With the 9th Pick in the 2025 draft, who should the Saints select? (merged)

I know everyone thinks Jeanty is a generational player, and while he is an intriguing prospect, He hasn't ever really played anyone. The only good defense he played (Penn State) held him to under 4 yards per carry. Not overwhelming. He has great vision and burst, but doesn't really have that 5th gear to pull away. I'd change my position on him if he runs a sub 4.5 at the draft, but he's not gonna outrun NFL DBs like he does Mountain West DBs. I think other running back prospects like Omarion Hampton, Kaleb Johnson, and Quinshon Judkins are all as equally likely to be legitimate capable feature backs in the NFL. If I could have any of the above, AND an additional draft pick in the mid 20s to get an elite TE like Loveland or Warren, I'd take that over just Jeanty ALL DAY.
He unquestionably does have a gear to pull away and has shown it on numerous occasions throughout his career at BSU. Whether we should take him or not is a completely different debate, but the dude is incredibly talented.

Jeanty has already shown he can pull away from legit defenses. He did so with ease against Oregon this year.


Last year against Washington (National Championship runner up) he took this catch for a 50 yard touchdown outrunning their defense


The beauty of modern day analytics is we can easily gauge how fast a player like Jeanty is on the field. He has legit speed.