizona Cardinals Beat Seattle Seahawks

This is where things get wonky, as the Arizona Cardinals lead their division, so the preferred outcome is a Seattle Seahawks loss to prevent them from competing for a wild card spot as they sit at 5-5. This game going either way is not extremely detrimental which is good, as they would just swap places if Seattle won, but Seattle losing would help just a tiny bit more given the game difference between the two.

Philadelphia Eagles Beat Los Angeles Rams

Further to that point, the Los Angeles Rams losing would help keep them lower and allow the Saints to surpass them as soon as Week 13, as a win would put the Saints at 5-7 and the Rams at 5-7, with the Saints’ head-to-head tiebreaker taking effect. Additionally, the Philadelphia Eagles winning is not particularly a big issue as they remain atop the division, and that would keep the Commanders out of division lead contention for another week at least. Somewhat of a win win here if the Rams lose.

In the case of improved draft stock

Now the case of trying to get closer to a better draft pick. There are nine teams ahead of the Saints with better picks, and two of them are also on bye in the Jacksonville Jaguars (No.1 pick currently) and the New York Jets (No.6 pick currently) so they will remain ahead regardless. As for the other teams, here is there games and the optimal outcomes:

Tennessee Titans beat Houston Texans

First up, the Tennessee Titans, who sit at 2-8 with one of the higher strength of schedule numbers of the bad teams at .514. They take on the Houston Texans, and while a Titans win does not immediately change where the Saints stand, it would prove to be a big one down the stretch if the Saints go the other direction and start losing more. This would keep things closer at the top (or the bottom perse) and keep the Saints within a game of taking their spot.

New york Giants Beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Not only would this be pretty funny from the standpoint of a division rival losing to a 2-8 New York Giants team, but it would help in the case of draft stock. This is similar to the Titans, where a Giants win does not immediately move the Saints to a better pick, but it keeps things close enough until the Saints get back to playing, rather than the Giants running away with a higher pick. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers going to 4-7 would be difficult, however the Saints have the tiebreaker for now in terms of a higher pick as they lost to Tampa earlier in the year, and have a lower strength of schedule.

Las Vegas Raiders beat Denver Broncos

Another 2-8 team, another scenario that falls into the same category. A Las Vegas Raiders win helps keep things within a game at the top, and a Denver Broncos loss does not particularly hurt the Saints chances whatsoever, so this one is completely self-explanatory.

New England Patriots beat miami dolphins

This one is a little bit closer in terms of who should win, as the New England Patriots are at 3-8 and the Miami Dolphins are at 4-6. The Dolphins losing brings them to an equal record with the Saints, and since they have a lower strength of schedule, they would get the higher pick in a tiebreaker. However, they also have an easier strength of schedule than the Patriots as well, meaning they are more likely to win another game or two than New England is. With that said, a Patriots win is slightly better here, but either way is perfectly fine.

Carolina panthers beat kansas city chiefs

While in the competitive version we wanted the Panthers to lose here, a win would help the Saints as it would bring them to even in terms of record, and since they have identical strength of schedules, it would go down to conference and division records which the Saints could pull away in by losing pretty often to close the season.

dallas cowboys beat washington commanders

Finally, we have a situation that transcends the type of team you want to see, and ultimately is a win win. The Dallas Cowboys winning here would bring them to even with the Saints at 4-7, and with the Cowboys having a .525 strength of schedule to the Saints only .486, New Orleans would get the tiebreaker for a better pick. Overall, a win win with a Cowboys victory.

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Where the Saints are picking in the 2025 NFL draft after Week 9

The Saints continue to rise in the projected 2025 NFL draft order after Sunday’s loss to the Panthers. Here’s where they would pick if the draft started today:

Things continue to go from bad to worse for the New Orleans Saints, with the team most recently falling 23-22 to the Carolina Panthers on the road Sunday.

It makes matters even worse that the Saints were slightly favored heading into the game, with Carolina holding just one win this season before recording their second victory today.

The only silver lining for the Saints, that now ride a sobering seven-game losing streak after opening the season with a bang and two consecutive wins, is that they rank quite highly in the projected 2025 NFL draft order now.

Here’s a look at where the Saints are listed and after the Week 9 loss and the full draft order projection from Talkathon:

  • Round 1, No. 3 overall
  • Round 2, No. 34 overall
  • Round 3, No. 65 overall
  • Round 4, No. 108 overall
  • Round 5, No. 144 overall
  • Round 7, No. 252 overall (projected compensatory pick)

The Saints will try to get back on track when they face the visiting Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, who lead the NFC South. Considering how hot the Falcons are after playing their most complete game of the season and the fact they won the most recent matchup against the Saints, things don’t exactly bode well for Dennis Allen’s team.

