How Sports Illustrated Graded UCLA's Matavao, Saints Draft

UCLA's Moliki Matavao is moving from Westwood for Bourbon Street after being selected by the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Saints enter a brand new era as the Sean Payton influence has finally expired in Louisiana after Payton's former defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was fired as head coach in the middle of the 2024 season.

A new era has begun with new head coach Kellen Moore but long-time general manager Mickey Loomis remains in charge, and in typical Loomis fashion, he has that high-value pick that he uses on a player that makes fans go...why?

Thus, Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano gave the Saints a grade of "C" for their draft.

Round 1 (9): Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas

Round 2 (40): Tyler Shough, Louisville

Round 3 (71): Vernon Broughton, Texas

Round 3 (93): Jonas Sanker, Virginia

Round 4 (112): Danny Stutsman, Oklahoma

Round 4 (131): Quincy Riley, Louisville

Round 6 (184): Devin Neal, Kansas

Round 7 (248): Moliki Matavao, UCLA

Round 7 (254): Fadil Diggs, Syracuse

"It’s hard to knock a team for taking a tackle in the first round, but the Saints reached for Banks, who might be better suited as a guard," Manzano wrote. "Perhaps trading down would have been the best approach, or drafting the best available defender at No. 9. New Orleans also took a risk by taking Shough in the second round.

"He’s a pro-ready quarterback who could step in right away in case the team parts with Derek Carr. But Shedeur Sanders and Jalen Milroe were both still available and would have offered more upside. New Orleans probably should have prioritized adding youth to an older defense, now knowing that Sanders and Milroe were on the board after the second round."

The biggest question marks are Banks and Shough. Banks may not be able to play tackle, but the bigger question revolves around why Loomis selected a player with that question mark after swinging and missing on Trevor Penning, a player with many concerns, three years ago.

Shough is absolutely undefendable. He is injury prone, makes bad decisions, and needs a special situation to succeed. That situation is not the cash strapped Saints, especially at pick 40.

Fun fact, Tyler Shough and I were born in the same year. I graduated from college after four years, four years ago. He left college football five months ago.

The upside is that Matavao is with an offensive-minded head coach who understands how to use tight ends like Matavao. Moore has put in impressive work with Dalton Schultz, Gerald Everett, Stone Smartt and Dallas Goedert.

The former Bruin is in an offensive scheme built to succeed, but will his fellow teammates be able to do enough for Matavao to execute when the ball is scheduled to come his way?

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