order – Syndication Server

Where Saints draft picks stand after Washington Commanders lose NFCCG

The Washington Commanders’ season ended with an NFC Championship Game loss on Sunday. Here’s where the draft picks they traded to the New Orleans Saints fall:

With the Washington Commanders falling to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC title game, the New Orleans Saints’ 2025 NFL draft slots for their current picks are nearly finalized.

The team had been awaiting the conclusion of the Commanders’ season for a while due to the amount of draft capital they received from the Marshon Lattimore trade. To take us back to the trade, the team received third-, fourth-, and sixth-round selections in exchange for their fifth rounder and Lattimore.

Because of Washington’s loss, the team is now scheduled to select at pick No. 93 (third) and 129 (fourth). The additional sixth-round selection that the team received was finalized at the end of this years regular season, as it was originally given up by New Orleans in a trade for John Ridgeway III. We’re still waiting for compensatory picks to be awarded which will impact the draft order in rounds four through seven.

As of right now, here’s a list of where the team is currently projected to select via Tankathon (picks in bold text are finalized):

Round 1, Pick 9
Round 2, Pick 40
Round 3, Pick 71
Round 3, Pick 93 (via Washington)
Round 4, Pick 110
Round 4, Pick 129 (via Washington)
Round 6, Pick 185
Round 7, Pick 253 (projected compensatory)

Many didn’t expect the Commanders to make it as far as they did, which ultimately lowered the value of this trade. With that said though, the picks will be all of what the team makes of them come April, which will be a very crucial time of year for this organization.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints’ draft positioning is a product of NFL’s crowded basement

The Saints only won five games and are barely picking inside the top 10. It’s because the bottom tier of the NFL has been worse than usual:

Recently, I was reading an article from CBS Sports where the writer made an interesting observation on the New Orleans Saints’ position in the 2025 NFL draft. Will Brinson wrote that, “the Saints won enough games this year where they don’t really have a great draft pick (No. 9 overall.)”

While that is an accurate description of the situation the Saints find themselves in, the phrasing caught my attention. Saying the Saints won enough games to hurt their draft position didn’t feel right when New Orleans only won five times.

So, I took a look at the past three years to see where winning five games would have gotten you. Since the NFL expanded to 17 games in 2021, five victories secured you top-six selection. The last two years a team picked fifth overall with just five wins. The Carolina Panthers picked sixth in the 2022 NFL draft, as the lone five-win team.

It’s not that the Saints won too many games per se, but rather that the NFL’s basement is more crowded than usual. In 2024, the entire top-10 has five wins or fewer. There are four teams with five wins this season, the most since 2019.

Winning five games would have guaranteed you to pick near, if not inside, the top-five. This year the ceiling is the seventh overall selection. New Orleans’ unfavorable positioning is truly a reflection of how bad the lower tier of the league has performed.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

B/R identifies two draft-day trade targets for the Saints

The Saints may not be able to land an elite prospect at No. 9. Bleacher Report identified two players they could trade up for at major positions of need:

The New Orleans Saints are going to be on the clock in the first 10 picks of the upcoming 2025 NFL draft. Even with a victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it would just prevent the Saints moving any higher but it wouldn’t drop them.

Will the next head coach follow the trend of Sean Payton and Dennis Allen’s aggression in the first round? If he does decide to trade up, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski has two names to watch.

Sobleski highlights Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Penn State’s Abdul Carter as two players New Orleans could trade up for. Quarterback and edge rusher (whether they continue to use defensive ends or switch to outside linebackers in a new coach’s scheme) are two positions the Saints clearly need.

Sanders is the more interesting inclusion of the two. He and Cam Ward are the top two quarterbacks in the draft, and there’s a belief those players have a good chance at being the first two picks.

With so many quarterback-needy teams it’s hard to see Sanders falling too far. The Saints would need to be very aggressive, and sacrifice next year’s first round pick. However, if that player is your quarterback of the future, it’s worth it.

Carter is the more realistic player to trade up for if the Saints stay at No. 9 overall. If he drops to the seventh pick, the standard NFL draft trade value chart says it would take just a 2025 third round pick to move up and make the selection.

The edge rusher is described as being “best used as a pass-rush specialist to begin his career.” That’s exactly what the Saints need. Cameron Jordan may be preparing for a move to a new team if he’s released, and Chase Young could demand more money in free agency than New Orleans can afford to pay.

Either way, the Saints need more juice out on the edge of the defensive line. Carter can provide a quick and explosive pass rush threat at the position in a way the Saints typically haven’t utilized.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints finish last in NFC South, but will still pick after a division rival

Despite finishing last in the NFC South, the New Orleans Saints will still pick after the Carolina Panthers due to a strength of schedule tiebreaker:

With the dust settling on Week 18, the New Orleans Saints now hold the No. 9 pick in the 2025 NFL draft — with the Carolina Panthers slotted at No. 8. But the Saints managed to finish last in their division for the 2024 season for a variety of tiebreaking decisions, as it went down to the third tier of tiebreaker. Here is how that was handled:

Head-to-head record – Both teams had a win this season against each other.
Division Record – Both teams completed the season with a 2-4-0 divisional record
Record in common games (games in which both teams had the same opponent at some point in the year) – Saints finished 2-10 in these games, Panthers finished 3-9.

