Tag: New Orleans Saints

College Football Playoff: 2025 draft prospects to watch during Tennessee vs. Ohio State

Here are the top 2025 NFL draft prospects to watch during the Tennessee Volunteers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Playoff game:

The newly expanded College Football Playoff format has begun and is already providing a great look at some 2025 NFL draft prospects.

For teams like the New Orleans Saints, the draft is nearing the center of attention already. This will give them extra insight on their potential draft crushes playing in high-pressure situations.

The last matchup of the first round is the Tennessee Volunteers taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes. There is NFL talent all over the field in this one.

The top draft prospect in this matchup is certainly one that the Saints should be paying attention to in Volunteers defensive end James Pearce Jr.

Pearce is an ultra-productive pass rusher with 19.5 career sacks and 110 total pressures forced, with just two real seasons of real play time. New Orleans could desperately use someone that can actually get to the quarterback.

Tennessee has another intriguing defensive lineman, this time on the interior. Omarr Norman-Lott is an intriguing Day 2 option. He is a large presence that has potential both against the run and in pass rush. Pairing him with Bryan Bresee could be deadly.

Taking a look at a Day 3 option, the Buckeyes have safety Jordan Hancock that has improved a lot during his career.

Hancock has played both safety spots, but has also spent much of this campaign defending the slot. He has three career interceptions and four forced fumbles. The defensive back also has 82 tackles with 2.5 sacks.

How to Watch

While some of the playoff games were broadcast on TNT and Max, this matchup will be back on ESPN and ABC. It will also be available to watch on ESPN+ and in some Disney+ plans.

Chris Olave’s star college teammate may become available this offseason

Garrett Wilson could become open for trade this offseason. Reuniting New Orleans Saints wideout Chris Olave with his Ohio State running mate would be dynamic:

The New Orleans Saints are stuck with Derek Carr’s contract for at least another season, so the team could try and get the most out of him as possible before blowing the roster up.

Could they try to add more weapons this offseason to open up the offense even more? One surprising move could be available to them: pairing star wideout Chris Olave with his elite running mate from college for a young duo out wide.

Per ESPN’s Rich Cimini, people close to New York Jets star receiver Garrett Wilson believe that he could request a trade this offseason.

“They think that he will ask for a trade after the season,” Cimini said on the Flight Deck podcast. He admitted that it was speculation, but it does make sense.

The Jets are just 4-10 this season and are going through a lot of internal issues right now. New York took Wilson’s star status away after trading for Davante Adams to appease Aaron Rodgers. It doesn’t take a lot to wonder why the receiver might be unhappy.

Adding him to the Saints offense, to be back with his friend Olave, would certainly open up Carr’s options in the passing game. Wilson has 262 catches over his first three seasons with 933 yards with six touchdowns this year alone.

Having him work the route tree while Olave stretched the field worked well in college, so New Orleans should at least think about pairing them together once again.

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Do New Orleans Saints need more help on defensive interior or edge?

Do the New Orleans Saints need more help on the defensive interior or out on the edge? PFF debated what’s best for them in the 2025 draft:

The New Orleans Saints have a lot of needs to address in the 2025 NFL draft, and the defensive line might be chief among them if Spencer Rattler can make some plays at quarterback down the stretch.

Pro Football Focus analyst Bradley Locker completed an exercise where he pondered two popular draft selections for each team in the league. For the Saints, those two players were Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Nic Scourton and Michigan Wolverines defensive tackle Kenneth Grant.

“The Saints rank 20th in defensive EPA per play and have a boatload of free agents set to hit the open market along the defensive line. New Orleans will desperately need more from that unit next year, so it’s hard to go wrong with either of these options,” said Locker.

The decision basically depends on which ground needs more help for next season.

Scourton would be a much-needed boon to the pass rush. He had more success in the Big Ten than the SEC, but still had 17 sacks during his career. He projects as a solid player that should be better against the pass.

