If it’s one thing the New Orleans Saints love doing, it’s adding players from Louisiana to the roster. Recently, during the first week of free agency, the Saints signed Tyrann Mathieu to a new deal, traded for Davon Godchaux, and signed free agent safety Justin Reid— all three players are from Louisiana.
This has been a theme for the Saints throughout history, so it’s good that Louisiana produces great football players. It’s safe to assume this trend will continue in the future, and it may even happen in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Draft expert Field Yates recently predicted the first 10 picks of the 2025 Drafts, based on early free agency activity. For the Saints, who have the ninth-overall pick, Yates had them selecting offensive lineman Will Campbell.
Saints select Will Campbell in recent ESPN mock Draft
Campbell is from Monroe, Louisiana, and starred at LSU for three seasons as a left tackle. He’s considered one of the best prospects in the class, but the length of his arms have many thinking he should move to guard in the NFL. Whether it be guard or tackle, Yates thinks he could be a good pick up for the Saints.
While I am a firm believer that Campbell has the goods to be a starting left tackle in the NFL, I also believe he can really thrive at guard if the team that picks him believes he’s better suited there. He has 32⅝-inch arms, which isn’t ideal length for a true tackle.
Regardless of position, Campbell has the best footwork of any offensive lineman in the class. Here, he would stay home in the state where he played his high school and college ball, and he’d immediately become a cornerstone player for a Saints team in need of them.”
This makes a lot of sense for a Saints team that has had problems on the offensive line. They drafted Taliese Fuaga in the first round of the 2024 Draft, and he solved the team’s problem at left tackle. With Trevor Penning finding his footing at right tackle, Campbell could slide in and left guard and create a dominant duo with Fuaga.
That selection would certainly go a long way, as a good offensive line allows a team to do anything. However, with this pick inside the top 10, there will be some fans that prefer to see the team select a dynamic pass catcher, or maybe an edge rusher.
