Jan. 14, 2026, 10:50 a.m. CT

Every fanbase likes to think that their team is just one good draft away from turning their fortunes around. But New Orleans Saints have good reason to believe that. They’ve seen it firsthand in the 2006 and 2017 drafts, when their teams found instant-impact rookies not just on the first and second days of the draft, but starters in the later rounds on Day 3. The 2006 NFL Draft brought franchise-changing talents like Reggie Bush, Roman Harper, Jahri Evans, Zach Strief, and Marques Colston. Rob Ninkovich was the one that got away. New Orleans followed up that act in the 2017 NFL Draft, landing Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, Marcus Williams, and Alvin Kamara, all of whom played their best football with the Saints. Trey Hendrickson, Alex Anzalone, and Al-Quadin Muhammad have made careers to be proud of, too.

And that might have happened again in 2025. ESPN’s Aaron Schatz ranked all 32 teams by their rookie draft classes, and he put the Saints at the top. Here’s why Schatz says the Saints’ rookies were the NFL’s most productive draft class in 2025:

The Saints’ rookie class is headlined by second-round quarterback Tyler Shough, who ranked 21st with a 49.2 QBR in nine starts. That’s not quite “the Saints are set for years” territory, but Shough has certainly earned the right to come back and try to improve as the starter. (Just remember that he’s already 26 years old.)

Shough’s blind side was protected by first-round left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., who started all 17 games. He ranked above average in run block win rate (75.6%), although he was below average in pass block win rate (87.7%).

Then we go to the defensive side of the ball, where the Saints improved to a surprising 13th in defensive DVOA this season. In Ben Solak’s All-Rookie team, he highlighted third-round pick Jonas Sanker as a premier communicator and coverage player who made plays from sideline to sideline. Fourth-rounder Quincy Riley, the team’s third cornerback, was above average in my coverage DVOA metric and started five games. Another fourth-round pick, linebacker Danny Stutsman, didn’t start any games but had 53 combined tackles. Next season, the Saints will also get back third-round defensive tackle Vernon Broughton, who suffered a season-ending hip injury in Week 2.

Time will tell if the 2025 crop lives up to the once-in-a-decade standards set in 2006 and 2017; as Schatz pointed out, it’s not like “the Saints are set for years” just based on what Shough and Co. have done so far. But Shough winning NFL Rookie of the Year would go a long way to building confidence in him. Even better than that would be to see him take the next step in 2026 and get this team back to the playoffs. Finding more help for him in the 2026 draft has to be a priority. But as we’ve seen, drafts like this don’t come around very often.

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