The NFL Draft is basically a high-stakes casino, and if you've been watching the New Orleans Saints lately, you know they’re the guys at the craps table doubling down when everyone else is walking away. Saints first round picks aren't just names on a jersey. They represent a specific, often polarizing philosophy of "win-now" that has defined the Loomis era for better or worse.
Seriously.
While other teams are hoarding draft capital like it’s gold bars, the Saints have a reputation for aggressive trading. They love "their guy." If they see a player they want, they’ll set fire to future assets to move up and grab him. It’s a strategy that gave us franchise legends, but it’s also left the roster incredibly thin at times.
The Boom-or-Bust Nature of Saints First Round Picks
Look at the history. When the Saints hit, they hit a grand slam. You can't talk about the team's identity without mentioning the 2017 draft, which is basically the gold standard for every scouting department in the league. Marshon Lattimore at pick 11? That's a home run. Ryan Ramczyk at the end of the first round? That’s a Hall of Fame-level snag. That single draft class extended the Drew Brees window by at least three years.
But then there’s the flip side.
For every Lattimore, there’s a Marcus Davenport situation. Remember that? New Orleans traded two first-rounders to move up for a raw defensive end from UTSA. He had the physical tools of a Greek god but couldn't stay on the field. It’s that specific kind of Saints first round picks logic—valuing elite traits over draft volume—that keeps fans up at night.
Recent Moves and the Post-Payton Transition
Since Sean Payton headed to Denver, the draft room vibe has shifted, but the aggression hasn't totally evaporated. In 2022, they pulled a stunner by trading with the Eagles to secure two first-rounders, which eventually became Chris Olave and Trevor Penning. Olave is a certified stud—smooth routes, reliable hands, everything you want in a WR1. Penning, however, has been a project riddled with injuries and technical hurdles.
It highlights the massive risk of the current approach. If you trade away future picks to get two guys in one year, both of them have to be starters. If one fails, you’ve essentially nuked your depth for the next three seasons. Honestly, it’s a miracle the Saints stay as competitive as they do given how often they operate without a full cupboard of picks.
Why Offensive Line is the Obsession
If you look at the tally of Saints first round picks over the last decade, one trend stands out like a sore thumb: they are obsessed with the trenches.
- Andrus Peat (2015)
- Ryan Ramczyk (2017)
- Cesar Ruiz (2020)
- Trevor Penning (2022)
- Taliese Fuaga (2024)
New Orleans believes that if you win the line of scrimmage, the rest of the game takes care of itself. It’s a very "old school" mentality for a team that used to be known for a high-flying aerial circus. Fuaga, the most recent addition, was a "don't overthink it" pick. He’s a mauler. He fits the mold. But it also shows that the team is constantly having to patch holes in the offensive line because previous first-round investments either aged out or didn't develop as expected.
The Bryan Bresee Factor
One of the more interesting turns in recent years was the selection of Bryan Bresee out of Clemson. For a while, the Saints were ignoring the interior defensive line in the first round, preferring to find mid-round grinders. Bresee changed that. He brought a level of interior pass rush that the team hadn't had since the early days of Sheldon Rankins (another first-rounder).
Bresee’s rookie season showed flashes of dominance. It’s those kinds of picks—guys with high floors and even higher ceilings—that the Saints need to prioritize if they want to avoid a total rebuild. They don't do "rebuilds" in New Orleans; they do "retooling." It's a subtle difference that requires perfection in the first round.
The Loomis Logic: Trading Future Value for Present Help
Mickey Loomis, the Saints' General Manager, treats the salary cap and the draft like a puzzle that doesn't have a border. He’s famous for kicking the debt down the road. This impacts how they view Saints first round picks because they often view a rookie as a cheap four-year contract that can offset a massive veteran salary.
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But this creates a "stars and scrubs" roster. You have the elite guys like Cam Jordan and Demario Davis, and then you have a bunch of rookies and minimum-salary veterans. There’s no middle class. When a first-round pick like Payton Turner (2021) doesn't produce immediately, the entire defense feels the strain. Turner was a massive "reach" in the eyes of many analysts, and unfortunately, the "reach" tag has stuck because of his lack of availability.
What the Scouts Are Looking For
The Saints have a "type."
