Saints Urged To Make Game-Breaking NFL Draft Decision

The New Orleans Saints are going to be one of the more talked about teams in football as we approach the upcoming National Football League Draft as there really is no way to do know what the franchise will do.

Sure, a lot of players have been tied to the team in recent weeks. But, the Saints are doing their due diligence and meeting with people left and right. The vast majority of people New Orleans meets with ahead of the NFL Draft will never actually play for the team.

The No. 9 pick is very interesting because of the fact that New Orleans can add a big-name player, but there are a lot of variables. New Orleans has to plan accordingly as it has to wait to see what eight other teams do first. There are easy ones -- like the Tennessee Titans at No. 1 -- but also plenty of wild cards ahead of the Saints.

There's going to be a lot of talent available and NOLA.com's Luke Johnson took a look at the running back class and said New Orleans would "have to consider" Boise State superstar Ashton Jeanty if he's still available.

"It is hard to envision a scenario in which the Saints use their first-round pick on a running back … unless that scenario is to draft Jeanty," Johnson said. "Like (Bijan Robinson) a few years ago, Jeanty is viewed as a can't-miss prospect and will almost certainly be selected in the first 15 picks of this year's draft — and he may be gone before the Saints are on the clock. The 2024 Heisman Trophy runner-up is coming off an absurd statistical season during which he rushed for an NCAA-best 2,601 yards (185.8 per game) and 29 touchdowns — all for Moore's alma mater, by the way.

"He has often been compared to Kamara because of his contact balance, his ability to elude defenders and his hands out of the backfield — except he does it with 4.42 speed. If Jeanty is there at No. 9, the Saints have to consider selecting him. He may not fill a 2025 positional need, but he is as close as it gets to a sure thing, and the Saints have a dearth of young impact players on their roster."

Those are very good points. The Saints obviously have Alvin Kamara, but a duo featuring Jeanty could be game-breaking.

More NFL: Saints Had 'Impressive' Workout With Duel-Threat Star