The Saints have no shortage of issues to address in the 2025 NFL draft, and one of the biggest questions is as to what New Orleans should do with their picks — specifically the first one. That will come in the first round when the Saints make their initial selection at No. 9 overall on April 24 as the action begins.
Former New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees recently shared his thoughts on what he thinks his former team should be getting to work on in April, and one of the areas he seems to believe the Saints shouldn’t stress early is skill position players.
Despite some of the offensive sputtering, Brees has expressed multiple times just how much value he sees in the pieces the Saints have on that side of the ball. Getting the best out of them and keeping players healthy is how the Saints will maximize that.
“When I look at the Saints from an offensive skill set position, they’ve got a quarterback who can be very effective in Derek Carr,” Brees said in an interview with RG.org. “They’ve got receivers who can run.”
On top of that, the Saints have two particular players in the fold that many teams have tried to replicate, but they have not received the product they are after in the same capacity.
“They’ve got Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara,” Brees said. “But you could always add another playmaker.”
And while there are split opinions on what to do first, Brees says that it all starts in the trenches: “Every team is also looking at line. O-line, D-line, it comes down to the trenches.”
Defensively, Brees adds, having a good pass rusher is essential. Versatility within pass rushers, and really all defensive players, is something the must practically be a given with the state of NFL football in today’s age.
“No team can have enough pass rushers. That is the great equalizer in the league, especially when it comes to being effective on defense,” Brees said. “Can you rush the passer with four? And, so, you are always looking for pass rushers, always looking for depth, always looking for guys that can play multiple positions, because guys get injured, and you have to flip-flop guys around.”
Some recent projections for the Saints with the first pick include Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen, Missouri right tackle Armand Menbou and Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
Only time will tell whether or not it will be one of these three names, or perhaps even a complete surprise.