If you ask the Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski, the New Orleans Saints and Ashton Jeanty are candidates for a perfect marriage. Jeanty and the Saints have been connected because of Kellen Moore’s Boise State ties, but Sobleski stayed away from that low-hanging fruit to explain why Jeanty could fit the Saints so well.
Taliese Fuaga and Trevor Penning impacted Sobleski’s decision as well. He sees a world where putting Jeanty behind “two young, run-blocking tone-setters at offensive tackle” could be turn Jeanty into the “focal point” for the Saints offense for the future.
Sobleski highlighted Alvin Kamara’s injury history as a reason the Saints may need to add Jeanty. Kamara hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year. Drafting Jeanty would give you the best second option you’ve had since Kamara and Mark Ingram II’s first stint in New Orleans. If the Saints don’t touch Kamara’s contract again, he’ll be set up for retirement at the same time Jeanty is entering the third year of his rookie deal.
Sobleski does admit projecting where Jeanty will be drafted is difficult due to the unsettled nature of positional value. Teams are running the football more, and Moore’s own success with Saquon Barkley will likely keep that trend going. The only thing that would impact is how selecting a running back at ninth overall is perceived. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs are two first-round running backs who have worked out very well for their teams, and Jeanty just might be better than both of them.