Where would the Saints pick in the NFL Draft if the season ended today?

The New Orleans Saints, who are 4-7 on the season after an open date, would pick No. 9 if the NFL Draft was today. It might be wise for the Saints not to win too much down the stretch, considering their plethora of needs in the draft and free agency.

New Orleans, which has won two straight under interim coach Darren Rizzi after losing seven in a row under former coach Dennis Allen, hosts the Los Angeles Rams (5-5) Sunday in the Superdome (3 p.m. central, FOX).

The Saints need cornerbacks, safeties, wide receivers, edge rushers, offensive linemen and maybe a quarterback, depending on how the front office feels about the future with veteran Derek Carr. We will limit it to the three most necessary needs — cornerback, wide receiver and edge rusher.

1. Cornerback

The Saints could fill two positions with one selection in the 2025 NFL Draft by taking Colorado cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, a junior (6-foot-1, 185), who began his career at Jackson State under coach Deion Sanders before following him to Colorado.

The Saints have too much ground to cover — as in losses — at the moment to get high enough in the draft to pick Hunter, who is slated as the No. 1 pick in the draft to Jacksonville (2-9). The Heisman Trophy favorite caught eight passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns with seven tackles in the Buffaloes' loss at Kansas over the weekend. He has 82 catches for 1,036 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season with three interceptions.

Trading up would be an option for New Orleans to get this ball-skills master. Three-year veteran wide receiver Chris Olave perhaps with draft choices? Hunter, like his head coach, is excellent at the art of baiting quarterbacks into thinking the receiver he is covering is open. Then he makes the interception. He has eight in his career along with 157 receptions for 1,947 yards and 20 touchdowns. The Saints' organization desperately needs a young and exciting player, and Hunter would be that and then some.

Michigan junior cornerback Will Johnson (6-foot-2, 202 pounds) is another one who may be out of the Saints' range as he is currently considered a top-five pick. He has nine interceptions in his career with a Michigan-record three returned for TDs. He picked off four with one pick-six last year as the Wolverines won the national championship.

Notre Dame junior cornerback Benjamin Moore (6-foot-0, 190 pounds) also has nine career interceptions and is projected as a mid-first rounder now, so New Orleans could have a better shot at him if it continues winning under Rizzi.

2. Wide receiver

The Saints have talent here with Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, but Olave has had concussion issues and Shaheed was lost for the season with a knee injury. Marquez Valdes-Scantling has also played well, but New Orleans needs a legitimate, true No. 1 wide receiver, which it has not had since former Saint Michael Thomas was still performing well in 2019.

Arizona junior Tetairoa McMillan (6-foot-5, 212 pounds) would be a possible option. A projected top-10 pick, McMillan has 78 catches for 1,251 yards and seven touchdowns this season. He has started 32 of 36 games and has 207 receptions for 3,305 yards and 25 touchdowns in his career.

The Saints may be able to get Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka and/or Ole Miss' Tre Harris in the late first round or early second round. A senior, Egbuka (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) has not equaled his sophomore season with the Buckeyes when he caught 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022. But he is solid.

Harris (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) is also a senior who is in his second season with the Rebels after a transfer from Louisiana Tech. He is having his best season (60 catches, 1,030 yards, 7 TDs) despite missing three games with a groin injury that he aggravated in the loss at Florida on Saturday.

3. Edge Rusher

Penn State junior defensive end Abdul Carter (6-foot-3, 259 pounds) has eight sacks this season and 19 in his career, but he may be out of the Saints' reach as he is a top-five projection.

Tennessee junior defensive end James Pearce (6-foot-5, 242 pounds) is a mid-first-round projection and could help immediately. He has 7.5 sacks this season and 19 in his career.

Ole Miss senior defensive end Princely Umanmielen (6-foot-5, 255 pounds) was one of the top transfer portal prospects last off-season and has delivered with 10.5 sacks. He had 15 in parts of four seasons with Florida. Umanmielen is a late first-round or early second projection.

And don't count out LSU junior offensive tackle Will Campbell.