There’s a new offensive line option headed to the New Orleans Saints. Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. is their latest first-round selection, the first for head coach Kellen Moore.
Grading the Saints’ selection of Kelvin Banks Jr.
I like this pick. Really, I do. Banks has a solid floor as a guard, at minimum. Ideally, he will be a long-term solution at one of the tackle spots for Kellen Moore’s offense. Moore knows impressive offensive line play, after seasons with the Eagles and Cowboys in the recent past.
I trust Moore’s evaluations when it comes to the OL prospects in a particular class.
There were time when Kelvin Banks felt like one of the more overthought prospects in the process. He’s an athletic, powerful, experienced, extremely high character, 21-year old at a premium position. Saints land a building block along their offensive line.
New Orleans could use an upgrade at tackle. They clearly do not see Trevor Penning as a long-term answer at left tackle. Kellen Moore followed his mantra – that success starts from the inside out. They had to improve in the trenches.
While the pick was not particularly exciting, it fulfilled a need and matched the value that many scouts saw when it came to Banks in the first round.
GRADE: B-
New Orleans’ trend is getting tiresome for fans
The Saints cannot stop taking linemen in round one. For some other teams, like the Philadelphia Eagles, that’s been incredibly productive in recent years. For the Saints, some of their biggest misses during the draft have been those early choice between the offensive and defensive line.
Additionally, New Orleans has consistently addressed their line play early in drafts. It just has not worked out often for Mickey Loomis’ team in recent years.
They’ve picked a trench player with almost every first-round pick since 2018. Three of them are pretty simply considered clear misses.
Taliese Fuaga — 2024
Bryan Bresee — 2023
Trevor Penning — 2022
Payton Turner — 2021
Cesar Ruiz — 2020
Marcus Davenport — 2018
One of them so far (Fuaga) looks like a hit. Ruiz is somewhere in between, probably, due to his inconsistency and injury issues at times in his pro career.
Hopefully for the Saints, Banks will not fall in line with some of these misses for New Orleans in round one when it comes to offensive or defensive line picks.
