2025 NFL Draft Grades: New Orleans Saints

Best Pick: Third-round defensive tackle Vernon Broughton is a player who has his best football in front of him. He is a long, powerful player who needs to get stronger, but he's rather new to the game. Love the pick.

Worst Pick: I didn't love the pick of quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round. I know he has a big arm, but he's raw and he's going to be 26. There were better options at quarterback in my book.

The Skinny: First-round offensive linemen Kelvin Banks will help solidify that unit up front and will develop into a good player. I didn't like Shough in the second, but the rest of their draft was solid. Shough has to develop into a starter for this to be a good draft -- and I wonder if he can.

Top needs entering the draft: Quarterback, cornerback, wide receiver, guard and edge rusher

Reach, reach, reach. That's what I have in my notes for the Saints. Too many reaches. I was critical of their first round. I was similarly critical of their second and third rounds. Some of that centered on their QB approach -- I had a much higher grade on Shedeur Sanders than I did Tyler Shough, whom they took at No. 40. But I just didn't love their value throughout.

On Shough, are we sure he will be the heir apparent to Derek Carr? The veteran is dealing with a shoulder injury, and his status for 2025 is up in the air. I understand that Shough is 26 years old, but I'm not sure New Orleans can put him on the field this season and expect to win games. And really, if you're taking a quarterback in the top 40, you've got to believe you can win games with him, either immediately or after he catches up to the speed of the league. I don't have that belief.

I liked the selection of offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. in Round 1, but Vernon Broughton was my 20th-ranked defensive tackle, and New Orleans took him in Round 3. There were better safeties available when it drafted Jonas Sanker in the same round, too. The Saints didn't get an edge rusher until Round 7 and didn't take a wide receiver at all.

So what saves this class from a C? They added a few good players on Day 3, including linebacker Danny Stutsman and cornerback Quincy Riley. Those are solid picks. Not stars, but solid prospects. Overall, I would have gone in a different direction if I were in GM Mickey Loomis' shoes.

The Saints bolstered a big position of need in grabbing Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, adding a bookend opposite last year's first-rounder Taliese Fuaga. That should help New Orleans lay the foundation for a new-look offensive line. I like that the team didn't panic at the quarterback position, too, waiting until the second round to grab Louisville's Tyler Shough. I didn't love Shough's tape, and he's going to turn 26 years old as a rookie, but he does have exciting traits and could quickly develop in new coach Kellen Moore's offensive system. I thought the team got good value in the fourth round, grabbing Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman (who plays with a physical edge and flies around the second level) and Louisville corner Quincy Riley (who brings versatility and instincts in coverage). And keep an eye on sixth-round running back Devin Neal. The former Kansas Jayhawk has a well-rounded skill set and it wouldn't be that surprising to see him on the field as a complement to Alvin Kamara sooner rather than later.

Over the past five years, no team has invested more early picks on offensive linemen than the Saints, with No. 9 pick Kelvin Banks Jr. now joining Taliese Fuaga (No. 14 overall, 2024), Trevor Penning (No. 19, 2022) and Cesar Ruiz (No. 24, 2020). Banks offers the club lots of flexibility at tackle — the Saints recently declined their fifth-year option on Penning — while being viewed by some as a natural fit inside at left guard. It will be interesting to see who Banks is protecting at quarterback, after the Saints invested the No. 40 overall selection on Tyler Shough, who is as gifted a passer as there is in this class. His advanced age and durability concerns made him a polarizing prospect, but I like the gamble and trust both GM Mickey Loomis and new head coach Kellen Moore's eye for talent.

I thought the Saints did a nice job of adding quality players in the middle rounds. I'm especially high on their fourth-round selections of linebacker Danny Stutsman and cornerback Quincy Riley, who led all DBs in this class with 15 interceptions at the college level.

Here's why: Kelvin Banks Jr. was a really solid player to add to New Orleans' offensive line at the top of the draft. Banks has tackle and guard versatility, but the rest of the Saints' draft felt just OK from a value perspective. Tyler Shough has good film, but a profile that makes him a fairly big risk at the top of the draft. Vernon Broughton, Jonas Sanker and Danny Stutsman should all bring quality depth at the very least. Solid, but unspectacular draft for the Saints.

Most interesting pick: Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville

Shough is going to be 26 years old by the fall, making him one of the oldest drafted rookie quarterbacks in league history. Shough will have a chance to compete for the starting job, which makes sense for someone on his timeline. Shough has starter traits, but his age and injury history make him a tough prospect to try and figure out.

There's a reason underrated GM Mickey Loomis has been on the job for a quarter century. Good chance he just about perfectly married value to need with his first three selections, who might all be starters in 2025: First-round OT Kelvin Banks Jr., second-round QB Tyler Shough and third-round DL Vernon Broughton. Third-round S Jonas Sanker and fourth-round LB Danny Stutsman could find themselves in prominent roles — and making an impact — soon enough.

It's hard to knock a team for taking a tackle in the first round, but the Saints reached for Banks, who might be better suited as a guard. Perhaps trading down would have been the best approach, or drafting the best available defender at No. 9. New Orleans also took a risk by taking Shough in the second round. He's a pro-ready quarterback who could step in right away in case the team parts with Derek Carr. But Shedeur Sanders and Jalen Milroe were both still available and would have offered more upside. New Orleans probably should have prioritized adding youth to an older defense, now knowing that Sanders and Milroe were on the board after the second round.

Tyler Shough in the second round. No value picks that leap out in any round. Just a waste of three days for a team that left with less excitement than they came in with, which is certainly an accomplishment in its own right.