Saints Struck Gold; Drafted New Orleans' Next Franchise Star

The Saints may have a star offensive lineman on their hands...

Aug 10, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. (71) against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints came into the offseason with massive holes on their roster. Shortly into the offseason, Derek Carr entered a medical retirement, cutting his NFL career shorter than it should have been. This left the Saints with a glaring hole at quarterback, but they opted against adding one at the top of the NFL Draft.

With Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart, and other quarterbacks on the board, the Saints opted to select offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. out of Texas with the No. 9 pick in the NFL Draft. They would go on to select quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round. But the selection of Banks defined the Saints' offseason and he's looked like a star so far.

FanSided's Wynston Wilcox recently gave Banks a B- grade for his Week 1 performance. Wilcox shared some high praise for the potential franchise star.

Kelvin Banks Jr. receives praise after Week 1 loss to Cardinals

Aug 14, 2025; Carson, CA, USA; New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. (71) during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams at the Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"As for Travis Hunter, well he seems to be fitting in well as a two-way role with Jacksonville. For most of the first round draft picks, they had a solid debut, but not all was great for all 32 picks," Wilcox wrote. "Here’s grades for every first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

"Kelvin Banks Jr. had just two pressures in 53 pass block snaps and received a 69.1 overall grade and 74.4 pass blocking grade in his debut. He’s the lone bright spot on the New Orleans team that looks like it’s going to take all season to recover from Derek Carr’s abrupt retirement."

During training camp and the preseason, Banks has looked like one of the better rookies in football. But in Week 1, he stumbled a bit against an NFL-caliber defensive line. Still, he held his own and was quite impressive.

Banks is going to be an engine on the Saints' offensive line. The first game of his career shows room for growth, but there's a star emerging already. The Saints wanted a franchise offensive tackle when they drafted Banks, and he already looks like the star they imagined.

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