Saints Draft Outlook: Quarterback

Is this the year the Saints need to draft a quarterback? Let's look explore it further through our position outlook series.

Dec 31, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) drops back to pass / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

It's draft month, which means it's time to dive in to the Saints positions after free agency has played out to assess what the team may or may not do at the end of the month. New Orleans currently has nine picks at their disposal, albeit the majority of them are on Day 3.

To get our series started, we'll dive in to the quarterback position, which doesn't appear to be an area where the team will look on the first couple of days, but could add to the room at some point after the fact.

Current Depth Chart: Derek Carr, Jake Haener, Nathan Peterman

Saints Draft Prospect Outlook - Quarterback

• Day 1 Options: J.J. McCarthy (Michigan), Bo Nix (Oregon)
• Day 2 Options: Michael Penix Jr. (Washington)
• Day 3 Options: Spencer Rattler (South Carolina), Michael Pratt (Tulane), Sam Hartman (Notre Dame), Taulia Tagovailoa (Maryland), Jordan Travis (Florida State)
• UDFAs: Davius Richard (North Carolina Central), Carter Bradley (South Alabama), Layne Hatcher (Ball State), Phil Jurkovec (Pitt), Michael Hiers (Samford), Gavin Hardison (UTEP), Jeremy Moussa (Florida A&M)

THE CASE FOR DRAFTING

You never say never, but this year is supposed to see a good run on quarterbacks in the Top 10 picks. That honestly bodes well for New Orleans and will give them a very interesting decision to make when they select at 14th. Unless the team trades up, they simply won't be able to get any of the top-tier prospects available. There are potential picks that could fall their way that would benefit the team more.

Now, the old adage remains that the team should be building for the future. At some point, the Saints may embrace that. If for some reason the team is thinking a youth movement should be coming to help with the new-look offense, then get your guy and be happy with it. It's honestly not a bad year to nab one with such rich talent. However, based on the moves we've seen and other factors, this continues to be another year that they won't and honestly probably shouldn't.

THE CASE FOR NOT DRAFTING

The long and short of it is that the Saints are committed to Derek Carr. This will be his second year in New Orleans and pairing him up with Klint Kubiak and Andrew Janocko looks to pay off. Dennis Allen made it a point to get Carr's insight on the hiring of Kubiak, and the new system is friendly to a lot of positions, including the quarterback position.

Allen said at the NFL Annual League Meetings, "I think Derek doesn't get enough credit for the athlete that he is, and I think his athletic skillset will do well in this scheme. I think some of the things that we did, kind of later on in the season last year, was some of the play action passing game benefitted Derek. I thought our passing game came alive towards the end of the year, and I think that's something that he'll thrive in in this new system, new scheme."

Adding Nathan Peterman to the room may not set the world on fire on the surface, but he has familiarity with the coaches. At the NFL Annual League Meetings, Mickey Loomis said that signing Peterman wasn't connected to seeing where Jake Haener was at in terms of the backup role, and the team is going to see whether or not he steps into that role.

Loomis said, "We're excited about Jake. Excited about what he did for us in his first year and going forward."

We also can't forget about Taysom Hill. His role will be one to pay close attention to as we get closer to training camp. Yes, he is a part of the team plans for the offense this season despite many suggesting that he will be traded. Hill could also step in, but it remains to be seen.

For the Saints and the quarterback position, the bottom line is that a lot of the successes or failures for 2024 will depend heavily on what Derek Carr brings to the table. We saw last year that a strong insurance plan is something New Orleans needs to have. They could be alright if Carr gets hurt or it could be a disaster. The team's three-year drought from a postseason appearance needs to end, so the Saints simply need to make sure the confidence is there in this position group and then the results need to speak for itself.