Canal Street Chronicles
My one and only...
With the NFL Draft is right around the corner, it’s time for my one and only mock draft. Let me start by saying that I love reading mock drafts, but I don't like doing them. Night 1 of the draft is so exciting but totally unpredictable for the most part. So, most of the time, our mocks are wrong, sometimes really wrong. Yet every year, we do our research, write them up and hope for the best. With that, I give you my in a “perfect world” prediction...
With the 9th pick in the NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints select OT Will Campbell, LSU.
I don't think Campbell will be available at No. 9 but if he is, I would not hesitate to take him. Not a quarterback, you ask. No and here is why simplified.
The past 6 years, the Saints’ starting quarterback has gotten injured and missed significant time. Drew Brees (2019, torn thumb ligament and 2020, broken ribs and collapsed lung) Jameis Winston (2021, torn ACL and 2022, back fractures) and Derek Carr (2023, shoulder injury and 2024, hand fracture, concussion)
It is also no secret that the offensive line has been struggling for a few years, and as you know, they are the key to any quarterback’s success. So, I feel that is one of the most important issues the team needs to address in the draft. Not to mention the Saints have drafted a quarterback the last 2 years with Jake Haener in 2023 and Spencer Rattler in 2024, who was thrown into a very difficult situation last season, having to start once Derek Carr was injured, along with most of the receiving corps and Taysom Hill.
The bottom line is I don’t think the Saints need a quarterback, especially in this weaker draft class but they do need to strengthen the o-line. Plus, I am excited to see what new head coach Kellen Moore can do especially with Rattler after he has the opportunity to work with the starters and healthy ones at that through a complete offseason and training camp.
Looks like Rattler is excited too, having posted to his social media that he was already at the facility over the weekend prior to the start of workouts.
No matter what happens on during the draft, I trust that Kellen Moore will pick the player who he feels is the best fit for what he is building for the Saints’ future. If what he has done with the Philadelphia Eagles is any indication, that future in New Orleans looks bright.
