The New Orleans Saints are all-in on the 2023 season, as they should be. After successfully recruiting Derek Carr and investing in the talent around him, they have all of their attention focused on the games in front of them.
Well, almost all of it. Jeff Ireland and his scouting department are busy planning out their campus visits and game assignments for the 2023 college football season, eager to get to work on identifying the next wave of NFL draft prospects. So where could they be looking?
Here are four names to add to your 2024 watch list, and when to tune in for their biggest early-season matchups with other legit NFL prospects:
1
WR Rome Odunze, Washington
There was a lot of smoke linking the Saints to Jonathan Mingo in the 2023 draft, and Odunze looks like an upgrade with similar athletic traits at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds. The former high school track star broke out last year with nearly as many catches, yards, and touchdown receptions (75 for 1,145 and 7 scores) as Mingo had in his last two years combined (74 for 1,221 and 8 scores). Odunze is looking to elbow his way into that WR1 conversion with Ohio State Buckeyes prospects Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka.
“I tried to put on some muscle, because I felt like I could play at 215-220 with my same speed, my same agility. It feels good,” Odunze told the Seattle Times’ Mike Vorel. “I haven’t felt it too much, except people bouncing off me a little more. So that’s fun. I’m able to deliver hits better on blocks and stuff like that. Hopefully I can use my strength to my advantage.”
Wide receiver should be a point of emphasis for the Saints in 2024 — right now, they have just three players under contract at the position between Chris Olave, A.T. Perry, and Shaquan Davis. It shouldn’t be hard to re-sign many of their teammates currently on prove-it deals, and Rashid Shaheed will be back as an exclusive-rights free agent, but uncertainty surrounding Michael Thomas should keep receiver in play. They need a long-term solution here.
When to watch Odunze: Sept. 2 vs. Boise State (ABC)
2
OT Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
A former five-star high school prospect and the No. 32 overall player at Top247’s ranking in 2021, Suamataia was recruited to play left tackle for Mario Cristobal at Oregon but transferred back to his home state after Cristobal left for Miami. He started the 2022 season at right tackle for BYU and played very well (logging 365 snaps in pass protection through a dozen games, without allowing a sack), but moved back to his natural position at left tackle in 2023 spring camp. The 6-foot-6, 315 pounder has rare movement skills and, assuming all goes well in the fall, is eager to take his talents to the NFL in the 2024 draft despite only being a redshirt sophomore.
“Straight out of high school, I wanted to be two years in college and out. But the man upstairs had different plans for me, and here I am,” Suamataia told the Desert News’ Jay Drew. “I definitely want to play in the NFL. That is a no-brainer. So however this season goes (will be the determining factor), but I am really looking forward to it. It is not so much to follow other people’s footsteps, but taking my own path and seeing what best fits me and my family.”
The Saints’ once-storied offensive line has been eroded by injuries and age in recent years, and they’ll have to make a decision on right tackle Ryan Ramczyk next offseason. He’s on track to have a $27 million salary cap hit with $6.5 million of his base salary becoming guaranteed on March 20. Another restructure is likely, but they could designate him a post-June 1 cut and save more than $11.9 million against the cap. If Ramczyk isn’t going to be in their long-term plans, investing in a young replacement like Suamataia (who will be a 21-year-old rookie) would make a lot of sense. We should also keep a close eye on Trevor Penning’s progress at left tackle.
When to watch Suamataia: Sept. 16 at Arkansas (ESPN2)
3
IOL Christian Mahogany, Boston College
Mahogany (6-foot-3, 333 pounds) was a consensus three-star recruit coming out of high school, where he led Paramus Catholic to a state title as team captain. After taking a redshirt in 2019, he started all 11 games at left guard in 2020 and moved to right guard in 2021, where he again started every game. But a summer ACL injury sidelined him for 2022, and he chose to return for 2023 and put a pin on his college career before turning pro.
“I’m going to leave no doubt on my college career. Especially after an injury like this, I’m going to prove that I can still do it,” Mahogany told SI.com’s Mike McDaniel. He didn’t return to practice until April and was limited in BC’s spring game, but should be full-go in the fall. Despite losing one year to injury and redshirting his first season, he’s already taken more than 800 snaps in pass protection.
Boston College has become one of the finer factories for NFL offensive linemen as of late, sending first-round prospects to the pros like Zion Johnson (Los Angeles Chargers in 2022) and Chris Lindstrom (Atlanta Falcons in 2019). If Mahogany returns to form, he could join them as an early-round pick. He’s been a big part of the Eagles’ success on the ground — after averaging 4.8 yards per carry in 2021, they fell to just 3.7 yards per attempt without him (and their other four starters) in 2022. All three of the Saints’ top guards will be free agents in 2024: left guard Andrus Peat, right guard Cesar Ruiz, and their backup Calvin Throckmorton.
When to watch Mahogany: Sept. 23 vs. Florida State (ABC)
4
LB Payton Wilson, NC State
Wilson is an impressive athlete at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, which has helped him develop into one of the nation’s best coverage linebackers — quarterbacks have thrown more interceptions into his coverage (4) than touchdown passes (3). After missing most of the 2021 season with a shoulder injury, he returned in 2022 and improved as a tackler with just 6 misses after he whiffed 27 times through his first two years. He’s a leader in this program and brings a ton of experience, which could help a settle a Saints linebacker corps filled with young, unproven talent.
He wants to prove he can stay healthy after feedback from NFL teams centered on his durability, telling the Fayetteville Observer’s David Thompson: “Some of them were saying they think I need to put two healthy years together. I was hearing from other guys that I could go anywhere from the third round to undrafted or that some teams might not even look at me because of my injuries.”
Demario Davis and Pete Werner headline the group under contract for 2024, but it wouldn’t shock anyone if Davis chose to retire in the next year or two, and Werner’s injury concerns should make the position a priority even if he plays well and doesn’t miss a snap in 2023. As is the case at wide receiver, another long-term fix could be needed here, and Wilson is someone to monitor in the fall.
When to watch Wilson: Sept. 9 vs. Notre Dame (ABC)
