Saints Predicted To Draft 'Gifted' QB At No. 71: 'Kellen Moore's Jalen Hurts'

New Orleans simply must have a good draft this year

Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Even if the New Orleans Saints roll with Derek Carr in 2025, they still might draft a quarterback.

The Saints are embarking on a new era under new head coach Kellen Moore, and everyone in the organization is looking ahead to a brighter future. Carr has been decent when healthy in New Orleans, but he’s not necessarily the guy that the Saints will build around moving forward.

New Orleans’ first three selections in the upcoming draft are at No. 9, No. 40, and No. 71 overall, respectively.

The nature of the QB talent pool in this year's draft means that the Saints won’t be able to snag either of the top-two prospects — Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders — at No. 9, but there’s a good chance a quality quarterback will be available for them to draft at No. 40 or No. 71.

New Orleans might even be able to wait until No. 71 and still get their QB of the future, at least according to football analyst Joe DeLeone, who recently did a mock draft for Pro Football Network and had the Saints selecting Alabama QB Jalen Milroe in that spot.

“If Derek Carr is given one more shot this season, New Orleans should seek out their future quarterback with the cheapest route possible,” DeLeone wrote.

“Jalen Milroe is a very gifted athlete and has a very high ceiling as a prospect. If develops as a decision-maker for a few years, he could eventually be Kellen Moore’s Jalen Hurts.”

It’s not the first time Milroe has been compared to the Super Bowl champion Hurts. 

Milroe, regardless of his ceiling from a skills standpoint, would be coming from a winning college program, and the Saints are trying to build a winning culture right now.

Milroe went 21-6 as a starter at Alabama and finished his career with 45 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, and 6,016 passing yards. More notably, Milroe rushed for 33 touchdowns at Alabama and accrued 1,577 rushing yards.

Is Milroe the guy for the Saints? If he’s available at No. 71, you have to think Moore and Co. will grab him.

More NFL: Saints Could Acquire Former Jets, Packers Super Bowl Champion In Surprise Move