The New Orleans Saints are going to be an incredibly intriguing team to keep an eye on tonight in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Sean Payton and company are coming off of a surprising season that saw them make a run all the way to the NFC Divisional round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, they gave up the “Minneapolis Miracle” and were knocked out by the Minnesota Vikings.

Drew Brees is back for another season and the Saints are once again looking like a serious contender in the NFC. While Brees may be back, there is some buzz that the Saints could be looking at drafting a quarterback early in the draft to sit behind Brees and learn from him.

According to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Saints are exploring options of trading up in the first round. He does mention that it could simply be due diligence if a quarterback slides, but it is something to take note of at the very least.

New Orleans put together an impressive season on both sides of the football in 2017. A lot of their success on both offense and defense was due to the amazing draft they had last year. The ability to bring in talents like Alvin Kamara, Marcus Williams, and Marshon Lattimore doesn’t come along very often.

The #Saints have made plenty of calls about making a big leap up from pick No. 27, I’m told. Could be due diligence in case a certain player (perhaps a QB) falls. But they will be well-prepared to move tonight if it comes down to it. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 26, 2018

Needless to say, the Saints are hoping to repeat their draft success this year. New Orleans currently holds the No. 27 overall pick in the draft, but that may not be high enough for them to get a true impact player.

New Orleans Saints GM Mickey Loomis is live with the media prior to the 2018 NFL Draft starting Thursday.



WATCH ????: https://t.co/g6Tptnp2Ro pic.twitter.com/0nuInEZNdI — New Orleans Saints (@Saints) April 25, 2018

Quite a few trade talks are happening with the draft just mere hours away. Other teams are looking to move up for elite talents, including the Green Bay Packers, who Rapoport reported are looking into trade-up options.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what the first round of the NFL Draft has in store this evening. New Orleans may not end up making any aggressive moves, but it certainly sounds like they are doing their homework on what it would take to do so should they see a player they want.