By Ross Jackson
There are a lot of directions the New Orleans Saints could go in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and none of them will be easy to pinpoint until the team hires its next head coach. But mock drafts are a great way to get introduced to the prospects that may be on the board when New Orleans is on the clock.
A pair of Monday’s expert mock drafts had the Saints exiting the first round with defenders that could be major different makers for the team. One has the Saints addressing an aging position, while the other suggested New Orleans may look to rebuild a previous strength that may look very different come 2025.
Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network has the Saints selecting Shemar Stewart, edge rusher from Texas A&M with the No. 9 overall selection:
“The twitch and bend for Shemar Stewart at 290 pounds are absolutely ridiculous,” Fowler writes. “And his ability to rush from any alignment will force mismatches across the board early in his career. He moves like a man 40 or 50 pounds lighter, and for scouts, is an athlete who continues to rise on draft boards.”
Edge rusher would be no shock for the Saints this offseason. Aside from it being their typical tendency, it’s a position that the team is still looking to build after a steady dropoff in season production over recent years. New Orleans invested in free agent addition Chase Young at the position this year, and thankfully they did. He and fellow end Carl Granderson have generated 87 of the team’s 133 pressures so far this season, more than 50%. The Saints desperately need another pressure player, especially considering Young is on a one-year deal and may sign elsewhere after the season concludes.
The 6-foot-6, 290 pound Stewart matches the Saints’ usual prototype at the position. However, that prototype could change with a new head coach and likely new defensive leadership in tow, assuming the Saints don’t stick with interim head coach Darren Rizzi and defensive coordinator Joe Woods in their coaching search.
The big concern teams should have around Stewart is his lack of production. While he has the size and movement tools to impress, he has gathered just 1.5 sacks in each of the last three seasons, with just one game left to go in 2024.
While Fowler addressed the defensive line for New Orleans, 33rd Team’s NFL Draft Lead Kyle Crabbs chose to help out the secondary. Crabbs selected East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel at No. 9 overall.
After trading away star cornerback Marshon Lattimore at the trade deadline and the future of fellow starter Paulson Adebo uncertain after an excruciating broken femur injury ended his season, the Saints could be in the market for more talent at the position this offseason.
“That leaves McKinstry and Alontae Taylor as the two standouts at the position,” Crabbs writes. “And Taylor has lived in the nickel for much of his NFL career. That leaves an opportunity for Revel, who has elite physical ability and a tremendous ceiling, to step in and take Lattimore’s place.”
It is worth highlighting that Taylor has been a slot corner for all of one and half seasons. So his opportunity to earn the starting outside spot is still very much in grasp right now, despite his struggles over the last pair of games. But even if Taylor and McKinstry pan out, the team is still hoping for other pieces to pan out at the position as well. Both cornerbackers Shemar Jean-Charles and Rico Payton have impressed, but bolstering the top of the position group could still make sense if the chips fall favoriably.
Revel would enter the league as a 6-foot-3, 195-pound corner with elite physical traits. Much like Stewart, the corner lacks the eye-popping production stats with only three career interceptions to his name thus far. But his career 59.7 passer rating allowed is impressive. But the biggest concern with Revel is that he’ll be coming off of an ACL tear that took place in late September. Considering the Saints’ history with injuries as of late, maybe rolling the dice on an injured, small-school prospect with elite traits just isn’t in the cards for them at this time like it has been in year’s past.
