The New Orleans Saints have a lot of holes to address in the 2025 NFL draft and one of the biggest needs has been hard for them to scout in recent years: defensive end.
Sitting with the No. 9 overall spot in the draft, there are a couple of names that tend to pop up with some frequency. One such player is standout Georgia Bulldogs defensive end Mykel Williams. Should Mickey Loomis consider taking him and another shot at ending their woes at the position.
There is at least one thing that Loomis is sure to like about him, his size. Weighing in at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, that puts his in the zone of frame that the Saints have exclusively gone after in the draft.
Williams is eerily similar of a prospect to Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey, which might have some people out on him almost immediately.
The 20-year-old is strong and violent against tackles, but does rely more on that than an actual set of pass rush moves.
One other thing that does slightly raise some concerns about Williams is that he doesn’t have a season that stands out in terms of production. His career-high in sacks came this past year with five.
While it has been frustrating to watch Turner and Foskey waste away, it doesn’t mean that New Orleans should never draft players that are built similarly. It just means that they should be more open about drafting outside of that set profile.
In this case, though, Williams might be too close to be that attractive of a prospect. He is his own player and could very well turn out to be a star, but the Saints need change. That being said, he seems right up Loomis’ alley and should be considered a likely option if he is available come pick No. 9.