One single win split these two teams apart in the divisional standings, where the Panthers beat the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons once, the Saints only beat the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants from the list of common games.

With this in mind, the tiebreaker for draft picks is different, as its first method to break up the deadlock is strength of schedule. The belief is teams with an easier strength of schedule should get a better pick, as it means they had the same record against worse opponents. For the 2024 season, the Saints had a .507 strength of schedule to the Panthers’ .496, meaning the Panthers had easier opponents overall, and get the better pick as a result.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

New Orleans Saints will be picking either 9th or 8th in the 2025 NFL draft

The New Orleans Saints will be picking either 9th or 8th overall in the 2025 NFL draft. With their 2024 season in the books, all eyes are on the Raiders-Chargers game:

We saw some good things from the New Orleans Saints in the first half of their Week 18 game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — but they couldn’t keep that momentum going after the break, and the Bucs came back to win the day, 27-19. The Saints finished their season at 5-12. So where does that have them picking in the 2025 NFL draft?

That isn’t settled just yet, but it’s close. The Saints will be picking at either ninth or eighth overall, depending on how things go in Sunday’s finale between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders. New Orleans got some help from the Chicago Bears, who upset the Green Bay Packers in a tense rivalry game full of long-range field goals and high-profile injuries. That Bears win moved the Saints up from tenth to at least ninth.

If the Raiders can defeat their own divisional rivals, the Saints will climb even higher, going from ninth to eighth. But that’s yet to be determined. The Chargers are playing to win with critical playoff seeding on the line. So tune in to CBS for kickoff from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and see if the Raiders can help the Saints out, too.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

2025 NFL draft order: Where could Saints be picking after Week 18?

Where could the New Orleans Saints be picking after Week 18? Win or lose, here’s how the 2025 NFL draft order could shake up after the final whistle:

If the 2025 NFL draft started today, the New Orleans Saints would be picking at tenth overall. They’re the league’s only five-win team, and their advantage in the strength of schedule gives them an advantage over the six-win San Francisco 49ers; San Fran’s opponents have combined for a .566, giving New Orleans a tiebreaker at .507 going into the final week of the regular season.

So we’ve established that No. 10 is their floor. It’s where they’ve been for several weeks despite a couple of losses. Obviously they didn’t choose this, but it’s been a bad year for the Saints to go belly-up. Nine other teams have lost 12 or more games, which is a huge outlier compared to other years. Four have lost 13 games, so hypothetically the highest the Saints could pick is fifth, with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday putting them at 5-12. Here’s why their true ceiling is lower than that.

Just look at the teams ahead of them, all of whom go into Week 18 with a 4-12 record:

No. 5 overall: Jacksonville Jaguars (SOS at .474)

No. 6 overall: Carolina Panthers (SOS at .496)

No. 7 overall: New York Jets (SOS at .500)

No. 8 overall: Las Vegas Raiders (SOS at .544)

No. 9 overall: Chicago Bears (SOS at .555)

The idea that the Saints could move up hinges on any of these five teams winning. The problem is that even if they all finish at 5-12, the Jaguars, Panthers, and Jets have a tiebreaker with the Saints thanks to their lower strength of schedule. It’s unlikely any of those teams’ SOS would improve enough to make a difference after Week 18, so really the best the Saints could hope for is moving up to eighth or ninth.

What would that take? A move up would require the Raiders to beat the Los Angeles Chargers in Las Vegas, while the Bears need to upset the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Chargers and Packers have both clinched wild-card seeds but neither playoff team is resting their starters with seeding still undetermined in Week 18. They’re both playing to win.

So look for the Saints to be stuck at tenth (win or lose in Tampa Bay) once the dust settles. There’s a slim chance they could move up to eighth or ninth, but it’s just not likely. They haven’t gotten many breaks this season, and it doesn’t look like their fortune will change much after Sunday’s final whistle.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints’ embarrassing loss to Raiders didn’t improve 2025 draft stock

The New Orleans Saints’ embarrassing loss to the Las Vegas Raiders didn’t improve their 2025 draft stock. They’re almost locked into the tenth overall pick:

One of the only positives to a losing season is that the NFL draft becomes more fun, thanks to securing a good pick. That is not the case for the New Orleans Saints this season as they keep losing, this time an embarrassing home defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders, and their draft positioning has not improved.

According to the experts at Tankathon, the New Orleans Saints would currently be given the No. 10 overall pick, which is the same exact spot they were in before their back-to-back awful losses.

There are simply too many bad teams this year. Especially with the 17th game being added, securing a record bad enough to end up at the top is too hard. Even though the Saints are 5-11, there are nine teams in the league that have at least 12 losses. Next week is their last week to improve.

They actually dropped this week in the full order, because their draft picks received from the Washington Commanders went a few spaces higher.

Here’s where the Saints currently slot in through all seven rounds, per Tankathon:

Round 1, Pick 10
Round 2, Pick 42
Round 3, Pick 74
Round 3, Pick 90 (via Washington)
Round 4, Pick 111
Round 4, Pick 128 (via Washington)
Round 6, Pick 185
Round 7, Pick 253 (projected compensatory)

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

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.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]