Saints Land Crucial Offensive Piece In Experts' Latest Mock Draft

The Saints have a chance to go big when the NFL Draft gets here

Oct 30, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; General view of the New Orleans Saints logo as the midfield logo fleur-de-lis after the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Las Vegas Raiders at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints have been busy in free agency so far but there's still a lot of action to come this offseason that doesn't involve the open market.

We are roughly one month away from the 2025 National Football League Draft kicking off and the Saints have the No. 9 pick. The Saints are going to have a chance to add a really talented player at the pick no matter which direction the team decides to go. There's an argument that could be made for offense and obviously an argument for defense.

The Athletic released a mock draft featuring commentary from team insiders on Thursday and Larry Holder predicted that the Saints will land LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell at the No. 9 pick.

"No. 9. New Orleans Saints: Will Campbell, OT, LSU," Holder said. "New Orleans’ offensive line was in shambles for much of last season, even after adding left tackle Taliese Fuaga as the team’s first-round pick last year. The Saints could use either a tackle or a guard and I went with Membou in our previous mock draft.

"With (Armand Membou’s) stock on the rise, Campbell still feels like an easy pick. Right tackle would appear to be the spot for Campbell in an attempt to replace 2022 first-round pick Trevor Penning. The Saints possess numerous holes throughout the roster for new coach Kellen Moore so the best player available at almost any position here would benefit this team."

This is a great idea. The offensive line struggled in 2024, as Holder noted. It would be nice to add a playmaker like Tetairoa McMillan or Ashton Jeanty, but shoring up the offensive line would allow Derek Carr to get the ball out and likely give the team a better overall shot. There are still guys out there in free agency who can help at receiver without breaking the bank.

New Orleans couldn't get a guy of Campbell's caliber without spending a pretty penny and most of the top linemen are off the market now.

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