The Aggies product already boasts a solid pass rush set. Given that a defensive tackle leads New Orleans in sacks, they can certainly use a boost off the edge. Carl Granderson has regressed a little bit and Chase Young hasn’t been much of an improvement.

In a surprising turn of events, though, the Saints run defense has fallen off the edge too. Bryan Bresee has become a great pass rusher, but is a long way from solid against the run. Adding another stopper up the middle could be the perfect pair with him.

That’s exactly what Grant would be. Don’t ask him to get to the passer, but he doesn’t let much by him on the ground. He is a massive presence and recent All-American.

A drop in production from Scourton this year could scare New Orleans from potentially falling into the same trap of athletic defensive linemen. Grant is a lower-risk prospect and would immediately improve their line.

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Saints linked to a polarizing quarterback prospect in latest 2025 mock draft

The New Orleans Saints would be lucky to walk out of the 2025 NFL draft with this class, including a polarizing quarterback talent.

The New Orleans Saints are seemingly finally approaching rebuild mode following the 2024 season, which has many fans already preparing for the NFL draft with a couple of games left on the schedule.

There are plenty of different directions that the Saints could go and their decision may be solely based around how the board falls. Pro Football Focus‘ Gordon McGuinness recently took a look at a great scenario for New Orleans in his latest 2025 three-round mock draft.

With the No. 10 overall selection, he gave the Saints star Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Securing Sanders at any spot of the draft would be a massive win. He could fight for the starting spot from the first day and obviously has a higher ceiling in the future.

Navigating the next few years of the salary cap would be a lot easier playing a quarterback on a rookie deal after Derek Carr leaves.

After securing Sanders in the first round, New Orleans took Tennessee Volunteers defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott in the second round of this mock.

Norman-Lott is a balanced defensive line prospect with a high ceiling both against the run and the pass. With Bryan Bresee coming into his own, now may be the time to bring in another young athlete with a high ceiling.

This mock draft closed with the Saints taking Alabama Crimson Tide offensive guard Tyler Booker in the third round. New Orleans needs all of the offensive line help they can get right now. Adding another strong run blocker on the inside would be icing on the cake for a very solid draft class.

College Football Playoff: 2025 draft prospects to watch during SMU vs. Penn State

College Football Playoff: 2025 draft prospects the Saints should be watching during SMU vs. Penn State, and how to tune in

The new College Football Playoff format is underway and that means a new way to prepare for the 2025 NFL draft.

For many New Orleans Saints fans, the draft is already the first thing on the mind. Watching top prospects battle it out in a high-pressure situation against other top talent will be a new opportunity.

The first game taking place on Saturday is the SMU Mustangs traveling to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. There are plenty of players to watch in this one at every level of the draft.

When taking a look at the first round talent in the game, one player sticks out. Nittany Lions defensive end Abdul Carter is someone that gets paired with the Saints in a lot of mock drafts.

Carter was an off-ball linebacker before this past season, but moved to the line with great success. He has 10 sacks already this year and could provide a much-needed boost to that spot of the field for New Orleans.

The top Day 2 prospect to watch would be another Penn State defensive end, this time Dani Dennis-Sutton. Sutton is much more of a traditional end, especially for what the Saints usually gravitate towards.

He is much bigger, but might be too limited as a pass rusher to make a lot of sense for New Orleans. He has flashes, though, and a good playoff performance could go a long way in making teams drool over him.

Closing out the list with a Day 3 prospect, Mustangs offensive weapon Brashard Smith could make sense for the Saints next year.

Smith was a wide receiver for the first three seasons to little success. He expanded his role during this campaign for SMU and the results were much better. In the NFL, he could be moved around both spots and has the athletic ceiling to be dangerous if used correctly.

He had 1,573 yards from scrimmage this year with 18 touchdowns.

How to Watch

This matchup is surprisingly not being broadcast by the usual suspects at ESPN. Instead, it will be aired on TNT on TV and will be available to stream from Sling and Max.

