Saints Predicted To Land Next Franchise Cornerstone

There are reasons to have hope for the New Orleans Saints in 2025.

This roster is loaded with talented veterans like Alvin Kamara, Demario Davis, Cameron Jordan, Tyrann Mathieu, Brandin Cooks, and Justin Reid among others. There's plenty of exciting young guys as well like Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Kelvin Banks Jr., Chase Young, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and Tyler Shough among others.

There's a good balance of youth and experience and now Kellen Moore will lead the franchise after winning a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles last season as the team's offensive coordinator. Sure, there are quarterback questions with Shough competing with Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener for the starting job. But, there's enough talent here to compete in the weak NFC South.

While this is the case, Pro Football Sports Network's Max Dorsey shared an early mock draft for 2026 and projected New Orleans to have a rough season to the point where it lands the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. Dorsey projected the Saints to use said pick on Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.

"No. 3) New Orleans Saints," Dorsey said. "Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State. The New Orleans Saints have needs all across their roster, so the best option for them here is to take the best player available, and that’s Ohio State’s Caleb Downs.

"Downs was arguably the best defensive player in the country in his true sophomore season with the Buckeyes last fall. Not only does he pose as a menace in the passing game, but he’s an elite run defender who consistently demonstrates physicality and toughness. Those traits, combined with his athleticism and range, make him one of the best safety prospects in recent memory."

Downs already is a franchise cornerstone-type defensive player and it would be lovely to have him in New Orleans, but the Saints arguably will be better than Dorsey is projecting it to be. This is just an exercise of hypotheticals, but New Orleans can quickly shut down noise like this in 2025, especially if it can stay healthy.

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