Saints' uncertainty with Derek Carr shakes up latest mock draft
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Some potentially big NFL news broke on Friday when it was reported that Derek Carr suffered a shoulder injury that "has put his availability for 2025 in doubt."
Carr is entering the penultimate season of a four-year, $150 million contract with the New Orleans Saints. Carr missed seven games last season, so his missing time isn't anything new for the Saints. However, it is coming to a point where the team needs to think of a succession plan for the post-Carr era. Carr is 34 years old. The Saints would like to contend in what is expected to be a competitive NFC South.
So, what are the Saints' options with a week and a half until Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft?
➤ Stick with what you got. That means rolling with the two quarterbacks who currently sit behind Carr on the depth chart: Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. Rattler started six games when Carr was out last season, going 0-6 in those starts. That's not great! Haener got one start, and the Saints also lost that game. This is how the Saints landed in the top 10 of the first round of this year's draft. It seems sticking with these two as your QBs 1 and 2 would be a recipe for another top-10 selection.
➤ Pick up a veteran. Maybe the Saints enter into the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes, which seems to include just one team at the moment, the Pittsburgh Steelers. It seems unlikely that the Atlanta Falcons would trade Kirk Cousins to a division rival. Neither of these scenarios seem likely to happen.
➤ Use the No. 9 overall selection in the draft to select a quarterback. This would require the Saints to do something the franchise has done just once in its nearly six-decade existence: Use a first-round pick on a quarterback. That quarterback, of course, was Archie Manning in 1971. The Saints took Manning out of Ole Miss with the No. 2 overall pick and the father of Peyton and Eli went on to become a franchise icon, despite a total lack of on-field success.
Paste BN Sports' Nate Davis has an updated mock draft that accounts for the Saints' conundrum, which could add some quarterback chaos to the first round. More than 50 years after selecting the elder Manning in Round 1, could the Saints target another Ole Miss passer?
➤ Complete 2025 NFL draft order
2025 NFL draft: Mocks, rankings and more
➤ Latest mock draft: Nate Davis' aforementioned updated first-round projection landed this morning. Here's a look at the top five picks:
- Tennessee Titans – QB Cam Ward, Miami (Fla.)
- Cleveland Browns – CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado
- New York Giants – OLB/DE Abdul Carter, Penn State
- New England Patriots – OT Will Campbell, LSU
- Jacksonville Jaguars – RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
➤ Top 101 prospect rankings: Ayrton Ostly has put in countless hours of study into this year's draft class. That research helped result in his big board of the top 101 prospects. Here's the top five:
- Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
- Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
- Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
- Will Campell, OT, LSU
- Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
➤ Draft's 10 biggest boom-or-bust prospects: From Alabama QB Jalen Milroe to Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten, there are among a number of prospects who are sparking particularly divisive evaluations.
➤ Deshaun Watson remains a draft cautionary tale: Three years ago was the start of a lesson. The lesson was that a team needs to be careful with its draft picks, Mike Freeman writes.
➤ Ranking all 32 teams on need to draft a quarterback: Some teams have an obvious need at the game's most important position. Some teams obviously have no need at quarterback. Then others could use depth or might be tempted to draft a passer if the right circumstance presents itself.
➤ RB class could be one of the deepest ever: Teams that need a running back in the draft will find plenty of options. In fact, there hasn't been a class this rich with running backs in years, Chris Bumbaca writes.
➤ Draft prospect rankings: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends
NFL news, notes and analysis
➤ NFL prohibits use of seven different helmet models: While the league banned some helmet models, 10 of the highly recommended helmets can now be used without the need for additional guardian caps.
➤ Could Jets be right situation for Justin Fields? We’ve seen plenty of journeyman quarterbacks bounce around the NFL before finding a suitable destination.
➤ Tyreek Hill needs an intervention. He's becoming Antonio Brown Part 2: Are we seeing the Dolphins wide receiver become another Antonio Brown? He's on that dangerous path, Mike Freeman writes.
NFL classics: Straight from the YouTube algorithm 🏈🎞️
This is where we reprise some NFL lore and recall classic, memorable moments from yesteryear.
Happy 30th birthday, Baker Mayfield!
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft has experienced quite a pro career so far. Drafted by the Cleveland Browns out of Oklahoma, Mayfield led the team to its first (and still only) playoff win since 1994 during the 2020 season.
Jettisoned by Cleveland after the team made the ill-advised trade for Deshaun Watson in 2022, Mayfield had a vagabond existence until landing in Tampa. Two days after being claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams, he led a dramatic 98-yard game-winning touchdown drive in his first game with the team, capping a thrilling 17-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on "Thursday Night Football."
The past two seasons, Mayfield has led the Buccaneers to back-to-back division titles, keeping the team's streak of four consecutive NFC South crowns intact. The 2025 season will be Mayfield's eighth in the league, with the former No. 1 pick coming off consecutive Pro Bowl seasons.
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