Whatever the Saints do in the draft, it's likely to be seen as a risk.
So much of the discussion around the New Orleans Saints' plans for the draft has been centered around Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, but what if the Saints decide to pass?
Sanders, 23, is generally regarded as the second-best quarterback in this draft class, behind Miami's Cam Ward, who seems likely to be the number-one pick. The Saints, who pick ninth, are certainly weighing their future at the quarterback behind the scenes.
Even if 2025 is Derek Carr's last year as the Saints starter, there's no mandate for New Orleans to select Sanders if he falls to them at nine, let alone to trade up for him to make sure no other team snakes him.
If that's the case, however, the Saints certainly will need to use their first-round pick on a player with the potential to develop into a star at another position. Which player might that be?
On Tuesday, Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice and Charles McDonald predicted that the Saints would take Texas A&M edge-rusher Shemar Stewart over Sanders in their latest 2025 mock draft.
"Edge rusher isn’t currently the biggest need on the Saints, but it’s not a bad idea to add someone to the rotation here. Chase Young is back on a multiyear deal, but Carl Granderson could use some competition and Cam Jordan isn’t an impact player anymore," Tice and McDonald wrote.
"Taking Shemar Stewart here from Texas A&M would be a big risk given his production, but the upside is there and he has the size that the Saints have preferred from their defensive line prospects in recent years."
Stewart, 21, is a 6-foot-6, 291-pounder with prototypical athleticism for the defensive end position. However, he was only able to muster 1.5 sacks in 12 games this past season, and 4.5 in his entire three-year college career.
Stats sometimes don't tell the full story, and the NFL Draft is all about potential. But when taking a player without a proven track record, you have to have a very strong premonition that the pick will pay off, or the "I told you so"s will be deafening.
