Saints Reportedly Eye OT or Edge at No. 9 Despite Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders Rumors

Even though the New Orleans Saints have been heavily connected to quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, they may not end up going in that direction with the No. 9 overall pick.

On the latest episode of The McShay Show (starts at 20:35 mark), Todd McShay explained that offensive tackle or edge-rusher are the two positions in play for the Saints at No. 9.

McShay mentioned Mykel Williams and Shemar Stewart as possible options on the edge and Armand Membou at offensive tackle if he's still on the board.

McShay did note the Saints want to add a quarterback "at some point," and he said they prefer Dart over Sanders.

Sanders was a popular pick to New Orleans in the wake of NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reporting on April 11 that Derek Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury that has his availability for the 2025 season up in the air.

B/R's NFL scouting department projected the Saints to trade up with the Las Vegas Raiders for the No. 6 pick to select Sanders.

More recently, though, the connections between Dart and New Orleans have picked up steam. ESPN's Adam Schefter quoted one personnel executive as saying they don't think Sanders will be the Saints' pick because they appear to be "hot and heavy" on Dart.

The Saints might have to trade back into the first round to get Dart, because the quarterback-needy Cleveland Browns and New York Giants own the first two picks in the second round.

SNY's Connor Hughes reported the Giants could also look to move up from No. 33 to draft Dart because head coach Brian Daboll is high on him.

The Browns were said to have significant interest in Dart at one point, but that talk has quieted down as we've gotten closer to the draft. It could come back to the forefront when the event begins on Thursday night.

Either way, it seems like the Saints will have to do some maneuvering late in the first round or early in the second round to have a shot at selecting Dart.

There are few things in the world Saints general manager Mickey Loomis loves more than trading up in the draft, so it won't be a surprise if they end up acquiring a second first-round pick on Thursday night to get a quarterback if they pass on one at No. 9.