The New Orleans Saints have a long, long list of needs heading into the offseason and do not have the luxury of targeting one specific part of the roster.
When looking across the top 10 picks of the 2025 NFL draft, ESPN’s Katherine Terrell suggested the team just worry about taking the best player available in the first round. This is part of what Terrell had to say about her reasoning:
At $70.6 million over the cap in 2025 (per Roster Management System), the Saints are likely going to have to draft for need. But their biggest need is open to interpretation. They are looking for successors at defensive end and linebacker for 35-year-olds Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis, respectively. They also could use another wide receiver to slot alongside Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, as well as permanent fixes to the offensive line.
As alluded to, that really doesn’t narrow much down. Rather than worrying about ranking those needs, the decision certainly should just revolve around who is on the board when they come up to pick.
Perhaps the Saints can consider what the bigger need is if they have two players of similar skill levels on the board at the same time.
For example, there is a world where Georgia Bulldogs safety Malaki Starks and Tennessee Volunteers defensive end James Pearce Jr. are on the board at nine. Both are extremely talented and impactful adds. Defensive end is bit bigger of an immediate need than safety, so that might influence their decision.
Mickey Loomis could also just throw all caution to the wind and go with a full best player approach and take Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty above both of them.
Either way, New Orleans just desperately needs to add talent to their roster this offseason.
