CBS

The Saints worked their way back into the first round when the Broncos hired former New Orleans coach Sean Payton, but because it's the No. 29 pick, there's no chance the team will be in the running for the top four quarterbacks unless there's some plan to move way up the board. Instead, the Saints wait until the ninth pick in the second round (40th overall) to take Tennessee's Hendon Hooker, a legit Heisman Trophy candidate who tore his ACL late in the season and missed the Senior Bowl and likely won't be able to work out prior to the draft. But what Hooker put on tape in 2022 should be more than enough to convince teams that he's a Day 2 talent all day long. And he could do for New Orleans what he did for the Vols: revitalize a flagging offense and get New Orleans right back in the playoff mix. (It helps to play in the NFC South.) Meanwhile, in our first two-round mock draft of the 2023 cycle, 10 cornerbacks go off the board, followed by eight edge rushers and 14 offensive linemen (eight tackles, and three each at guard and center). Perhaps most surprising, five running backs are selected.