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Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Alvin Kamara remain DNP on Saints’ Friday injury report

Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Alvin Kamara remain non-participants at the Saints’ Friday practice before Monday night’s game with the Packers:

The New Orleans Saints fielded their second practice of the week on Friday as they continue to work towards their Week 16 game on Monday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers. The participation status for all players, both on the Saints and Packers remained the same from Thursday to Friday.

The one most notable thing about the report is that after missing Thursday’s practice, Marquez Valdes-Scantling (chest/illness) remained on the report with the updated status of having an illness. He was supposed to be able to return Friday, however, with the illness added on, he will miss a second practice during the week. Derek Carr (left hand), Alvin Kamara (groin), Bub Means (ankle), and Chase Young (illness) also all remained as non-participants, which was primarily expected, though hopefully at minimum Young will return from his illness for Saturday and get some reps in.

Juwan Johnson (foot) and Chris Olave (head) both remained limited for Friday as well, with Olave inside his 21-day practice window after being designated to return from IR.

As for the Packers, Javon Bullard (ankle) and Quay Walker (ankle) both were non-participants, as they were on Thursday as well. Corey Ballentine (knee) and Luke Musgrave (ankle) both remained limited, and Jaire Alexander (knee) was able to fully practice again. Musgrave is in the same situation as Olave in regards to the 21-day practice window, as both players look to clear IR and potentially play.

Here is the full injury report from Friday’s practice for both teams:

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College Football Playoff: 2025 draft prospects to watch during Notre Dame vs. Indiana

The College Football Playoffs kick off with Indiana at Notre Dame. These are the 2025 draft prospects Saints fans should be watching:

The newly-expanded College Football Playoffs start on Friday night and this could be the perfect time for NFL fans to start learning about the 2025 draft.

As for the New Orleans Saints, this draft could go in a million different directions. With the rebuild just getting started, it might be best to just look for the best player available.

There are a handful of players to watch at the different levels of the draft for the first matchup of the playoff between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Indiana Hoosiers.

The only real first round draft prospect in this game would be Fighting Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who is currently projected to go in the middle of or late Day 1.

Morrison is a lockdown cornerback. He doesn’t have any turnovers forced this season, but that’s because he shuts down his half of the field. He likely won’t be in play for the Saints, but no one ever knows what cornerback they are going to fall in love with.

A guy that could be in play for Day 2 of the draft, however, would be another Notre Dame defensive back. This time, safety Xavier Watts. Watts is currently set to play in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl, a place that New Orleans loves looking for players at.

The versatile safety would be a perfect fit in the Saints secondary. He is a solid run defender and elite ballhawk that loves making big plays. The senior has 12 interceptions and 17 passes broken up in just the last two seasons.

Closing out the watchlist with a Day 3 guy to keep an eye on is Indiana Hoosiers defensive end Mikail Kamara.

Kamara is the opposite of what New Orleans looks for in a defensive end, but that is what could make him perfect. He is smaller, but deathly explosive and incredibly productive. He has 39 tackles for a loss and 21.5 sacks in three seasons. If he was bigger, he would be a first round pass rusher.

How to Watch

The first matchup of the new playoff system is one of the easier ones to watch. It will be simulcast on both ABC and ESPN, as well as streaming on ESPN+ at 7:00 pm CT.

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Bleacher Report suggests the Saints sign new left tackle this offseason

Bleacher Report suggests a current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle as a priority signing for the Saints in the upcoming offseason:

Bleacher Report has completed its article detailing the biggest needs for each NFL team in the remainder of the 2024 season, as well as a potential signing for each team in the upcoming offseason. There are some big-name free agents in this class, however, the Saints will have to work around the cap space once again to get in on any if they want some, and this seems to have been factored in when considering who they should target according to this article.

The recommended player they should pursue according to Bleacher Report is Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Dan Moore Jr. Their opinion on why he should be targeted is the following:

“With Ryan Ramczyk’s future in doubt, it would make a lot of sense to move Taliese Fuaga to right tackle and Trevor Penning to guard next season. Penning was already scheduled to make the position switch this fall until Ramczyk went down and Fuaga was a First-Team All-American on the right edge in college.

