It’s never too soon to keep tabs on what’s going on in NFL mock drafts, even if the 2023 NFL draft is far beyond the horizon. These are good exercises for evaluating team needs and scouting out which college football stars might be looking to turn pro — if nothing else, it gives fans an idea of who to watch on Saturdays in the fall. But for a team without a first-round pick in 2023 like the New Orleans Saints, there’s a different sense of anxiety to it: with their pick going to the Philadelphia Eagles after a bold pre-draft trade in 2022, just how highly-valued will that selection be?
With the pick they got from New Orleans at No. 13 overall, Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield has the Eagles selecting Notre Dame safety Brandon Joseph, who is expected to replace Baltimore Ravens rookie Kyle Hamilton in the Fighting Irish secondary after transferring from Northwestern. He’s in a good spot to make a name for himself and catapult up draft boards by next spring.
Let’s be clear: the issue here wouldn’t be in the Saints missing out on Joseph specifically (who knows where he’ll eventually be drafted, and New Orleans doesn’t have a need at safety after signing veterans Marcus Maye and Tyrann Mathieu to multiyear deals). But frankly, this has to be the outcome Philadelphia is hoping for. And they’ll be in a position to help it manifest when the Saints visit them in Week 17. Knocking off the Saints to improve their standings in the playoff picture and the 2023 draft order would be big for them.
