Will Campbell could be too talented for the New Orleans Saints to ignore. LSU’s star left tackle stayed in-state with this 2025 mock draft from ESPN’s Field Yates, who has the Saints picking Campbell at No. 10 overall next year. Here’s why this would be a home-run hit:
If the Saints are picking 10th, I get that the quarterback position will probably be under the microscope. However, while New Orleans doesn’t come across many salary cap predicaments that it can’t work out of, releasing Derek Carr would incur nearly $50 million in dead money. So I’d watch for the Saints to instead address the O-line, staying local by nabbing Campbell, a native of Monroe, Louisiana.
Campbell became a Day 1 starter at LSU at left tackle and may well end up on the left side in the NFL, but this pick would allow the Saints optionality. (Taliese Fuaga, their 2024 first-round pick, has moved from right tackle to left tackle already.) Campbell has great length and quick feet, but he must improve his power and finishing ability.
The draft order was determined by ESPN’s Football Power Index, which is currently down on the Saints. If they’re bad enough to be picking at tenth overall there needs to be serious conversations about whether or not they’re best served with Derek Carr sticking around at quarterback, and with Dennis Allen at head coach.
Still, the opportunity to land a prospect like Campbell could be just what this team needs to get right. He’s a surefire top-ten pick who probably won’t make it out of the first five selections next April. Campbell immediately won a starting job at left tackle and was the top-rated high school player in Louisiana. He’d bring real credibility to what’s arguably the Saints’ weakest unit. Campbell hasn’t allowed a sack in 15 straight starts, largely competing against future NFL players in the SEC.
And as Yates observed, adding Campbell would free up Taliese Fuaga to move somewhere else, either to his college position at right tackle or inside to left guard, where the Saints have expressed optimism about his hypothetical fit. If there’s any hope of Trevor Penning holding it down at right tackle, that would give the Saints the ability to truly field their five best blockers.
But those are problems for next year. Penning needs to actually win his starting job before he can worry about holding onto it. Campbell would be a huge addition for the Saints up front. Until it’s a possibility, though, it’s closer to the stuff of daydreams.
