Four of the New Orleans Saints’ Week 1 starters in 2024 along were homegrown, and all of them were top-50 picks in their respective drafts.
Might the Saints try to make it five in 2025?
It may as well have been written in ink that the Saints were going to select an offensive tackle with their first-round pick a year ago. New Orleans had a glaring need at the position, and nobody knew what to make of 2022 first-rounder Trevor Penning. New Orleans followed through, selecting Taliese Fuaga No. 14 overall.
Fuaga was imperfect as a rookie, especially against high-level pass rushers, but he immediately fortified the left edge of the offensive line with a physical play style. Penning, shifted to the right side, turned in his best season as a professional by far — though that was a low bar to clear.
This year, the Saints’ attention turns to guard. They lost one veteran (Lucas Patrick, who signed with the Bengals) but picked up another (free agent signee Dillon Radunz), but it’s probably not a good idea to write Radunz’s name in pen in the starting five.
NFL talent evaluators can’t seem to figure out whether several prospects in this class fit better as guards or tackles at the next level.
That was a question with Fuaga last year as well. And while New Orleans has shown no inclination to make this type of move, guard may wind up being Penning’s best position, too.
Even though the Saints have both tackles returning from last season, is it out of the question that they use one of their premium picks on one of the top tackles in this draft, with the idea of shifting either the draft pick or one of their current starting tackles inside? Or perhaps the Saints would prefer to snap up a pure guard later in the draft.
Here are some players who make sense.
LSU OT Will Campbell
Depending on the scouting service, Campbell is considered the best offensive lineman in this class, and he might have been considered a surefire top-five pick if it weren’t for the measurables. Yes, we’re talking arm length. Campbell measured in with 32⅝-inch arms at the NFL combine, which is short by NFL standards and is why some wonder whether he will need to play guard in the NFL. But despite going up against some of college football’s best pass rushers in the Southeastern Conference, Campbell allowed only two sacks in his final two seasons at LSU.
Missouri OT Armand Membou
If it’s not Campbell at the top of the offensive line rankings, it is Membou. Like Campbell, there are questions about whether Membou best profiles as a guard or tackle — for Membou, it is because he stands a shade below 6-foot-4. He was a two-year starter at right tackle for Missouri, and in 411 pass-blocking snaps last season he did not allow a sack, according to Pro Football Focus. He also fits the athletic profile the Saints usually look for: Membou was named on Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” last year.
North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel
Zabel was North Dakota State’s starting left tackle last season, but he played four different positions during his time there and is considered one of the draft’s top interior offensive linemen — in part because of his 32-inch arms. Zabel is tall (6-6) and explosive for his size (combine-best 36.5-inch vertical), and he cleared up any small-school questions with an excellent week at the Senior Bowl. Some see him as a center, while others see him as a guard. Either way, he will offer positional flexibility.
Ohio State OT Donovan Jackson
A three-year starter at a big program with experience at both left guard and left tackle, Jackson is mainly viewed as an interior player in the NFL. The former five-star prospect started the first 31 games of his college career at left guard before switching to left tackle because of a teammate's injury last season. While he struggled against Penn State’s Abdul Carter, widely considered a top-three pick, he finished strong while Ohio State was making a national championship run.
Georgia OG Tate Ratledge
Ratledge was an All-American each of his final two years at Georgia, starting 37 games at right guard in his career there — including all 14 on Georgia’s 2022 national championship run. The former five-star recruit is also an excellent athlete, posting elite-level numbers on the explosiveness and speed metrics at the combine. According to Pro Football Focus, Ratledge allowed two sacks in his entire college football career.
