2018 NFL Draft Day Morning: What is your final hope for the Saints on Day 1?

It’s finally here! The first day of the 2018 NFL Draft. Your New Orleans Saints are slated to pick 27th in the first round, and currently are without a second round pick, having traded that pick to move up in the draft and select RB Alvin Kamara in the 2017 NFL Draft.

So let’s talk about what you want the Saints to do today in the Draft. How would your ideal Day 1 go for the Saints? Obviously it would be great if Bradley Chubb fell to the Saints at 27th overall, but that’s not going to happen. At this point, after all of the mock drafts, after all of the analysis, every fan has a realistic hope for what the Saints are able to actually accomplish in the first round. Here’s my dream scenario:

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27th overall: QB Lamar Jackson (Louisville)

The Saints don’t trade up or back in the first round. Quarterbacks start to slip early with Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield as the only two QBs to go in the top 10. Josh Rosen and Josh Allen go 11-20, and then the Patriots pick Mason Rudolph at 23rd. That confirms Lamar Jackson as the best QB on the board at 27 (even though he ranks on most lists above Rudolph and above Allen on others). The Saints are able to pick a potentially game-changing QB of the future who can sit behind Drew Brees for at least a year.

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mid to late-second round (but first if necessary): TE Mike Gesicki (Penn State)

I imagine Hayden Hurst and Dallas Goedert go (in some order) as the first two Tight Ends selected in the draft. Whenever the second goes, I would love to see the Saints trade up in to the 2nd Round and select Gesicki. Gesicki presents a big-bodied athletic freak that could immediately become one of Drew Brees’s favorite red zone targets.

It wouldn’t have to be Gisecki for me to be happy, though. Any of him, Goedert or Hurst would be a great addition into the offense, with each bringing their own pros and cons. After two go off the board, it would be great for the Saints to make a move up in the draft to grab the third Tight End of the 2018 NFL Draft.

But what if two Tight Ends go early in Round 1? Then I would ideally want the Saints to find a way to acquire a second first round pick to make it happen. The Saints are one tight end away from having an incredible offense in 2018. If it takes sacrificing future picks to make sure we don’t miss out on one, so be it.

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So my dream Day 1 for the Saints has the team grabbing BOTH Lamar Jackson as the QB of the future and one of the top 3 Tight Ends (likely Mike Gisecki). It would take one trade up, either at QB or TE. What about you? What would your ideal Day 1 look like? The options are too numerous to do a poll, so just post in the comments. Do you want the Saints to trade up for a QB? Trade back for a Tight End? Stay put and draft a lineman? What player do you have your eye on at 27? Last call! Dream it into existence!