By Ross Jackson
While there is new life for the New Orleans Saints’ season, mock drafts will always be a part of the latter portion of an NFL season. This week, ESPN’s Matt Miller published his first-round mock (ESPN+ required) which included the Saints doing something slightly out of the ordinary, drafting an undersized pass rusher/linebacker in the first round.
In previous years, a mock pick like this would be warranted written off upon reading because the Saints so rarely stray from their prototypes. However, change is under way in the Big Easy, and that may lead to new approaches to the 2025 NFL Draft.
For the Saints, Miller selected Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker. The Georgia defender stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 245 pounds. Undersized for a pass rusher but just in the pocket for an off-ball linebacker for the New Orleans defense.
Current starter Pete Werner, a second-round draft pick in the 2021 draft measures at 6-foot-3, 242 pounds.
Walker has experience at both off-ball linebacker and pass rusher. But Miller’s vision for the North Carolina native is a bit different than what the Saints typically go for.
“The Saints could use this pick to improve a defense that gives up 6.1 yards per play, second worst in the league,” Miller wrote. “Plus, Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis will be 36 years old next season. Walker has played as an off-ball linebacker and off the edge. He doesn’t have great size, but his first-step speed and power have helped him to 5.5 sacks. I like him in a stand-up rushing role in a 3-4 scheme if New Orleans’ new regime goes that route.”
While envisioning Walker’s fit with the Saints now would lead to a clear pass. Depending on what changes the team undergoes in its scheme as it awaits a new head coach and with that a new defensive play caller, assuming the team doesn’t stick with interim head coach Darren Rizzi and defensive coordinator and playcaller Joe Woods, things could look a lot different in 2025.
Of the players available on the board, Texas A&M edge rusher Nic Scourton, LSU offense lineman Will Campbell and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty could all be solid options as well.
But the exercise of Miller’s mock is more than about making the “right choice” as a prediction. Whether he intended to or not, it also drives home the point that the Saints’ draft strategy in 2025 could look a lot different than it has over the last several years.
