With the New Orleans Saints’ 2025 outlook not the best compared to previous years, looking ahead at the draft will be essential throughout the season. The next step is seeing what the team needs could be at the end of the season, which is not easy after just one week of football. However, two positions stand out as options the Saints should consider if they select at the top of the draft: edge rusher & Quarterback.
New Orleans has slowly built their defensive line, and it seems in this new scheme,
they are finally seeing great performances. Depth is still an issue, and you can never go wrong with adding a top edge rusher, especially with Cam Jordan nearing retirement. The next position is quarterback, and yes, I know, the Saints JUST selected QB Tyler Shough in the 2025 NFL Draft. The coaching staff selected Shough for a reason, and they should view him as a potential future option. Still, when you get to select at the top of the draft, I doubt head coach Kellen Moore can pass up on a top-tier quarterback prospect, especially one who is the son of the current offensive coordinator.
Per Tankathon, the New Orleans Saints’ current draft position is the #1 pick.
The 2026 Prospects
Having the number one pick in the draft, quarterback has to be considered. In this latest draft, the Tennessee Titans vowed to select the best player available, even though they probably should select a quarterback. In the end, the coaching staff/front office fell in love with QB Cam Ward and selected him with the top pick in the draft. The Saints could very well fall into a similar situation as the Titans, and in this case, they should go with LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier. Since Jayden Daniels left LSU for the draft, Nussmeier was set to take over the offense and lead the Tigers to success. This has not really been the case, and in 2024, Nussmeier looked a bit lost in games, but when he was on, it was like watching an NFL quarterback pick apart college defenses. The hope going into the 2025/26 season was that Nussmeier could become more consistent and step up in big games. Well, in week 1 against the Clemson Tigers, Nussmeier had arguably the best game of his college career. Throughout this game, he looked confident and calm against a defense full of first-round picks, completely controlled the offense, made great decisions, and threw some spectacular passes. If the season ended now and a quarterback-needy team was selecting first, Nussmeier would be the top pick. Things change throughout the season, and the young QB could see some fluctuation in his draft stock, but there is enough film for NFL front offices to become absolutely enamored with Nussmeier.
As I mentioned above in the introduction, the main point stopping the Saints from selecting a quarterback prospect and #1 is Tyler Shough. The only reason Spencer Rattler would not be something preventing the team from making this decision is that he is currently playing, and if the Saints end up with the first pick in the draft, I doubt they would view Rattler as the future. Back to Shough, this coaching staff selected him and believes in him becoming the future. If the Saints took him in the first round, I would really doubt the team selecting a QB in 2026, but it is much easier to move on from a second-round pick. In addition, this is a special case where the Saints’ offensive coordinator, Doug Nussmeier, is Garrett Nussmeier’s father. If there were someone to campaign for New Orleans to make this decision, it’s Doug Nussmeier, and Kellen Moore is too much of an offensive mind not to consider it.
Now, if the Saints end up not going with a quarterback at 1 and sticking with Tyler Shough, edge rusher is the following position to consider. At this point last season, no edge rusher had separated themselves from the pack, but it seems that Rueben Bain Jr. could be the one to do it. In two games, Bain has 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception. In the first game of the season, Miami faced off against Notre Dame, and Bain might have single handeldy ruined any plan the fighting Irish had on offense. With a violent amount of power, Bain can destroy any tackle he is faced against, but he is also not one-dimensional. He is exceptional using his hands against linemen, and his bend around the edge allows him to blast past a tackle. In run defense, Bain can also make an impact and change any play.
The most critical position in football besides QB is arguably edge rusher. Although the Saints have a decent group right now, one more premier talent could make the defensive line scary. The trenches are always going to be a focus for this coaching staff, and Rueben Bain can be that Cam Jordan replacement.
