We make a lot out of the NFL draft every year, and for good reason — the easiest way to build a Super Bowl contender is by stocking your roster with star athletes playing on affordable contracts, and the best way to acquire them is by hitting on your draft picks every year. But some teams have had more success on that front than others. And if the list of the top 25 players under 25 years of age from Pro Football Focus is anything to go off of, the New Orleans Saints have some work to do.

PFF analyst Jonathan Macri didn’t list a single Saints player in that group. And when you look at the team’s roster, it’s tough to single out many deserving candidates. Wide receiver Chris Olave turns 25 in June and doesn’t qualify, but is he a better pro right now than guys who made the cut like Puka Nacua, Drake London, and Malik Nabers? That’s debatable. London has outproduced him just by staying healthy. Nacua has almost matched Olave’s numbers in 11 fewer games. Nabers is well on his way to catching up, too. Olave hasn’t had a good quarterback situation (catching passes from six different quarterbacks in just 39 games) but neither have London and Nabers.

Advertisement

Who else should have been considered? Taliese Fuaga warranted inclusion, but Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell was the only offensive tackle to get in. Dallas Cowboys guard Tyler Smith was the only other offensive lineman recognized at all. So maybe that position group needed more thought than PFF gave them.

Bryan Bresee falls into the same category, and Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Carter was the sole defensive tackle on PFF’s list, so it’s not like many guys were put clearly above him. Bresee has more sacks (12) than Carter (10.5) to this point in their careers, but Carter has an edge in solo tackles (45 to 29), tackles for loss (20 to 14), and quarterback hits (25 to 23), plus forced fumbles (4 to 1). Bresee has deflected 9 passes to Carter’s 6. PFF tracking has credited Bresee with 69 combined quarterback pressures through his first two years, but Carter has 125 of them. So it’s tough to make a compelling argument that Bresee should rank ahead of him.

Hopefully the Saints can have some representatives on this list next year. You’d like to think rookie draft picks like Kelvin Banks Jr. can make the cut (second-round quarterback Tyler Shough will be 26 this season and won’t qualify even if he plays really well), but look out for other young pros. Kool-Aid McKinstry and Kendre Miller are two of the youngest players on the team despite being in their second and third seasons, respectively. If they can excel in new systems on each side of the ball, the Saints’ fortunes could turn around in a hurry.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 25 top NFL players under 25: New Orleans Saints shut out of PFF’s list