In the event of a Falcons victory, Atlanta will sweep the series and the Saints will only continue to rise up the draft order (which may simply be in their best interest at this point in the midst of a lost season).

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Saints scout two of the 2025 draft’s best prospects at Colorado

The Saints stopped at Colorado’s campus to scout two of the 2025 draft’s best prospects. They’re in position to draft Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders, but will they?


We’ll see how the standings shake out after this week’s round of NFL games, but right now the New Orleans Saints are slotted in at the fifth overall pick in the 2025 draft after their 2-6 start to the season. That’s prime position to select a top prospect like Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter or standout quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

And last week the Saints were one of five NFL teams who stopped by Colorado’s campus in Boulder to scout the Buffaloes. Hunter is seen as a franchise-altering talent at either wide receiver or cornerback, and Sanders is competing with Miami’s Cameron Ward to be the first passer selected. It makes sense that the Saints would be keeping tabs on each of them.

But those aren’t Colorado’s only NFL prospects. Wide receiver Will Sheppard and safety Shilo Sanders should both be drafted in the middle rounds or early on Day 3. Another wideout, Jimmy Horn Jr., is a rising star, too.

Campus visits like this are common for NFL teams, so don’t read too deeply into it. They’re often used for information-gathering so scouts can fill out their reports after meeting with coaches, trainers, and even academic counselors. But if the Saints keep losing and end up in position to pick a playmaker like Hunter or Sanders? Well. Stranger things have happened.

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Saints would be picking top-6 if the 2025 NFL draft started today

The Saints would be picking top-six if the 2025 NFL draft started today. But it’s tough to see them stay there. When healthy, they might be too talented to fail:

The New Orleans Saints would be picking at No. 6 overall if the 2025 NFL draft started today, having fallen into a 2-5 start to their season after a five-week losing streak. The latest projections from Tankathon have the Saints making their pick awful early, but that could change depending on Monday night’s results. The Buccaneers-Ravens game won’t impact them much, but a Cardinals loss could push the Saints down to No. 7 (while a Chargers loss doesn’t move the needle).

But it’s tough to see them stay there. When healthy, they might be too talented to fail. The Saints showed what they can do with all hands on deck in the first two weeks of thee season, outscoring their opponents by a wider margin than anyone else around the league. Then they lost two close games to good teams. Attrition continued, and then they got run off their own field in back-to-back losses.

There’s a lot to be said for going in the tank, locking up a valuable draft pick, and using it to address a key position of need — landing a surefire rookie quarterback would be transformative, and the game’s best pass rushers and pass protectors can be found earliest in the draft, too.

Just don’t count on it. The Saints are slowly getting healthier. Veteran linebacker Pete Werner is expected back soon, and so is starting quarterback Derek Carr. Other offensive playmakers like right guard Cesar Ruiz and tight end/fullback Taysom Hill are returning soon, too. Eventually Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy will resume his place in the middle of the line. Even if they’re bruised or older (or both), this Saints team has too much talent on both sides of the ball to lose five more in a row.

And that’s been their story with Dennis Allen at head coach. In each of his three years they’ve gone into Week 8 with records of 2-4, 3-3, and 2-4, only to figure some things out and rebound in the second half. By Week 13 they’ve been 4-8 and 5-6. By season’s end they were 7-10 and 9-8. Not bad enough for a pick at the top of the draft to rebuild, but not good enough for the playoffs.

It’s a concerning pattern. You figure something has to give eventually. They’ll either get over the hump, fully collapse, or the front office’s patience with Allen will give out. If recent history is any indication, general manger Mickey Loomis, team president Dennis Lauscha, and team owner Gayle Benson aren’t in any great rush to blow things up and start over.

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Saints would be picking top-10 if the 2025 NFL draft started today

The New Orleans Saints would be picking top-10 if the 2025 NFL draft started today. They’re tied for the NFL’s second-longest losing streak after Week 6:

This isn’t where you want to be at any point in the season, but especially not after six games. The New Orleans Saints would be picking top-10 if the 2025 NFL draft started today, according to the latest projections from Tankathon — more precisely, they’d hold the No. 8 overall pick.

After dropping four losses in a row, they’re tied with the Cleveland Browns for the NFL’s second-longest losing streak after Week 6. Only the 1-5 New England Patriots have gone longer without a win. This is the second time in three years that Dennis Allen’s team has held a 2-4 record after Week 6,  having reached just 3-3 last season.