- They love high RAS (Relative Athletic Score) players.
- They value height/weight/speed over college production sometimes.
- They prefer players from big programs (SEC, Big 10) but will go small-school for "freaks."
Take Trevor Penning again. He was from Northern Iowa. Small school, but his athletic testing was off the charts. The Saints bet on the traits. Sometimes you get Terron Armstead (a third-rounder, but a similar athletic bet), and sometimes you get a guy who struggles to adjust to the speed of NFL pass rushers.
Navigating the 2025 and 2026 Landscape
As we look toward the future, the pressure on Saints first round picks is only magnifying. The roster is aging. The "core" that won all those NFC South titles is mostly gone or on the back nine of their careers. The scouting department can't afford a miss.
There's been a lot of talk about whether they should finally pull the trigger on a first-round quarterback. Since Brees retired, it’s been a revolving door of Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton, and Derek Carr. Fans are itching for a young, franchise signal-caller. But the Saints' philosophy usually leans toward "supporting the guy we have" rather than starting over. It’s a risky game. If you use a first-rounder on a tackle to protect Carr, you’re betting that Carr is enough to win a Super Bowl. Most people aren't so sure about that anymore.
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Real Talk: The Hits vs. The Misses
If we’re being brutally honest, the Saints’ draft record in the first round has been a bit of a rollercoaster since that legendary 2017 class.
- 2018: Marcus Davenport (Traded up, mixed results)
- 2019: No pick (Traded for Davenport)
- 2020: Cesar Ruiz (Solid starter, but not elite)
- 2021: Payton Turner (Injuries have hampered him)
- 2022: Chris Olave (Star) / Trevor Penning (Struggling)
- 2023: Bryan Bresee (Promising)
- 2024: Taliese Fuaga (The new anchor)
That's not a bad record, but it's not the "flawless" execution required when you trade away as many picks as New Orleans does. The margin for error is razor-thin. When you don't have second or third-rounders because you traded them to get back into the first, your first-round pick basically carries the weight of three players.
How to Evaluate Future Saints Drafts
If you want to track how the Saints are going to handle their next big selection, watch the compensatory pick formula and their restructures. Usually, by the time the draft rolls around, the Saints have already "spent" their flexibility. This means their first-round pick is almost always going to be the "best player available" at a position of extreme need. They don't have the luxury of taking a developmental project who won't play for two years.
They need "plug and play" guys.
Fuaga is a perfect example. He was drafted to start Day 1. That's the mandate. If a Saints first round pick isn't starting by Week 3, the pick is locally viewed as a disappointment. It's a high-pressure environment for these kids.
Actionable Insights for Saints Fans
Keeping an eye on the draft is basically a full-time job for Who Dat Nation. To really understand where the team is going, you've gotta look past the mock drafts.
- Monitor the Trench Depth: If the Saints don't sign a veteran guard or tackle in free agency, you can bet your house they are going O-line in the first round. It’s their comfort zone.
- Watch the "Trade Up" Signals: If the Saints have an extra pick in the mid-rounds from a compensatory award, Loomis is almost certainly going to use it as ammo to move up in the first round. He hates sitting still.
- Value the RAS: Check the athletic testing of prospects. If a defensive end has a 9.5+ RAS score, he’s on the Saints' radar, regardless of what his college stats look like.
- Focus on Senior Bowl Invites: The Saints scouting staff loves the Senior Bowl. They put a lot of weight on how players perform in those 1-on-1 drills in Mobile. Many of their first-round targets are guys they "fell in love with" during that week.
The strategy in New Orleans is unique. It’s aggressive, it’s frustrating, and it’s occasionally brilliant. While the rest of the NFL moves toward a "Moneyball" approach of accumulating as many lottery tickets as possible, the Saints prefer to buy one very expensive ticket and hope it hits the jackpot. So far, it’s kept them in the hunt, but the bill always comes due eventually.
Keep your eyes on the athletic freaks and the big-bodied linemen. That’s the Saints' way. It’s not always pretty, but it’s never boring. Be ready for the 2026 cycle to bring more of the same "all-in" energy, because as long as Mickey Loomis is running the show, the first round is where the Saints try to change their destiny in one single move.