NFL Exec Offers 'Unfiltered' Opinion On Saints' 2025 Draft Strategy

The dust is still settling on the NFL draft, and it's performance review time for the New Orleans Saints.

Of all the 32 teams in the league, the Saints might have had the toughest job to do entering the draft. They already had a below average roster, as reflected by their 5-12 record from last season, but now they're also dealing with uncertainty regarding quarterback Derek Carr's injury status.

While many were projecting that the Saints would address the QB position in the first round, either with the ninth-overall pick or a trade for a second first-round pick, New Orleans waited until their second-round selection, number 40 overall, to select Louisville's Tyler Shough.

Shough, 25, may be next up on the depth chart if Carr isn't ready to go. Meanwhile, the Saints used their only first-rounder on Texas tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., who should be an impact starter in New Orleans regardless of whether he sticks on the edge or moves to guard.

On Friday, Mike Sando of The Athletic compiled "unfiltered" draft class reviews from anonymous league executives for all 16 NFC teams, and one exec praised the Saints' approach.

“Their first two picks, they showed real discipline,” the exec said. “You thought they could have taken a quarterback at nine because of all the talk, and they were patient.

"They took a tackle, which they needed to take, and got one of the cleaner players in the draft (Kelvin Banks Jr.). They came back and took (quarterback Tyler) Shough, who was great from an interview standpoint.”

It's a quarterback league, and Shough's career trajectory will probably determine how this Saints draft is seen in the long haul, unless Banks is a home run or one of their later-round picks turns out to be an unexpected star.

But the Saints stood their ground and didn't mortgage any of their future picks to make a move when they weren't ready to win now. That, at least, deserves some kudos.