Roster needs

Biggest need: Pass rush -- The Saints ranked just 26th in adjusted sack rate last year. Much of the pressure comes from just two players: Junior Galette (10 sacks), who has off-field issues, and Cameron Jordan (7.5 sacks), who will require an expensive extension as he goes into the final year of his rookie contract.

Quiet need: Wide receiver -- With leading 2014 receiver Kenny Stills traded to Miami, the Saints' third receiver is now Nick Toon, who has only 21 catches in three NFL seasons. And unless they re-sign deep-threat veteran Robert Meachem, the only player behind Toon with an NFL catch is Jalen Saunders, a 2014 Jets fourth-rounder who bounced between four different rosters as a rookie.

Predictions

1. They won't sit still: Just because the Saints have been stockpiling picks this offseason, that doesn't mean they'll use them all. With two first-rounders (Nos. 13 and 31), five picks in the top 78 and nine overall, the Saints are poised to move up if they see a player they like at any point. The team clearly has shown a willingness to be aggressive this offseason, and GM Mickey Loomis has moved up in Round 1 five times since 2003. "It gives you a lot of flexibility," new assistant GM Jeff Ireland said of the abundance of picks. "You can do pretty much anything you want to in the early rounds of the draft."

2. Pass-rusher a priority? Defense will be a priority for New Orleans in this draft. Both Loomis and coach Sean Payton stressed that rebuilding the defense was a big reason why they traded away Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills this offseason. A pass-rusher especially looms as the Saints' top need after they didn't do much to address it in free agency. However, the top four edge rushers (Dante Fowler Jr., Shane Ray, Vic Beasley and Randy Gregory) may all be gone before the Saints pick at No. 13.

3. No QB in Round 1, but maybe a WR: Payton flatly rejected the notion the Saints might trade up for QB Marcus Mariota in Round 1: "Won't happen," he said. At some point, the Saints may draft a successor for 36-year-old Drew Brees, but Payton and Loomis said they won't force it. I think it's more likely the Saints make a "splash" move with a receiver early. Payton said WR is a higher priority after the trades, and the Saints like the depth in this year's class.

--Mike Triplett, NFL Nation Saints reporter