Saints 2022 NFL Draft Rumors: Chris Olave, Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder

The 2022 NFL Draft rumor mill is in full swing with the big night just days away. While teams are certainly posturing to send up smoke screens ahead of the NFL Draft, some actual intentions can be gleaned by reading the tea leaves that are NFL rumors. We’re going to combine our expert consensus first-round mock NFL Draft, the latest picks from our NFL analysts, our team needs for each NFL squad, and the latest NFL rumors to try to determine what teams will do during the 2022 NFL Draft. Below, we’ll check and see what the New Orleans Saints appear poised to do with their first-round picks.

2022 NFL Draft Team Needs

Andrew Erickson shares team needs for all 32 teams ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. He has the following for the Saints:

Team Needs: WR, OT, QB, LB, DT

Latest 2022 NFL Draft Rumors

Marco Pavoloni (@MAPavoloni) of The Rumor Mill Mock Draft provides the latest in the world of 2022 NFL Draft rumors.

At the beginning of April, the Saints made an unconventional decision to trade assets with the Eagles and procure themselves a second first round pick in the 2022 draft.

I say ‘unconventional’ because most people in draft media see the 2022 draft as extremely deep in the day two range, and that’s where the Saints gave up most of their picks in the trade.

So why would they do it?

Daniel Jeremiah, on 4/5:

“Reached out to 6 GM’s to get their thoughts on the Saints motive for the trade with Eagles. Majority think it’s about Saints believing they are really close and two quality starters could put them in the playoffs right now. One mentioned Ridder as mid 1st possibility.”

One day earlier, Tony Pauline had written, “Saints want to come away with a QB and WR in round one. They just furthered the cause for coming away with both.”

And on 4/11, Jordan Schultz mentioned that his league sources said the Saints are high on Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett, and will consider trading up to secure one of them.

But talk of the Saints taking a QB has cooled quite a bit as of late, with many believing that the Saints want a second selection in the first round so they can take two immediate starters.

With their moves in free agency, the Saints have shown that they feel they can win now. Do any of the QB options in this draft give them a better chance of success in 2022 than Jameis Winston? The league is skeptical.

Which is why most attention has been directed to the Wide Receiver position. Let’s explore the options:

The buzz on Olave goes all the way back to the combine. Ross Jackson posted a video of Ohio State WR Chris Olave talking about his relationship with Saints WR MIchael Thomas, his meeting with the Saints organization, and what it would be like to play in New Orleans.

But Olave isn’t the only pass catcher linked to the Saints:

On 4/19, Ryan McCrystal wrote:

“Two recent draft rumors that feel connected to me: 1) Saints want Jameson Williams 2) Jameson Williams is a top-10 pick. Starting to wonder if someone sees the Saints’ interest, sees their draft capital and planted some rumors angling for a trade.”

The most recent buzz, which, which you can choose to interpret any way you like, is from Albert Breer, in his final MMQB before the draft: “

Well, I’ve heard both Pickett and Corral have fans in the building, but most I’ve talked to believe they’ll use their picks on a receiver (if one of the top four is still there).”

It really sounds like you can put your money one pick 16 or 19 being a receiver, unless the Saints decide to trade up. But even in a trade up scenario, they would likely be targeting a receiver or an offensive tackle.

Consensus First-Round NFL Mock Draft

Our consensus mock draft could see the Saints going either way at this point. It has Chris Olave (37%) as the consensus pick, but quarterback Kenny Pickett is just behind Olave at 25%.

Our analysts agree on this one. They see the Saints using their earliest first-round pick to snag Olave at No. 16.

Freedman’s latest mock draft: Week of the Draft

16. New Orleans Saints: Chris Olave (WR – Ohio State)
Over the past three years, Olave has proven himself to be an NFL-ready pass catcher with 163-2,505-32 receiving in 31 games. In the short term, Olave could be a dynamic field-stretching supplement to injury-riddled No. 1 receiver Michael Thomas. In the long term, he could be Thomas’ replacement.

Erickson’s latest mock draft: NFL Mock Draft 6.0

16. New Orleans Saints: Chris Olave (WR – Ohio State)
Even with Michael Thomas back in the fold, there’s still a gaping hole at the wide receiver position in the Big Easy. Longtime general manager Mickey Loomis has had zero issues spending high-end draft capital on WRs in the past, making Chris Olave the selection here.

The former Buckeye doesn’t offer the same skill set as Thomas, but he can separate from defenders at an elite level downfield. Olave wrapped up his 2021 season in the 96th percentile in separation versus single coverage and caught seven touchdowns on throws of 20-plus air yards.

He further cemented himself as a top-20 selection by blazing a 4.39 40-yard dash (90th percentile) at the NFL Combine.

Olave draws parallels to Calvin Ridley with his route-running ability. But like Ridley coming out of school, Olave doesn’t offer much after the catch.

His forced broken and missed tackle rate ranked 43rd among 43 qualifying wide receivers in the class. His yards after the catch per reception (4.2) ranked 37th.

FantasyPros Mock Drafts

Andrew Erickson:

Matthew Freedman:

Version 1: Post-free agency
Version 2: Post-Eagles & Saints trade
Version 3: Mid-April
Version 4: 10 days away
Version 5: Seven days away
Version 6: Week of the Draft

Derek Brown:

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