No. 8 would be the highest the Saints have drafted since they traded up to  No. 7 to pick defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis back in 2008, who was out of the league by 2013.

Still, this would be a great slot to add an impact player. Heisman Trophy favorites like Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter and a truly generational talent in Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty are both projected to be available. Instant starters along the offensive line might be found, too, if LSU’s Will Campbell or Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks slide a bit. No quarterback looks like a sure thing just yet.

But the draft is months away. Just because the Saints might be picking at No. 8 right now, it doesn’t mean they’ll stay there. Allen’s teams have made a habit of making late-season runs to chase a long-shot playoff berth and that pattern could repeat this year. Allen is coaching for his job, so don’t expect the Saints to go in the tank. If his defense keeps losing games, though, they won’t need to.

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Where the New Orleans Saints pick in waiver wire claim priority

Where do the New Orleans Saints pick in waiver wire claim priority? The NFL uses the same draft order until Week 3:

Where do the New Orleans Saints pick in waiver wire claim priority? The NFL uses the same order as the draft until Week 3, which means they’re slotted in at No. 14. So there will be thirteen teams getting an opportunity to claim any players the Saints are eyeing after Tuesday’s roster cuts deadline — including NFC South rivals like the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons.

That makes it tough to land guys they value, but it’s not impossible. Remember, any players claimed off of waivers must replace someone else on the 53-man roster. That can throw a wrench in team-building plans and make some players less appealing to other teams.

Fans will need to be patient as the week draws on. Just like every other team, the Saints will be busy filling out their practice squad, fine-tuning the 53-man roster, and scouring the waiver wire. Players they’ve claimed from waivers in past years include offensive lineman Chuck Filiaga (from the Green Bay Packers), fullback Adam Prentice (from the Denver Broncos), and linebacker Michael Mauti (from the Minnesota Vikings), among several others. We’ll keep an eye out for any new pickups.

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Saints’ comp picks take a hit after NFL adjusts 2024 draft order

The New Orleans Saints saw several compensatory picks fall lower after the 2024 draft order was altered on Monday:

The NFL made an adjustment to the compensatory pick formula for the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, which moved what was a sixth-round pick for the Cincinnati Bengals up to a third-round pick at No. 97 overall. So what’s the ripple effect for the New Orleans Saints?

Ultimately, this also moves the remaining compensatory picks behind 97 overall down one spot. The Saints began with picks at No. 167, 169, and 174, which will now all move down to 168, 170, and 175.

As a refresher, those three picks the Saints received are from losing David Onyemata, Marcus Davenport, and Kaden Elliss in free agency last year. They will not receive picks for Shy Tuttle, Andy Dalton, or Deonte Harty as those losses counteracted the additions of Nathan Shepherd, Jamaal Williams, and Khalen Saunders. The loss of Justin Evans will also not be factored in as a CFA (compensatory free agent) as he was countered by the signing of Jonathan Abram.

After this adjustment, here is what the Saints’ 2024 draft picks are looking like:

  • Round 1, Pick 14
  • Round 2, Pick 45 (via Denver Broncos)
  • Round 5, Pick 150
  • Round 5, Pick 168 (compensatory)
  • Round 5, Pick 170 (compensatory)
  • Round 5, Pick 175 (compensatory)
  • Round 6, Pick 190
  • Round 6, Pick 199 (via Philadelphia Eagles)
  • Round 7, Pick 239 (via Denver Broncos)

While the Saints are missing third and fourth round picks after last year’s trades, they ultimately have enough Day 3 picks to trade back into Day 2 if they so choose.

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NFL awards the Saints three compensatory picks in the 2024 NFL draft

The projections got it right this year. The NFL awarded the Saints three compensatory picks in the 2024 NFL draft:

The projections got it right this year. The NFL awarded the New Orleans Saints three compensatory picks in the 2024 NFL draft, all slotted into the fifth round:

  • Round 5, Pick 167
  • Round 5, Pick 169
  • Round 5, Pick 174

These extra draft selections were awarded as compensation for players the Saints lost in free agency last offseason — defensive tackle David Onyemata, defensive end Marcus Davenport, and linebacker Kaden Elliss. There was a possibility the Saints could have had that draft choice for Onyemata slotted into the end of the fourth round instead of the beginning of the fifth frame’s comp picks, given some uncertainty in different models, but it was always likelier to fall in this place.

So what will the Saints do with these extra picks? Their history suggests these draft resources will be spent trading up to target players in the earlier rounds. New Orleans has been given six comp picks over the last three draft classes and general manager Mickey Loomis has traded all of them in moves up the board, which you can read more about here.

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