Everyone has a mock draft these days, and it’s impossible to please every team’s fanbase. If you play by the rules, anyway. But ESPN’s Ben Solak didn’t even try that. He colored outside the lines to lay out what a perfect 2025 draft class would look like for all 32 teams. For the New Orleans Saints? That means not reaching on a quarterback, but instead upgrading the defense and waiting for the right opportunity to go get your QB.
While the temptation is there to reach on Shedeur Sanders at No. 9, Solak suggests the Saints would be better off “leveraging the additional Round 3 and Round 4 selections they have to move up into the end of the first round for Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) or Tyler Shough (Louisville).” This would give them the chance to land a top talent at No. 9 while still getting the benefits of a fifth-year option in a cheap rookie contract with their QB.
Solak acknowledged that a trade down from No. 9 could be good for the Saints, giving them more early-round picks to help restock their roster and climb out of a complicated salary cap situation. But that just isn’t their style, not with Mickey Loomis at general manager. “If they stay,” Solak wrote, “they are well-positioned to land the best defensive player on the board. Jalon Walker (Georgia) could shine as a hybrid linebacker in Brandon Staley’s defense, while Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M) and Mykel Williams (Georgia) both fit the prototypical defensive end measurements that New Orleans has long adhered to. If Will Campbell (LSU) falls, the Saints have a spot for him at right guard. If Will Johnson (Michigan) falls, he’d immediately start over Isaac Yiadom. Even Mason Graham (Michigan) would find a big role in Year 1.”
So it’s clear the Saints could get a difference-maker at No. 9, even if they aren’t a quarterback. Moving Will Campbell from left tackle (his college position) to right guard (where he’d displace veteran starter Cesar Ruiz) is a little odd; you’d think Campbell would play left guard if he’s moving inside, where the Saints currently don’t have a proven starter. Dillon Radunz is the favorite to win that competition at left guard, for now, but Campbell would be a significantly better option. Maybe that was a typo.
One point Solak is right to focus? Cornerback. Assuming the Saints don’t go with a corner in the first round, Solak says, “The corner class stacks up nicely at the top of Round 2, where Azareye’h Thomas (Florida State) and Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame) both fit the Saints’ press man mold.” Either of those guys could push Yiadom to start during training camp. Solak also highlighted wide receiver as a “sneaky need,” and he’s on the money there. If they’re available in Round 3, Solak adds, “a high-ceiling receiver with size such as Elic Ayomanor (Stanford) or Savion Williams (TCU) feels like the move.”
So there we have it. If the Saints want to get an A-grade for their 2025 draft from ESPN, all they need to do is stay put at No. 9 and draft a starter on either side of the ball. Trade up from No. 40 in Round 2 to snag a quarterback like Dart or Shough at the end of Round 1 (or, better than either of them, Jalen Milroe out of Alabama). Find help at cornerback, wide receiver, and left guard. Get all that done and they’re back on track. It’s that easy, right?
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL draft: What Saints need for a perfect grade from ESPN
Everyone has a mock draft these days, and it’s impossible to please every team’s fanbase. If you play by the rules, anyway. But ESPN’s Ben Solak didn’t even try that. He colored outside the lines to lay out what a perfect 2025 draft class would look like for all 32 teams. For the New Orleans Saints? That means not reaching on a quarterback, but instead upgrading the defense and waiting for the right opportunity to go get your QB.
While the temptation is there to reach on Shedeur Sanders at No. 9, Solak suggests the Saints would be better off “leveraging the additional Round 3 and Round 4 selections they have to move up into the end of the first round for Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss) or Tyler Shough (Louisville).” This would give them the chance to land a top talent at No. 9 while still getting the benefits of a fifth-year option in a cheap rookie contract with their QB.
Solak acknowledged that a trade down from No. 9 could be good for the Saints, giving them more early-round picks to help restock their roster and climb out of a complicated salary cap situation. But that just isn’t their style, not with Mickey Loomis at general manager. “If they stay,” Solak wrote, “they are well-positioned to land the best defensive player on the board. Jalon Walker (Georgia) could shine as a hybrid linebacker in Brandon Staley’s defense, while Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M) and Mykel Williams (Georgia) both fit the prototypical defensive end measurements that New Orleans has long adhered to. If Will Campbell (LSU) falls, the Saints have a spot for him at right guard. If Will Johnson (Michigan) falls, he’d immediately start over Isaac Yiadom. Even Mason Graham (Michigan) would find a big role in Year 1.”
So it’s clear the Saints could get a difference-maker at No. 9, even if they aren’t a quarterback. Moving Will Campbell from left tackle (his college position) to right guard (where he’d displace veteran starter Cesar Ruiz) is a little odd; you’d think Campbell would play left guard if he’s moving inside, where the Saints currently don’t have a proven starter. Dillon Radunz is the favorite to win that competition at left guard, for now, but Campbell would be a significantly better option. Maybe that was a typo.
One point Solak is right to focus? Cornerback. Assuming the Saints don’t go with a corner in the first round, Solak says, “The corner class stacks up nicely at the top of Round 2, where Azareye’h Thomas (Florida State) and Benjamin Morrison (Notre Dame) both fit the Saints’ press man mold.” Either of those guys could push Yiadom to start during training camp. Solak also highlighted wide receiver as a “sneaky need,” and he’s on the money there. If they’re available in Round 3, Solak adds, “a high-ceiling receiver with size such as Elic Ayomanor (Stanford) or Savion Williams (TCU) feels like the move.”
So there we have it. If the Saints want to get an A-grade for their 2025 draft from ESPN, all they need to do is stay put at No. 9 and draft a starter on either side of the ball. Trade up from No. 40 in Round 2 to snag a quarterback like Dart or Shough at the end of Round 1 (or, better than either of them, Jalen Milroe out of Alabama). Find help at cornerback, wide receiver, and left guard. Get all that done and they’re back on track. It’s that easy, right?
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL draft: What Saints need for a perfect grade from ESPN
