The Saints add a receiver who stands out on their depth chart.
The Saints are heading into Year 1 under first-time head coach Kellen Moore. The former starting quarterback from Boise State has seen a fast rise through the coaching ranks since he hung up his cleats after the 2017 season. After running offenses for the Cowboys, Chargers, and reigning Super Bowl champ Eagles, he’s now at the helm of the New Orleans Saints.
Moore will enter the 2025 season with Derek Carr as his starting quarterback. He’s got some notable names on offense already in running back Alvin Kamara and wideout Chris Olave. Past that, there’s not a whole lot to love for a guy who just got done calling one of the best offenses in the NFL.
The Saints could use some extra firepower and they are on the clock with SB Nation’s top wideout and tight end still on the board. It seems almost a foregone conclusion that one of them ends up going here.
So with that said, Canal Street Chronicles’ Tina Howell selects…
*pause for dramatic effect….
…Arizona wideout Tetairoa McMillan with the ninth overall pick!
9.) New Orleans Saints: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
Howell: Last season, the New Orleans Saints were plagued with injuries, especially at the WR position. With Rashid Shaheed returning from a torn meniscus, Chris Olave suffering his fourth NFL and fifth career concussion, Taysom Hill’s torn ACL and Marquez Valdes-Scantling leaving in free agency, there are still some questions lingering over the stability of that receiving group. While the Saints did just sign Brandin Cooks, McMillan is a big-bodied receiver who can use his size to make contested catches and big plays that we haven’t seen in a while from the offense.
Analysis: The Saints have a “fine enough” trio at wideout for Moore to work with in Year 1, but that shouldn’t stop them from taking the draft’s WR1 were he to be here at No. 9. McMillan is a different kind of receiver from either Olave, veteran Brandin Cooks, and Rashid Shaheed. He’s 6’4 and 215 pounds. That’s quite the size compared to those other three, all of whom measure in at 6’0 or shorter and 190 pounds or lighter. McMillan gives the Saints a tall, physical presence outside the numbers who can win at all three levels of the defense. He attacks the ball with ferocity and possesses the body control to make toe-tap grabs on the boundary lines.
In a division that features larger wideouts such as Mike Evans and Drake London, Moore and the Saints get their own mismatch player here in McMillan.
Top five remaining players:
- Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
- Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
- Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
- Malaki Starks, S Georgia
- James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
So there goes the top wide receiver in the draft. With nine picks off the board, we’re still looking at the top running back, cornerback, tight end, and safety all still available. That’s a lot of talent to be had as we are just about done with the top 10 picks in this year’s community mock. The Bears, who pick next, sure have their pick of the litter depending on where they feel they need the most help under new head coach Ben Johnson.
