Saints move up, select QB in late fourth

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — An hour after selecting Old Dominion offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri as the 115th overall pick, the New Orleans Saints swapped their seventh round (No. 227) with Jacksonville to grab Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener at No. 127.

The 6-foot, 207-pound Haener, a 2022 First-team All-Mountain West signal-caller, joins a Saints quarterback room that includes recently signed Derek Carr, re-signed Jameis Winston and occasional wildcat Taysom Hill.

Haener said playing for the Saints is a dream come true, and that Saints great Drew Brees was his idol growing up and the reason he wore No. 9 at Fresno State.

The California native is the Bulldogs fourth all-time passing leader with 1,072 attempts, 713 completions, and 9,013 yards. And fifth in touchdown passes with 67.

Previous picks include:

• Round 1, Pick 29 – Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson
• Round 2, Pick 40 – Isaiah Foskey, DE, Notre Dame
• Round 3, Pick 71 – Kendre Miller, RB, TCU
• Round 4, Pick 115 – Nick Saldiveri, OL, Old Dominion

UP NEXT FOR THE SAINTS

New Orleans has several more picks left in the 2023 NFL Draft:

• Round 5, Pick 146
• Round 7, Pick 257 (compensatory selection)

Rounds 4-7 kicked off at 11 a.m. Saturday.