The New Orleans Saints would be picking at No. 6 overall if the 2025 NFL draft started today, having fallen into a 2-5 start to their season after a five-week losing streak. The latest projections from Tankathon have the Saints making their pick awful early, but that could change depending on Monday night’s results. The Buccaneers-Ravens game won’t impact them much, but a Cardinals loss could push the Saints down to No. 7 (while a Chargers loss doesn’t move the needle).
But it’s tough to see them stay there. When healthy, they might be too talented to fail. The Saints showed what they can do with all hands on deck in the first two weeks of thee season, outscoring their opponents by a wider margin than anyone else around the league. Then they lost two close games to good teams. Attrition continued, and then they got run off their own field in back-to-back losses.
There’s a lot to be said for going in the tank, locking up a valuable draft pick, and using it to address a key position of need — landing a surefire rookie quarterback would be transformative, and the game’s best pass rushers and pass protectors can be found earliest in the draft, too.
Just don’t count on it. The Saints are slowly getting healthier. Veteran linebacker Pete Werner is expected back soon, and so is starting quarterback Derek Carr. Other offensive playmakers like right guard Cesar Ruiz and tight end/fullback Taysom Hill are returning soon, too. Eventually Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy will resume his place in the middle of the line. Even if they’re bruised or older (or both), this Saints team has too much talent on both sides of the ball to lose five more in a row.
And that’s been their story with Dennis Allen at head coach. In each of his three years they’ve gone into Week 8 with records of 2-4, 3-3, and 2-4, only to figure some things out and rebound in the second half. By Week 13 they’ve been 4-8 and 5-6. By season’s end they were 7-10 and 9-8. Not bad enough for a pick at the top of the draft to rebuild, but not good enough for the playoffs.
It’s a concerning pattern. You figure something has to give eventually. They’ll either get over the hump, fully collapse, or the front office’s patience with Allen will give out. If recent history is any indication, general manger Mickey Loomis, team president Dennis Lauscha, and team owner Gayle Benson aren’t in any great rush to blow things up and start over.