However, that would leave New Orleans with a need at left tackle. Moore could be a good option in free agency as he’s been solid this season with just 27 pressures surrendered and a 70.3 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus heading into this past weekend. Plus, he’s only 26 years old to help the team’s roster get younger.”

Dan Moore Jr. is an intriguing option for the Saints, and to be completely honest, after Trevor Penning’s Week 15 showing, I think some re-arranging could be utilized. While I do not love the idea of Fuaga moving back to right tackle, it was the place where he excelled in college and despite a strong start at left tackle, it could be considered. Moore has had a 96.0 blocking efficiency rating this season, including his amazing Week 1 performance against the Atlanta Falcons surrendering no pressures, sacks, or giving up penalties on 69 offensive snaps.

The biggest issue for Moore has been allowing sacks, giving up a total of eight so far this season, along with five penalties to his name. In 921 snaps total, this means he is giving up a sack every 115 snaps or so, which is not perfect, but also something you could definitely work with. If the Saints were able to shift things around, Moore could be a good option for the short term to see how Fuaga and Penning work out at new positions, but maybe not the best option when it comes down to it.

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Darren Rizzi says Saints were high on Clyde Edwards-Helaire in 2020 draft

The New Orleans Saints have had their eye on Clyde Edwards-Helaire for a while, and they finally had the chance to bring him in:

The New Orleans Saints jumped at the opportunity to add Clyde Edwards-Helaire to the practice squad, head coach Darren Rizzi says their interest goes back years.

In speaking to the press about their recent running back addition, Rizzi spoke of the Saints’ thoughts on him coming out of college and says the signing had nothing to do with Alvin Kamara’s injury.

“I loved him when he was back at LSU,” Rizzi said. “Studied him a lot coming out. He was high on our draft boards. Just always kind of kept an eye on him. We had the opportunity, when they waived him, to get him on the practice squad. I know it looks like very coincidental with Alvin, it really had nothing to do with that. We just wanted to get the player in the building.”

Edwards-Helaire was a local legend in college, playing a large role in the dream 2019 season for the LSU Tigers. He had 1,867 yards and 17 touchdowns from scrimmage that year, getting the job done in every phase.

New Orleans never really had a chance to draft the small running back. The Kansas City Chiefs took him at the end of the first round. Those are very big expectations for a back and Edwards-Helaire never really met them.

He battled injuries and inconsistencies for the Chiefs, but did have some flashes of what he showed in college. Perhaps a new environment and offense could lead to him finally breaking out.

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Clyde Edwards-Helaire talks return to Louisiana after first Saints practice

Clyde Edwards-Helaire discussed the opportunity to return to Louisiana after his first practice on Thursday, and the call he received from the Saints:

The New Orleans Saints signing of Clyde Edwards-Helaire brings another Louisiana native back to the state, as he was born and raised in Baton Rouge. Edwards-Helaire then went on to play high school football at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, before moving on to college where he would spend three seasons with LSU, win a National Championship, and move on to the NFL.

He will now have a chance to play at this level with the Saints, and he had the opportunity to discuss this return to the state after his first practice with his new team on Thursday.

Edwards-Helaire told reporters it was too perfect of an opportunity to pass up.

“When I saw that 504 number come across my phone the other day, I couldn’t be more than ecstatic. Being able to come home and put on the black and gold was something I dreamed of as a kid,” Edwards-Helaire said.

He’s a lifelong Saints fan, so this was something of a full-circle moment for him. Edwards-Helaire said his mother had just found some of his old Saints gear during some housecleaning before the team called him: “I had multiple Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Deuce McAllister posters in my room. My mom was texting me on the way up here, she found my Saints puffer that I used to wear that had my name embroidered on it.”

He will now return home after winning two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, as he looks to make an impact on his home town team.

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