The New Orleans Saints will be paying tribute to late owner Tom Benson at the 2018 NFL Draft.

Benson passed away on March 15 at 90 years old, but he'll be in the team's thoughts during the three-day event that begins Thursday night.

"We'll have an empty chair for him and we'll be thinking about him, for sure," general manager Mickey Loomis said at a pre-draft news conference Wednesday morning, according to Herbie Teope of NFL.com.

Benson purchased the Saints in 1985. He passed ownership on to his wife, Gayle.