Saints stand pat, get premier left tackle in new USA Today mock draft

New Orleans Saints fans are going to like this one...

USA Today's Nate Davis shared one of the most exciting mock drafts that we've seen to date. Davis has a multitude of trades going down in within top-10 including the Las Vegas Raiders, the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Commanders all making moves to secure their quarterback of the future.

Unfortunately for Saints fans, Davis didn't project the big trade-up that you all wanted to see. However, he did give the Saints one player that could be monumental in the team's success going forward.

At pick No. 14, Davis has the Saints selecting Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu with their first round choice. Here's what Davis had to say about his decision:

Given the performance, or lack thereof, thus far by former first-round LT Trevor Penning plus the knee issues and cost associated with RT Ryan Ramczyk, the Nittany Lions’ 2023 All-American makes too much sense – particularly given the amount of abuse (physical and otherwise) taken by QB Derek Carr in 2023.

Davis couldn't have said it any better. The Saints as they sit currently, do not have a bona fide starter at either tackle position going into next season. This makes finding at least one huge priority in this year's draft. Can't argue with this decision.

In terms of the player, Fashanu is one of three first round left tackles in this year's draft and is likely going to be the second offensive lineman period to come off the board. Fashanu possesses tremendous lateral movement when redirecting against rushers and has a ton of strength to slow rushers down once he gets a hold. Outside of Notre Dame's Joe Alt, Fashanu is likely the safest pick in this draft at the offensive tackle position.

It's not likely that Fashanu slides this far but if he does, it'd be ludicrous for them not to turn in the card immediately.