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The New Orleans Saints need to get unstuck.
The Saints are an aging team that hasn't completely gotten its salary cap issues in order. It's a team with a low ceiling and is incapable of admitting that. New Orleans is striving for mediocrity and has become one of the NFL's dullest franchises. Something needs to change.
And that change could be Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
At one point months ago, it looked like Sanders could be the first pick of the NFL Draft. That won't happen, as Cam Ward has taken over the top spot. It appears the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, who have the second and third picks, aren't interested in Sanders either.
But the Saints at No. 9 should be.
If Sanders falls to that ninth pick, a team that badly needs juice could get an interesting and buzzy quarterback who needs to find a home. Seems like a good fit.
The Saints have taken over as the betting favorite to pick Sanders at BetMGM. They have +220 odds (bet $100 to win $220) to take Sanders; the next team on the board is the Pittsburgh Steelers at +400.
Sanders has been one of the mysteries of the NFL Draft for weeks. Teams have wildly differing grades on him. It has seemed at times like Sanders could go as high as second overall, late in the first round, or, if everything went against him, maybe even after the first round. Nobody seems to know.
But the Saints make sense for Sanders. Derek Carr is there, but it's clear by now he's not the long-term answer. Carr could be a good bridge quarterback who allows the Saints to bring Sanders along slowly. And while it makes sense that the Browns and Giants wouldn't want to pass on an elite prospect like Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter, it's not a draft that is flush with blue-chip players. The Saints could be passing on a good player at No. 9 to take Sanders, but not a Hunter- or Carter-level prospect. The opportunity cost to take a shot on Sanders at No. 9 isn't that high.
Sanders isn't a perfect prospect. He holds the ball too long, he doesn't have an exceptional arm, size or athleticism. But he's the consensus No. 2 quarterback in the class for a reason. He has lifted two college programs — Jackson State and Colorado — was very productive and is an accurate passer.
He'd offer some hope to the Saints. They need it.
The Saints would benefit from having Sanders come aboard, and Sanders should see the positives in New Orleans as well.
The Saints just hired a new head coach, Kellen Moore, who was one of the best college quarterbacks of his era at Boise State. He presumably wants a quarterback to build his team around, and it's unlikely to be Carr. Moore has had a successful run as an offensive coordinator and might be the type of coach to mold Sanders into a franchise quarterback.
New Orleans also isn't a bad destination. Sanders was a well-known star in college, partially because the Colorado program under Deion Sanders embraced social media, and sticking him in a market like New York would lead to intense scrutiny. New Orleans isn't a huge market. He could mostly be just a football player there, not a sideshow.
There are many things that line up. The Saints wouldn't need to mortgage the franchise to take Sanders. They'd get a quarterback who would at least put them in a new and exciting direction. Sanders would land with a coach who knows about quarterbacking and can devise a successful offense. Sanders also wouldn't be under any undue pressure in New Orleans.
The biggest story of this draft will likely be where Sanders lands. He's one of the few players in the class who is famous before his first NFL snap, and nobody seems to know how high he'll go in the draft. Sanders landing with the Saints wouldn't be the splashiest possible story, but it might end up being the right fit.
