The New Orleans Saints came into the NFL Draft with plenty of questions at quarterback. They didn’t answer any of them with the ninth overall pick of the draft.
With Derek Carr’s availability for the 2025 season up in the air due to a reported shoulder injury and possible surgery, the Saints were a prime candidate to take a quarterback with the ninth pick. It’s telling that they had their pick of any quarterback in the draft class other than Cam Ward, and passed.
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The Saints instead picked Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. with the ninth pick.
That wasn’t good news for Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart, who were considered candidates to go in that spot. That meant both of them had to worry about a long wait to hear their names called. But clearly the Saints didn’t believe in either as a future franchise quarterback.
Kelvin Banks Jr. of the Texas Longhorns was the Saints’ choice with the ninth pick of the NFL Draft. (Photo by Adam Hagy/CFP/Getty Images)
(CFP via Getty Images)
The Saints didn’t come into the draft with many options for this season if Carr isn’t their Week 1 starter. There’s still a chance to pick a quarterback later in the draft, but it’s hard to rely on any rookie to start right away, much less one taken outside of the top half of the first round. Spencer Rattler could be this season’s starter if needed. Perhaps the Saints have their eye on the 2026 quarterback class, which is supposed to be better and might include Arch Manning, who grew up in New Orleans.
For a couple of weeks leading up to the draft, the Saints seemed like a good bet to pick a quarterback ninth overall. They took an offensive lineman to protect whoever their 2025 quarterback is instead. That might help whoever does end up being the Saints’ choice as their quarterback of the future.
