Superstitious? ESPN has Saints drafting in No. 13 spot

By Ed Daniels
Clarion Herald

For a franchise that has not won fewer than seven games in any season over the past 18 years, the numbers were unsettling, to say the least.

In a recent ESPN prediction of where teams will draft in 2025, the Saints were given a 19.4% chance of picking in the top five and a 43.6% chance of selecting in the top 10.

The last time the Saints picked in the top 10 was in 2008, when New Orleans moved up three spots in the first round in a trade with New England. The Saints picked seventh, the Patriots 10th.

ESPN also predicted the Saints to pick at No. 13, one slot higher than the club did this past April.

It is that bad? Well, maybe not.

New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and his staff have certainly given the Saints a chance to hit the reset button. 

And, over the years, there aren’t many teams who are good at quarterback and on the offensive line and then turn in a bad season.

Derek Carr was quite good at the end of last season, and if I had to take a guess, I think the Saints will be better on the offensive line, after drafting Taliese Fuaga in the first round, moving him to left tackle, and moving Trevor Penning to right tackle. 

We’ll see.

But, here’s another number that is unsettling. In 2025, according to overthecap.com, the Saints are nearly $86 million over the cap. That is twice more than any other NFL team.

Of course, the Saints can always restructure contracts, and if Derek Carr has an outstanding season, his $30 million base salary can always be reworked.

But, Alvin Kamara’s base salary next season is $22.4. Ryan Ramczyk, whose status for 2024 is very much in doubt, is owed $18 million. 

Cam Jordan and Taysom Hill are owed a combined $22.5 million next season in base salary.

 The numbers are not good. And, if the Saints are bad, Saints owner Gayle Benson will have a big decision to make.

Does she have patience that the Saints can continue on the same slow rebuild or does she hit the reset button?

It is has been a long time since the Saints were bad.

If you are 25 or younger, you can’t remember what ugly looks like. From 1996 to 2005, your New Orleans Saints had one 10-win season, and three, three-win seasons.

It was a disconcerting time.

And, there’s no guarantee that if you get bad, and pick high, you can quickly turn it around.

Are the Saints ready to ascend again, are they stuck in the NFL’s version of purgatory, or worse?

There’s three more months to ponder before we get the answer.

Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].