Saints drafts rank 2nd best over the last 10 years

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The Saints rank second behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the overall quality of their draft production, with an average AV of 15.5 per selection, trailing only Kansas City’s 16.3. The Saints have drafted four All-Pro players in that span: Zack Baun, Ryan Ramczyk, Trey Hendrickson and Michael Thomas. That total is surpassed by only the Cowboys with five, and Chiefs, 49ers and Ravens with six each.

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The Saints’ strong performance has come without the benefit of premium picks. They, along with the Green Bay Packers, are one of two teams without a top-10 pick in the last decade. By comparison, NFC South division rivals Atlanta and Carolina have had five top-10 picks apiece in that time

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Since 2015, the Saints have made the fewest draft selections (62) in the NFL. By comparison, the Packers have made an NFL-high 97 selections in the same span. The Saints’ strategy of targeting players they have graded highly and positioning themselves to take them, often via trade, has helped produce the low number. The club’s historically aggressive approach to free agency also contributes to its low draft pick total. Compensatory draft picks are awarded to clubs that suffer a net loss of free agents during the prior year’s free agency period. Since the system began in 1994, the Saints have received the fewest number of compensatory picks awarded by the league.

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This quality-over-quantity draft strategy gives the Saints fewer bites at the apple but also tends to yield a higher hit rate, especially on the draft's first two days. Of the 31 players selected by the Saints in Rounds 1-3, 21 developed into multiyear starters and five others — Penning, Taliese Fuaga, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Baun and Bryan Bresee — are projected to join them after the 2025 season.

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The Saints have selected just nine starters in the seven drafts since the heralded 2017

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