How can the New Orleans Saints get better in the 2025 NFL draft? After a 2-2 start with Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, they’re slotted in at No. 13, per Tankathon, and they clearly have some problems. It’ll take more than one draft pick to cure what ails them.
So is a running back the answer? No, not for everything. But Boise State prospect and Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty was too good to pass up when we got on the clock with the Pro Football Focus 2025 NFL mock draft simulator.
Nerds will tell you not to draft a running back in the first round, but NFL teams are showing us they disagree. Bijan Robinson was picked at No. 8 in 2023. A few minutes later Jahmyr Gibbs went at No. 12. Jeanty might be better than both of them. He was certainly the best prospect when we made our pick. There weren’t any offensive linemen available at No. 13, and the defensive ends on the board didn’t fit the Saints’ established preferences. So Jeanty it was.
It’s underselling his season so far to say he’s dominated his competition. Jeanty has logged 82 carries in four games, gaining a ridiculous 845 yards — and he was pulled at halftime against Portland State after picking up 127 yards on just 11 attempts. He’s already scored 13 touchdowns this season after totaling 14 last year. A few weeks ago he ran for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns on an Oregon defense full of future NFL players.
He’s a big-play threat with 78 runs of 10 or more yards, and 17 alone this year. For context, the Saints have combined for 15 gains of 10-plus on the ground this season. And he can catch. Jeanty has caught 65 receptions on 74 targets in his three-year career, gaining 758 yards and scoring 5 touchdowns. He’s only dropped two passes in that span while shaking 30 tackles and converting as many first downs.
There have been concerns about his size but he’s an inch taller than Alvin Kamara while hitting the same listed weight (215 pounds), and he just looks faster. Jeanty is averaging 10.3 yards per attempt. That’s incredible.
And that brings us to Kamara. He chose to table contract talks with the Saints until after the season and there’s a real chance things don’t work out, which would lead to his leaving the team. You hope it doesn’t come to that. Especially if he wins the franchise rushing yards record and continues to overtake Hall of Famers in career touchdowns scored. There’s plenty of motivation to cut a deal, but until it happens we can’t assume it’ll get done.
There’s also an argument for drafting Jeanty even if Kamara signs a contract that will let him play out his career in black and gold. Neither of them should be touching the ball 30 times each week, but together they could give the Saints one of the best one-two punches in the NFL with Jeanty taking on a heavier workload as Kamara enters the last leg of his career. Right now the Saints don’t have a proven commodity backing Kamara up. They don’t trust Jamaal Williams to do it (4 carries for 10 yards the last two weeks), and Kendre Miller hasn’t shown he can get on the field to try. No one further down the depth chart has made much noise.
Situations can change. We don’t know where the Saints are going to be picking in 2025 or what their needs will be after free agency. We’ll just have to wait and see. But the way things stand right now? Jeanty is the most exciting runner in college football and he’s pushing Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter hard for the Heisman Trophy. He’d bring a real spark to an offense that could use it. If nothing else, it’s a fun possibility.
