The Saints should seriously target a QB in the 1st round. One seems a good fit.

I’m now more convinced than ever that the 2020 NFL season — provided there is one amid this COVID-19 pandemic — will be Drew Brees’ last before the clock starts ticking down on his first ballot Hall of Fame induction.

And a perfect time for the New Orleans Saints to take Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of next week’s fully virtual NFL draft, assuming team officials are truly in “love’‘ and not just smitten with the 21-year-old from Bakersfield, California.

I say this for two reasons:

One, Brees likely is headed to NBC Sports after the season to begin his broadcasting career. Coach Sean Payton accidentally spilled the beans last week of Brees’ future plans and tried to walk back his misspeak. I fully expected Brees to dismiss Payton’s alleged faux pas and pooh-pooh the reports of his pending move to TV but it hasn’t happened.

And two, the Saints have met their immediate personnel needs in free agency with the acquisition of safety Malcolm Jenkins and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and the re-signings of defensive tackle David Onyemata and guard Andrus Peat, among others, and now have one of the league’s most complete rosters to make a serious run at Super Bowl LV.

They now are free to move freely about the aisles and fill a necessary need in the draft — a third quarterback to grow and learn behind Brees and soon-to-be 30-year-old heir apparent Taysom Hill.

Saints officials reportedly are doing their due diligence when it comes to Love (6-4, 225), studying the pros and cons, the good, bad and ugly. He performed superbly in 2018, not so well in 2019 following a coaching change.

But his upside appears to be worth the risk.

It seems the ideal time for general manager Mickey Loomis and Payton to take the plunge, even if it means trading up from their 24th slot in the first round to jump ahead of another potential suitor.

It could happen.

I harken back three years ago when the Saints were poised to take Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes with the 11th overall pick in the 2017 draft. Lo and behold, the Kansas Chiefs made a quantum leap from No., 27 to No. 10 to steal Mahomes right from under the the nose of the Black and Gold.

The Chiefs paid Buffalo a princely sum, swapping first-round picks in 2017, plus their third-round pick in ‘17 and first-rounder in 2018.

But the trade has more than paid for itself for the defending Super Bowl-champion Chiefs, wouldn’t you agree?

The Saints went on to acquit themselves nicely in the ‘17 draft, selecting cornerback Marshon Lattimore (No. 11), tackle Ryan Ramczyk (No. 32), safety Marcus Williams (No. 42), running back Alvin Kamara (No. 67), linebacker Alex Anzalone (No. 76), and defensive end Trey Hendrickson (No. 103).

Not a miss in the bunch. In fact, a strong case could be made that the ‘17 draft ranks as the Saints’ all-time best.

If the Saints stay put at No. 24, and Love is gone when they go on the clock, my fallback picks are either Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray or LSU linebacker Patrick Queen or the best remaining wide receiver.

But if the Utah State quarterback is available, I recommend Saints officials to show Jordan some Who-Dat Love.