A massive upgrade on the offensive line.
In the first round of the NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected LT Kelvin Banks Jr. out of Texas. Going into Thursday, many believed the Saints would target a player who could upgrade their defensive or offensive line. It was also believed that Banks could be gone by the Saints’ selection, but he was available, and they took their guy.
Offensive line is a selection the Saints have made frequently in the first round of drafts, but they still need to find an answer at tackle and guard. Trevor Penning’s fifth-year option was a massive hint for the direction the Saints could go at 9, and now, the offensive line is looking much better going into the 2025 season.
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For the 2025 season, Kelvin Banks can be a starter right away, it just depends where. Like with Taliese Fuaga last season, many believe that Banks can slide to the inside at guard. This could be what happens in his rookie season. Penning is still on the roster and the Saints may want to keep at RT for the time being. This would also allow Fuaga to stay at LT and not have to move. Although that option is fine, there are other directions the Saints can go with the offensive line that might be better.
With Penning’s fifth-year option not picked up, it may be time to just give up on him playing tackle for this team. In the end, this may be the best decision for the future development of the Saints’ young tackles. This option would be Fuaga and Banks being the tackles, and Penning competing with Dillon Radunz to be the LG of this team. In regards to what side Fuaga or Banks plays, the best option would be moving Fuaga to the right and keeping Banks at LT, which he played at Texas. This would also move Fuaga back to the side he played on at Oregon State.
Tackle may have not been the flashy pick at 9, but the viewpoint of this coaching staff has been that the trenches need to be fixed first, and that is what the New Orleans Saints did with this selection.