Kelvin Banks selection received high marks from NFL Draft expert
05/01/2025
By Ross Jackson
There hasn’t been much praise heaped on the New Orleans Saints’ 2025 NFL Draft class. That’s to be expected with their first round selection being an offensive lineman, a position that most pundits won’t provide airtime.
However, ESPN’s Matt Miller isn’t most pundits. Miller released his top-100 draft picks (subscription required) list this week and on it, highly-ranked, is the Saints’ first round pick, Kelvin Banks Jr.
The Banks’ selection landed at No. 13 on the list and was the first offensive line selection to appear. The next, former LSU left tackle and now New England Patriot, Will Campbell, ranked No. 17.
Miller praised the Saints for landing a solid tackle-tandem for their future and doing so with a lineman that atop his positional rankings.
“I absolutely love the Saints pairing Banks, my top-ranked tackle, with Taliese Fuaga, their first-rounder from last year. This roster needs an identity and now has one up front. Banks can either play at left tackle with Fuaga replacing Trevor Penning at right tackle or play left guard next to Fuaga.”
Cornerback Quincy Riley (56), running back Devin Neal (77), quarterback Tyler Shough (83) and linebacker Danny Stutsman (94) were all also among Miller’s top-100 list.
.@nfldraftscout lists his best NFL draft picks … No. 1 just might surprise you 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/x2yDk4Ln9F
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 30, 2025