NFL Writer Makes Last Minute Saints Draft Prediction

The Saints could draft Mason Graham in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Blue Team defensive lineman Mason Graham (55) walks up the tunnel for halftime during the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 20, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints hold the No. 9 pick in the NFL Draft and there are a lot of different directions they could go with this selection.

As time goes by, it seems less and less likely that the Saints use this pick on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and more likely they'll use the pick on an impact defender. With eight teams selecting ahead of them, it's tough to judge who's going to be available for the Saints at No. 9.

Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski recently put together his final mock draft for the 2025 NFL Draft and predicted the Saints would land Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham with pick No. 9 in the first round.

"If the New Orleans Saints sit in this exact position and have a choice between one of the class' elite prospects in Michigan's Mason Graham and Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the organization should be ecstatic with its options," Sobleski wrote. "In order for the Saints to pass on a potential franchise signal-caller and make this selection far more palatable, someone of Graham's caliber must be the pick."

If Graham doesn't go in the top eight picks, it would be quite shocking. But if he doesn't go in the top eight picks, he should certainly land with the Saints at No. 9. Landing Graham would be a huge step in the right direction for New Orleans.

Graham has the potential to be a top three talent in the entire draft, but he isn't going in the top three because of the modern day value placed on defensive tackles. If Graham reaches his potential, he could disrupt games in a multitude of ways and completely change the future in New Orleans.

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