(Photo courtesy of @NFLDraft on X)
By Ross Jackson
The premiere draft analyst has dropped his first mock draft of the 2024 NFL Draft cycle. ESPN’s Mel Kiper released his 1.0 mock (subscription required) on Wednesday afternoon and sent a key defender to the New Orleans Saints at No. 9 overall.
Before we get to the Saints’ selection, here are the players that went off the board before New Orleans was hypothetically on the clock.
- Tennessee Titans – QB Cam Ward, Miami
- Cleveland Browns – WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
- New York Giants – QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
- New England Patriots – DE Abdul Carter, Penn State
- Jacksonville Jaguars – DT Mason Graham, Michigan
- Las Vegas Raiders – WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
- New York Jets – Mykel Wiliams, Georgia
- Carolina Panthers – LB Jalon Walker, Georgia
With those prospects off the board, Kiper has the Saints selecting Michigan cornerback Will Johnson.
“Johnson—who reads the QB incredibly well and has the quickness to finish plays with takeaways—could be the Marshon Lattimore replacement in New Orleans. Johnson had nine interceptions over his career at Michigan.”
That would be a huge addition for the Saints defense. As a team that needs a boost at just about every position on its roster, there’s not a lot of wrong that can be done at a top 10 pick. That is, just as long as the selection is a known valuable commodity that has a day one starting projection. Johnson fits that mold.
While New Orleans’ biggest issues on defense in recent years have come when asked to stop the run, winning in the passing game in the NFL will always reign supreme. The Saints defense also finished 2024 No. 27 against the pass after ranking No. 10 in 2023 in passing yards allowed. The Saints need help in every phase of their defense.
The combination of Johnson and cornerback Alontae Taylor on the outside in base sets with 2024 second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry handling the perimeter, as Taylor moves inside for nickel snaps would be an appealing set up.
The team could also simply return Taylor to his slot role, where he started the season as one of the league’s most disruptive players in 2024.
One could certainly argue in favor of the selection of dominating Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, game-breaking running back Ashton Jeanty out of Boise State, or a trench player on either side of the ball and not be wrong here. But Johnson is hard to specifically argue against. At 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds and with excellent production to boot, Johnson would be a heck of an addition for any defense.
He finished his Wolverines career with nine interceptions, only two touchdowns catches surrendered, a 54% catch percentage allowed, and a 49.8 passer rating forced when targeted per Pro Football Focus.
At this time last year, Kiper had the Saints selecting LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. at the No. 14 overall selection in his 2024 mock draft (subscription required). Eventual Saints first-round selection, offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga did not go off the board until pick No. 22 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles. Both wide receiver and offensive line could certainly be in play for New Orleans again this season.
