Kellen Moore absolutely nailed the New Orleans Saints rookie class. Multiple players have stepped in and made immediate impacts. Tyler Shough, Kelvin Banks Jr. and Jonas Sanker have stood out the most. The Ringer's Todd McShay redrafted this year's class, and the Saints' first two picks didn't even make it to New Orleans at 9.
Tyler Shough went from the third quarterback selected and a second round pick, to the first overall pick in this hypothetical. The fact Shough has earned this spot despite only having six starts under his belt speaks volumes to his performance. Banks has shown all the makings of a franchise offensive tackle. The Patriots made Will Campbell the first tackle off the board. McShay has the Patriots taking the same path but with Banks.
We've sung the praises of this draft class all year, and McShay's exercise means national media is taking notice as well. It's just one person's opinion, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Shough and Banks go in the top 5 if the draft happened today. The success here goes beyond just the Saints, though.
NFC South dominated the early portion of the re-draft
The division has been down for the last four years. The Buccaneers have won four divisional championships, but the last three weren’t impressive. The division also hasn’t had any depth. This draft could change that all across the division.
Yes, the Saints have two players in the top 5, but McShay picked at least one player from each team in the top 11. Emeka Egbuka was drafted 11th and was a front runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year early in the season.
The current Offfensive Rookie of the Year betting favorite is Tetairoa McMillan. Somehow, he landed back in Carolina. He's been spectacular for the Panthers. A lot of Saints fans wanted him coming out, and McMillan is showing exactly why
The Saints picked too late to grab their actual first or second round pick. They landed my personal draft crush and current Atlanta Falcon James Pearce Jr. It would be a great selection for the Saints. They still need help at edge rusher, and Pearce leads Atlanta with 8.5 sacks. He's had at least .5 sack in each of the last 7 games.
The Falcons' other first round pick, Jalon Walker went third overall. That's five players drafted into the NFC South that are considered top 11 talents in their draft class. Three of them make up the top four.
2025 is the most competitive the division has felt in years. It still doesn't feel like there's a huge contender in the division, though. This influx of talent could bring the NFC South back to its late 2010's glory when it was considered one of the top divisions in football.