We're officially in April, just weeks away from the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. As teams look to put to finishing touches on their processes, draft experts and analysts are honing on landing spots for this year's top prospects.
Draft analyst Lance Zierlein of NFL.com gives the New Orleans Saints not one, but two polarizing prospects in his mock draft 3.0. Making their first selection at pick no. 9 on the defensive side of the ball, while jumping back into the first round making a selection at pick No. 32 for a potential future starting quarterback. An exciting start to a new regime to say the least.
Here's who Zierlein has the Saints taking in his most recent mock and the thought process behind the picks:
Round 1, Pick 9: Jihaad Campbell, LB Alabama
"Mulling through the Saints' options here took some time, but incoming coordinator Brandon Staley is going to need an outside linebacker with top-tier athleticism who can rush the passer and cover for his 3-4 defense. Campbell is the lone guy remaining who fits that profile."
Round 1, Pick 32 (projected trade with Philadelphia): Jaxson Dart, QB Ole Miss
"With teams like the Giants (No. 34 overall) and Raiders (No. 37) sitting in front of the Saints (No. 40) in the second round, New Orleans swaps with the Eagles to land a quarterback.
There's a lot to love here with these two selections starting with Alabama's Jihaad Campbell, who is a tremendous athlete with all the traits you want in today's style of linebacker. Similarly to Georgia's Jalon Walker, Campbell displays the ability to play in space as your traditional stand-up backer while also providing exceptional pass rush ability on the edge. With Campbell's versatility, he would give defensive coordinator Brandon Staley quite the chess piece alongside Demario Davis and Pete Werner.
Onto the team's second selection now taking Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart who quite honestly may not make it to this selection. Dart's pre-draft process has been outstanding, outperforming many of his peers at both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine. Dart's shown the ability to work the intermediate to deep areas of the field, while displaying great athleticism and poise inside and outside of the pocket. Although not a finished product, bringing Dart to New Orleans gives the Saints a player with a ton of upside while likely learning behind Derek Carr in his first season.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints make a trade to pair SEC rivals in Lance Zierlein's mock draft
