The New Orleans Saints are heading in a new direction with Kellen Moore as their head coach. The first-time sideline boss is fresh off a Super Bowl 59 victory as the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, and looks to help bolster the offense in New Orleans. This offseason, the Saints retained tight end Juwan Johnson and wide receiver Dante Pettis, while bringing back former first-round pick Brandin Cooks.
At quarterback, there was no question that Derek Carr was returning, especially after they restructured his contract. But that doesn't mean that he's guaranteed the role. One way the Saints can find his replacement is through the NFL Draft, and it just so happens, the team is betting favorites for one prospect.
According to both the DraftKings and FanDuel sportsbooks, the Saints are the favorites to draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. DraftKings has Sanders to the Saints as +300 odds.
Saints betting favorites to select Shedeur Sanders
This is surprising, given that the Saints pick ninth overall in the first round. Earlier this offseason, Sanders was projected to go as high as No. 2 to the Cleveland Browns, followed by the New York Giants at No. 3 overall. But with the likes of Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter being too good to pass up, it could result on both of those teams passing on Sanders. With that, a free fall could begin for Sanders, and the Saints could be beneficiaries.
Sanders doesn't have the ceiling that Miami quarterback Cam Ward has, but he does have a high floor. Sanders is one of the more accurate passers in this year's class. While he may not have the arm strength, Sanders is able to get the football in the wide receiver's hands deep downfield. Sanders is mostly a pocket quarterback, but is capable of moving if he has to.
This past season for Colorado, Sanders threw for 4,134 yards, 37 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions on an FBS-best 74.0 completion percentage.
It's not often a quarterback of the future falls into your draft range For the Saints, Sanders seems like a realistic possibility than it did weeks ago. The team has yet to find Drew Brees' successor since his retirement after the 2020 season. Sanders could very well be the future under center in New Orleans and could potentially push for starting time over Carr. But first, we have to see if he actually falls into the Saints' range in the first round.