The 2023 NFL draft order projections have updated after Week 11, meaning the New Orleans Saints’ pick going to the Philadelphia Eagles has moved out of the top-4 selections. That’s a little bit of good news for New Orleans, but it still isn’t great: Tankathon projects that first-round draft choice in 2023 to end up at No. 10 overall.
It’s still well above where the Saints thought they’d be picking in 2023. They traded that pick to the Eagles thinking it would fall somewhere in the 20’s after they got back into the playoffs this season, but Dennis Allen’s team hasn’t met those expectations just yet. When they made the decision to trade that pick to Philadelphia so they could use it a year early on another player (which ended up being left tackle Trevor Penning), the thought was it wouldn’t be a very valuable asset.
Obviously that’s not the case. They gambled big and may have lost big — there’s immense pressure on Penning to pan out and justify that decision. If he can pick up where Terron Armstead left off as a Pro Bowl-quality left tackle, no one in New Orleans will care about what it cost to add him to the team. First he needs to finish his recovery from preseason toe surgery and make his pro debut.
So where would the Saints be picking if the draft started today? They’re slotted in at No. 41 overall (with the Miami Dolphins having forfeited their first rounder after a tampering investigation, moving every subsequent pick up one slot), making their first pick in the second round. They’ll also have picks in rounds three, four, five (with a second pick coming back from Philadelphia), and seven. Because the Saints were too active in free agency they aren’t projected to receive any compensatory picks after losing players like Armstead and Marcus Williams to other teams, but you never know. Maybe the NFL throws them a bone.
If you’re curious, the player selected at that draft slot in 2020 was Indianapolis Colts superstar running back Jonathan Taylor. He’s earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition three years into his career, which goes to show the Saints could find an impact player there in 2023.
But the season isn’t over just yet. Allen could rally the Saints over their final six games and still end the season with a winning record and a playoff bid, but they need a number of breaks to go their way for that to happen. They’ve dug quite a hole for themselves and are just beginning to climb back out. At the end of the day, the Eagles are going to benefit from any shortcomings the Saints experience through the last leg of their season. It’s just another reminder that Mickey Loomis should never pick up the phone again when he sees Philadelphia’s 215 area code on the line.
