The New Orleans Saints hold the ninth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and what they do with that pick is anyone's guess. The Saints are a team that could spend their first-round pick on pretty much any position and it wouldn't surprise people.
The latest mock draft roundup consists of a hodge podge of picks for the Saints, ranging from a pass-catcher to a defensive back to an EDGE rusher. The ninth overall pick in the draft truly is up in the air.
Saints are all over the place in latest NFL mock draft roundup
CBS Sports: Colston Loveland, TE (Michigan)
Josh Edwards of CBS Sports is the only draft analyst tying the Saints to an offensive player in this round of mock drafts. Colston Loveland would give the Saints a shiny new option at tight end and he'd be a great addition for Derek Carr (or whoever quarterbacks the team in 2025) on offense.
"The presence of Colston Loveland, who can push vertically up the seam, takes some of the pressure off Chris Olave to produce," Edwards wrote.
While adding a new tight end seems like a fun idea, spending a top-10 pick on one might not be the most popular decision among the fanbase. Good tight ends can typically be found on Day 2 of the draft and that might be when the Saints need to go in that direction.
Grade: B
NFL.com: Jalon Walker, EDGE (Georgia)
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com linked the Saints to Jalon Walker, an EDGE rusher out of Georgia. There's no debating that the Saints could use some juice in that department so Walker makes sense here for sure.
"Adding an off-ball linebacker with pass-rushing skills enables the Saints to address multiple defensive needs. New defensive coordinator Brandon Staley could unlock Walker’s big-play potential by deploying him as a hybrid defender in a creative scheme," Brooks wrote.
Walker tallied 6.5 sacks in 2024 and with the Saints needing more help when it comes to getting after the quarterback, this pick would check a major box for New Orleans.
Grade: A-
Yahoo! Sports: Will Johnson, CB (Michigan)
Nate Tice and Charles McDonald of Yahoo! Sports like the idea of the Saints adding to their secondary in the form of Will Johnson. It'd be a good pick, especially considering the Saints traded Marshon Lattimore during the 2024 season and could use more help in stopping the pass.
"Johnson’s “fall” stops here. He is one of the most talented players in the entire class, but injuries shortened his final season in Ann Arbor. At his best, he’s an eraser talent at cornerback with plenty of ball skills."
This would be a solid pick for the Saints but fans would definitely be worried about the injuries that, as Tice and McDonald said, "shortened his final season". Considering this team's history with injuries, this is going to be a pick that divides people for sure but the potential is there for Johnson.
Grade: A-