Ring the bell: the New Orleans Saints received a single compensatory pick in the 2023 NFL draft following their free agent losses last offseason. Because of the value exchanged in losing left tackle Terron Armstead and free safety Marcus Williams while adding a veteran safety in Marcus Maye and a backup quarterback in Andy Dalton, the league office decided that the Saints earned a compensatory pick in the seventh round. It’s slotted at No. 257 overall.
That’s not the Mr. Irrelevant pick (the final selection in the draft), but it’s close. The Chicago Bears and Houston Texans own the last two picks before the Saints’ final choice, at Nos. 258 and 259. If the Saints trade down with Houston, whoever they choose will own that recognition. The compensatory pick formula is still shrouded in secrecy but experts at Over The Cap have gotten increasingly more accurate in predicting it year over year. They got it right this time.
We’re still waiting on the league office to finalize the draft order in the later rounds (when we’ll learn whether or not the Saints are losing their sixth rounder, traded to the Texans as a conditional pick for cornerback Bradley Roby) but for now here are where they’re slotted in:
- Round 1, Pick 30 (via Denver, from Miami through San Francisco)
- Round 2, Pick 41
- Round 3, Pick 72
- Round 4, Pick 116
- Round 5, Pick 149
- Round 5, Pick 168 (via Philadelphia)
- Round 7, Pick 257
