With the 9th Pick in the 2025 draft, who should the Saints select? (merged) (45 Viewers)

[Infoman]

The last two picks we spent on DL/OL - Breese and Fuaga - have actually worked out pretty well.

As individual players - Sure they have.... But neither has been able to meaningfully impact the scoreboard in any way... dictate to a defense or offense in anyway.... make another team build an entire game plan centered around them in any way... etc.

Those are the types of players this team is desperate for... right now we have exactly 2 of them on offense... a soon to be 30 Year Old RB.... and a soon to be 35 Year old jack of all trades coming off an ACL... that's it... no one else on the team fits that description.

We can talk about the trenches all day.... and I love those guys... but if we keep kicking FGs while allowing TDs every year.... we ain't winning shirt!

 

[tyler735]

I mean Cooks and Olave were/are good players, but neither really turned out to be worth the picked used on them.

In a strange roundabout way the Cooks draft pick was excellent for us. He gave us 2 seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards then we traded him away and got a 1st round pick and a 3rd round pick for him, which just so happened to be 2 all pro caliber players in Ryan Ramczyk and Trey Hendrickson lol. Obviously very unorthodox and not sustainable but still.

 

[St. Widge]

You are not... at least not this year... The point is... We have drafted OL and DL in every draft in the 1st and/or 2nd round for the last decade... 4/5ths of our OL are made up of those picks just since 2019....

At some point... the "fix" has to be that the guys you drafted already... ARE THE FIX! Doubling down on failures has gotten us no-flipping-where...

The cliche is that we somehow have to "keep doing what we are doing" even though it has yet to produce anything resembling a NFL offense...

But we aren't always drafting OL/DL in the first and to the extent we very often do, that's also true of every other NFL team. We have mostly for the last 4 or 5 years because before the last 3 years all we really needed under Payton was a Guard and a DE. And for the last 3 years we have needed to rebuild the OL after losing our staring LT, RT, and LG.

And again, I want BPA. If that's Jeanty and we can't trade down, fine take him, but the better scenario for this team is for McMillian, Graham, Carter, or maybe even Campbell to fall to #9. I doubt any of them will, but I think that would be a better situation for this team.

I get that you think Jeanty is a generational talent, but I also think that your position is that the pick at #9 has to be a skill player even if he isn't BPA. I think that's a really bad way to draft.

But, maybe you truly believe that Jeanty will be BPA when we pick. And if so that's cool. I don't personally think he's a generational RB. I'd certainly rank him behind Bijan and Saquon. And if that's the case, then I don't think he will be BPA at #9.

 

[St. Widge]

As individual players - Sure they have.... But neither has been able to meaningfully impact the scoreboard in any way... dictate to a defense or offense in anyway.... make another team build an entire game plan centered around them in any way... etc.

Those are the types of player this team is desperate for... right now we have exactly 2 of them on offense... a soon to be 30 Year Old RB.... and a soon to be 35 Year old jack of all trades coming off an ACL... that's it... no one else on the team fits that description.

We can talk about the trenches all day.... and I love those guys... but if we keep kicking FGs every year.... we ain't winning shirt!

Well, Breese almost single handedly won the Giants game and cost us the #6 draft pick, but no they haven't really changed the record. But that's going to be the case given the terrible coaching we had and the number of injuries. Jeanty wouldn't have changed the record either.

Frankly, I think AK, even at his age, is a better back that Jeanty and he couldn't change the record.

And we have more playmakers on offense than you say because you failed to mention Olave and Shaheed. I know you will say they are "always hurt" and there is some truth to that, but they are both high quality NFL playmakers when healthy. Shaheed made a huge difference just being on the field. Teams could not drop Safeties in the box to stop the run for fear of him getting deep on them and Olave was leading the league in separation before he got hurt. That's a guy every team had to account for.

 

[Infoman]

But we aren't always draft OL/DL in the first and to the extent we do, that's also true of every other NFL team. We have mostly for the last 4 or 5 years because before the last 3 years all we really needed under Payton was a Guard and a DE. And for the last 3 years we have needed to rebuild the OL after losing our staring LT, RT, and LG.

And again, I want BPA. If that's Jeanty and we can't trade down, fine take him, but the better scenario for this team is for McMillian, Graham, Carter, or maybe even Campbell to fall to #9. I doubt any of them will, but I think that would be a better situation for this team.

I get that you think Jeanty is a generational talent, but I also think that your position is that the pick at #9 has to be a skill player even if he isn't BPA. I think that's a really bad way to draft.

