Carr’s tenure might be over fairly soon.
While New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr concluded the season well, many viewed his overall impact on the club as lackluster. Despite being in the NFL’s poorest division, the Saints failed to make the playoffs once more.
Carr, who is midway through a four-year contract, completed 68.8% of his throws and threw for 3,878 yards. With 25 touchdowns and only eight interceptions, his 97.7 passer rating was the third-best of his career. Even so, many people are planning for life after Carr.
In his 2025 NFL Mock Draft, ESPN’s Matt Miller projected that the Saints would pick 10th overall. Despite the popular perception that the 2025 quarterback class is far weaker, Miller believes the Saints will prioritize finding Carr’s long-term replacement with a high draft pick.
In this mock, the Saints choose Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. In this scenario, the Longhorns star would be the third quarterback off the board, trailing only Carson Beck of Georgia and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado. Ewers may be the most risky of those prospects for New Orleans.
Jumping on Sportscenter at 12:15 Eastern to talk about Mock Draft. 1.0
Read it here: https://t.co/jOWndeOQVb
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) July 2, 2024
Saints to draft Texas QB Quinn Ewers in 2025 NFL Mock Draft
Ewers completed 69% of his passes, totaling 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. However, the former No. 1 overall recruit benefited from the Longhorns’ relatively easy, stacked offense, which saw Xavier Worthy (Chiefs), Adonai Mitchell (Colts), and Ja’Tavion Sanders (Panthers) all taken.
The completion percentage figure is somewhat misleading, as Ewers was frequently chastised by Longhorns fans for making inaccurate deep throws and being saved by good wide receiver play. Ewers’ mechanics are frequently loose, and his performance varies greatly from game to game.
Ewers’ most valuable assets are his exceptional arm skill and ability to slot throws into tight windows. Even though he is a little thinner than most elite quarterbacks, his whip-like arm and strong instincts for producing plays when the structure begins to disintegrate will appeal him to New Orleans fans if they pursue this road.
The Saints have used Day 3 draft picks on quarterbacks in consecutive years, selecting Fresno State’s Jake Haener in 2023 and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler in 2024 as a backup plan for Carr. If he performs so poorly that New Orleans enters the Top 10, the logical move would be to cut bait and sign a guy like Ewers.
