The New Orleans Saints salvaged a disappointing season by winning four of their last five games. In doing so, they salvaged a 9-8 record and largely masked the struggles of year one with Derek Carr at the helm.
The run game disappointed compared to previous years, and they now face a nightmare situation with the offensive line as we head into the 2024 season.
Trevor Penning has failed as the franchise left tackle, and he is now going into year three of his rookie deal. The former first-round pick was benched early in the season, giving up his spot for guard Andrus Peat the rest of the way. At this point, the Saints cannot trust Trevor Penning in the role, meaning they now have a long-term void to fill at left tackle.
But that isn’t the worst of their woes on the offensive line. Former All-Pro Ryan Ramcyzk’s career may be over in a troubling development since a late-season injury in 2023.
Now 30 years old, Ramcyzk has been the franchise right tackle in New Orleans for the past seven seasons, but that might all be ending abruptly. The issue with his knee has been ongoing for three seasons now, and at this point, it may be beyond repair. A cartilage defect from years of playing football now means he doesn’t have much left to offer, which leaves the Saints needing two tackles for the future—a less-than-ideal spot to be in.
Not only do they need pieces on the offensive line, but Michael Thomas’s return didn’t go to plan either, and he now finds himself unsigned at 31 years old. What once looked like a legendary career in the making was crushed by injuries, and Thomas now appears to have played his last down for the Saints.
That leaves Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and the newly acquired Cedrick Wilson and Equanimous St. Brown. Olave will lead the way, and Shaheed has a lot of promise, too, but the Saints need another playmaker, and you could make a case for a pure tight end, too.
New Orleans made some substantial additions defensively if they can stay healthy. Chase Young and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. signed one-year deals, bolstering the potential performance of the defense.
The additions mean the Saints can primarily focus on the offensive side of the ball in the 2024 NFL draft, so let’s look at how things might shape up later this week.
Pick No. 14: Troy Fautanu (OT, Washington)
Troy Fautanu represents a plug-and-play replacement for one of the two offensive tackles, likely Trevor Penning, on the left side. Fautanu has the versatility to play right or left tackle, but as a two-year starter on the left side for the Washington Huskies, he may be better suited as a day-one starter for New Orleans.
Protecting the quarterback’s blindside is one of the most crucial pieces of any offense, and the Saints get a guy here who has featured at left tackle in one of college football’s most explosive offenses.
The six-foot-four tackle is a supreme, versatile athlete who could comfortably play just about any position across the offensive line. He’s an excellent run blocker and an even better pass blocker who excels in space and as a pulling/climbing lineman.
Adding Fautanu to the Saints’ offensive arsenal allows them value in multiple spots, which could mean keeping Andrus Peat at left tackle while trialing Fautanu on the right side or ultimately having him feature at guard. Either way, the Saints’ offense immediately improves with a great value pick in the mid-first round.
Pick No. 45: Xavier Legette (WR, South Carolina)
Xavier Legette is overlooked mainly for his fifth-year breakout season, failing to feature or break into the lineup in his first four college football seasons.
When you lift the hood on his story and the reasons for his late arrival, you understand him a lot better. Xavier lost both of his parents in five years, with his mother passing following a long battle with breast cancer in 2015 and his father passing in 2019. Neither watched him play college football, and Legette battled mentally with the loss of his parents.
A motorcycle accident cost him further playing time, but in 2023, he finally pieces it all together and could now be the best value pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Legette is six foot three and over 220 pounds, looking the part of a dominant receiver at the NFL level. He’s got it all. Power, speed, hands, and the ability to win a one-on-one matchup with anybody you try to pit against him.
For the Saints, his role perfectly complements the volume reception role of Chris Olave. He gives the Saints a worthy outside receiver who could threaten a defense deep or come up clutch when called upon, and the ceiling he possesses, once he reaches the next level, is off the charts.
Pick No. 96: Cade Stover (TE, Ohio State)
Photo courtesy of the Columbus Dispatch/Adam Cairns.
The Saints trade here with the Jacksonville Jaguars to trade up in the 2024 draft while giving up capital in 2025. The absence of picks between pick 45 and pick 150 is a problem, so they solve it here with the exchange with Jacksonville.
As for the selection, Cade Stover is one of the most overlooked pass-catching tight ends in what is considered to be a tight-end class lacking depth.
Beyond Brock Bowers and JaTavion Sanders, teams will be looking for good value at the position, and the Saints get it here with Stover.
He caught 41 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns for the Ohio State Buckeyes this season and has notched over 1,000 career receiving yards in three seasons with the program.
Stover has great hands, can pluck the football out of the sky, and is proving to be a reliable target over the middle. His 4.68 40-yard dash is way above average for the position, and he’s proven dangerous enough after the catch to become a starter at the next level.
Pick No. 114: Delmar Glaze (OT, Maryland)
Maryland Athletics
Delmar Glaze is another name that’s been generating some buzz as the draft approaches. The Maryland prospect started several games at right tackle in his first season of first-team action in 2021 but has since been the Terrapins starting left tackle for the last two years.
He’s six foot five and 328 pounds, possessing more size to play the franchise left tackle than Troy Fautanu. The selection would allow the Saints to move Fautanu to a more suitable spot if they deemed it necessary or have Glaze play the right tackle long-term.
Glaze is a big man with great footwork for a player of his size, able to maneuver well and pop defensive ends with powerful hands. He excels as a pass blocker, and the only real reason we might not see him drafted in the first three rounds is the question marks around him in the run game.
He may start as a rotational tackle, but the long-term upside to becoming a franchise player is undoubtedly there.
Pick No. 170: Isaac Guerendo (RB, Louisville)
The value might be there later in this year’s draft regarding the running backs, but the amount of late-round talent you can find is absurd.
Last year, the Saints drafted Kendre Miller out of TCU while paying Jamaal Williams in free agency. In this year’s draft, they continue to add value late in the draft with Isaac Guerendo, a real sleeper at the position.
Guerendo performed well at the NFL combine and proved that he could pull away from the pack at the NFL level. He’s deceptively fast and certainly did himself plenty of favors with an outstanding workout in front of NFL scouts.
Guerendo transferred from Wisconsin to Louisville before the 2023 season, before posting 639 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He’s averaged 6.1 yards per carry over the past two seasons and could add some real depth to an NFL running back group.
Pick No. 190: Brennan Jackson (EDGE, Washington State)
The Saints fans would love this guy. Brennan Jackson is one of the hardest-working prospects in the 2024 class, the kind of guy who will give 110% effort on every rep.
He’s a valuable run defender late in the draft who has some work to do to develop as a pure pass rusher, but he is certainly capable of that.
Jackson understands run defense well. You would be comfortable rotating him as a rookie, and he’s got a high ceiling as a do-it-all edge player long-term.
Pick No. 199: Logan Lee (DT, Iowa)
I read a scouting report saying, ‘Logan Lee will move the needle for teams prioritizing up-field, penetrating defensive tackles.’ In other words, he’s a great fit as a New Orleans Saint.
The Saints prioritized rebuilding the interior of their defensive line with early selection Brian Bresee in 2023 and get another guy here with the 199th pick in Logan Lee.
Lee is a disruptor pressuring up the middle, who can cause offensive linemen many problems with his strength, motor, and ability to catch them off guard with his explosiveness.
He’s best suited as a late-round pick with room to grow, but the Saints continue drafting late-round, high-motor players to stack the defense.
