Could they advance and remove the initial tackle from the game?
Everyone thinks they know what the New Orleans Saints will select in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, which is in more than a week. It is anticipated that the Saints will choose an offensive tackle with the 14th overall pick. The offensive line may be getting a major makeover because of Ryan Ramczyk’s knee injury, Trevor Penning’s sluggish progress, and Andrus Peat’s free agency status.
One of the best ways to address the weaknesses on the line would be to choose a top prospect from this great tackle class.The question that remains is which tackle New Orleans will choose. Given that offensive tackle is thought to be a priority position and that the Saints have the 14th overall choice, New Orleans might have to select the second- or third-best tackle in the class. But that’s not an issue because—as mentioned before—this is a really in-depth tackle class.
However, it seems sense to inquire as to whether the Saints will have the opportunity to choose the top tackle in the class. That’s widely regarded as Notre Dame’s Joe Alt. Alt is expected to enter the top 10 at the latest, but not the top five.
He hasn’t been connected to New Orleans because they don’t have a pick until the fourteenth. Still, according to a recent mock draft, Alt is selected by the Saints.
In a recent mock draft for The Sporting News, Tyler Forness predicted that Joe Alt would be drafted by New Orleans if they traded up to select No. 9.
Saints trade up for Joe Alt in recent mock draft
Alt would certainly be great in New Orleans, but this would be a bad trade for the Saints. The team has too many needs to be giving picks away, especially when they could draft a different pro-ready tackle just a few spots later. In this mock draft, New Orleans would move up to select Alt, then the team won’t be on the clock until the fifth round. The Saints would be better off selecting the tackle that falls to them at 14 and keeping their second-round pick.
While Alt would undoubtedly be fantastic in New Orleans, the Saints would lose out on this trade. The team has too many needs to be throwing away draft choices, especially considering that they might select a different pro-ready tackle a few spots later in the draft. New Orleans would pick Alt first in this mock selection, and the team wouldn’t have to worry about running out of time until the fifth round. It would be wiser for the Saints to hold onto their second-round pick and choose the tackle who drops to them at 14.
