The Saints may have more urgency than you think to pick a quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft

The New Orleans Saints haven’t picked a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft since taking Archie Manning with the No. 2 overall selection in 1971. The Saints’ 2015 third-round pick Garrett Grayson is the only other passer the team has ever taken in the first three rounds.

But according to Sean Payton, that almost changed last year.

The decision didn’t work out poorly for the Saints as Lattimore turned out to be the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017.

Drew Brees was recently re-signed to a two-year deal by the Saints, but he’s 39 and clearly in the final years of his career. The Saints have been a logical destination for quarterbacks in the 2018 NFL Draft; however, most mock drafts project a tight end to be their first-round selection. But the team nearly addressing the position in the first round last year suggests it may be prepared to do the same this time around.

So who would it be?

With the Saints set to pick at No. 27, several quarterbacks will presumably be off the table with as many as four — Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and Josh Rosen — projected to go in the top five. And Payton says that’s not a problem.

In an interview with MMQB’s Peter King earlier in April, the coach said he’s glad he doesn’t have to parse through the first few passers:

“I don’t see Luck in this draft, and I don’t see Carson Wentz, who I liked a lot coming into the draft,” Saints coach Sean Payton said Saturday. He’s in the market for a passer. “I’d feel a little bit uneasy if I were at the top of this draft and I decided I had to have a quarterback. The pressure to get a quarterback is so great in this league, I get that. But we can’t create ’em. I wouldn’t be surprised if only one of these guys is left standing in four or five years, and if so, I’d guess it would be Sam Darnold.”

But even if Payton’s glad his team isn’t desperate for a quarterback like the Cleveland Browns or Buffalo Bills, it doesn’t mean he hasn’t had his eye on the class. In particular, he seems to have an affinity for Mayfield, whom he met at length with at the Senior Bowl and again at the NFL Combine:

He even tweeted about the quarterback:

But landing Mayfield is unlikely and would require an extremely expensive trade on draft night. A more logical connection is Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, the quarterback who has most often appeared in the latter half of the first round in mock drafts. In March, Payton had nothing but positive things to say about the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner. Via ESPN:

“I like him. I like him. He’s athletic. He’s got a magic smile to him. He’s a leader,” Payton said. “With Lamar, you feel it in the room and you can tell he can lead. ... He’s a special guy. You just have to be around him, interview him, and you can see why he was successful.”

The Saints may also need to trade up if they hope to secure Jackson. But it’s looking increasingly possible that New Orleans is ready to make that kind of investment at quarterback.