But, maybe you truly believe that Jeanty will be BPA when we pick. And if so that's cool. I don't personally think he's a generational RB. I'd certainly rank him behind Bijan and Saquon. And if that's the case, then I don't think he will be BPA at #9.

Already addressed this Widge... we have taken a DL or OL in every draft in the 1st round since 2015... The only reason we didn't do so in 2019 is because we didn't have a 1st rounder... and we took McCoy in the 2nd.. LOL.... That's a decade of drafting at least 1 DL or OL in the 1st round sir...

I just wanted to make clear why I am firmly in the "no more fat boys" camp this year...

I think we agree on most other topics...

As for this draft... I think for the Saints it's TMac, Jeanty, or Warren - Or BUST.

And I really don't care much where we get one of those 3.... would I prefer we get one for the least amount of draft capital as possible...?

Yeah sure... but like most things... I don't always get what I prefer... and I'll take what I can get, and whenever I can get it...

 

[Hank]

The days of running the football and throwing for under 300 yard games are back in full swing. Kendre Miller should be cut, he is unreliable and the Saints need to start moving on from these kinda players, RB will be a need this year. That being said, it just depends when you wanna pull the trigger on one in the draft.

He's on a cheap rookie contract with alot of upside if can stay healthy--why cut him?

 

[WhoDat?DrewDat]

I have already addressed that - in fact - This team took a RB #2 overall in 2005 - And that pick was a HUGE and arguably most impactful piece that lead directly to completely transforming this franchise into winning and SB contending team...

No... that was the HOF QB that lead us to a Superbowl. Bush never lived up to expectations.

Bush never lead us to anything.

Goes back to the main point: RBs can be great compliment pieces if you have more important positions filled. They do not lead you to anything.

 

[St. Geezy]

I understand our cap situation, but we need to keep in mind that pick 9 isn’t our only opportunity to add players and fix holes in 2025.

A rookie first round lineman on either side of the ball isn’t going to suddenly make either line good.

Focus on how players are graded and trust those evaluations.

We will have opportunities for free agents and trades to plug other holes, other picks, and we are just taking 2025 for now, and guess what…we get to do it all over again next year!

Why must some people’s vision in these debates be so absolute and linear in scope?

 

[St. Geezy]

Great running backs can be found it later rounds, sure. But if the league was to do a 2017 re-draft with a crystal ball, knowing what we know today, where would Alvin Kamara be selected?

Just curious what some of your philosophical takes are on that question.

That’s what this should be based on…perceived, determined value of a player, his grade, rather than banking on getting lucky in a middle round or downgrading him solely because he plays a certain position, IMO.

Guess I am not getting an answer to this. Hurts people’s arguments too much?

Another one…Derrick Henry. Where does he now go in a 20/20 foresight re-draft?

 

[St. Geezy]

If your scouts come back from their evaluations, including your head of scouting, and they say “Ashton Jeanty is LaDanian Tomlinson all over again, highest graded RB we have seen in 20 years,” do you pass on him because you want to build your lines first?

 

[TribuneUK]

It's been established that the Lions also invested less draft capital than the Saints have to build their OLine when they started drafting guys like Gibbs, LaPorta, and Williams

Not sure that's been materially established. The investment in the Lions O line is demonstrably very significant. As posted multiple times.

Don't forget to read what others have posted yourself

Good to hear you're not demanding a Playmaker pick in an absolute vacuum, though. I certainly didn't get that impression before now, so it's good to have some clarity.

So, here's to a punter in Round 1.

 

[nakadish]

No... that was the HOF QB that lead us to a Superbowl. Bush never lived up to expectations.

Bush never lead us to anything.

Goes back to the main point: RBs can be great compliment pieces if you have more important positions filled. They do not lead you to anything.

Never mind that Reggie almost single handedly won the Cardinals game.

 

[tyler735]

Never mind that Reggie almost single handedly won the Cardinals game.

Yeah strange to argue Bush wasn’t a vital player in our 2009 Super Bowl run. Dude had 3 touchdowns in the playoffs that year and made impacts running, receiving and as a punt returner.

 

[WhoDat?DrewDat]

Yeah strange to argue Bush wasn’t a vital player in our 2009 Super Bowl run. Dude had 3 touchdowns in the playoffs that year and made impacts running, receiving and as a punt returner.

Nobody said he wasn't vital.

I said he didn't lead us to anything. Our HOF QB we got through FA did.

Which again is the whole point. RBs don't lead you to success unless you have other more vital positions already filled.