METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints entered the 2025 NFL draft hoping to find clarity at the quarterback position, but they didn't provide any answers after selecting Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. with the ninth pick on Thursday night.
Banks was a three-year starter and team captain at Texas at left tackle.
"A three-year starter, he's really young, he just turned 21," Saints coach Kellen Moore said. "For him to just hop in there and compete at that high of a level in arguably some of the toughest games in college football that you're going to play, it just shows the player and the person that he is."
While there was speculation the Saints could take a quarterback at No. 9 or trade back into the first round, they chose to do neither. They haven't selected a quarterback in the first round since they took Archie Manning with the second pick in 1971, a drought that now dates 54 years and leads the league.
Moore was mum on questions about Saints quarterback Derek Carr and referred back to answers from Saints general manager Mickey Loomis about Carr's status. Loomis confirmed that Carr has a shoulder issue and said they hoped to "get some resolution and clarity on in the future," but declined to provide any additional information.
"We'll let that process play itself out," Moore said. "Obviously Mickey kind of addressed that on Wednesday."
Loomis said on Wednesday that Carr's status did not change their draft approach, something Moore also echoed on Thursday night.
"We felt like our board was built the right way," Moore said. "We will let the thing play itself out. We trust the process and we feel like we got some good players in the building. Again, Mickey kind of addressed how Derek situation's being played out, so hopefully clarity in the coming time as everyone just goes through that process."
The Saints have now drafted first-round tackles in consecutive years, taking Taliese Fuaga in the first round last year. Fuaga played right tackle at Oregon State but moved to the left side in the NFL.
The Saints recently declined the fifth-year option of 2022 first-round pick Trevor Penning, potentially opening the door to move Fuaga back to the right side or place Banks in one of the two tackle spots.
Moore said that they have "flexibility" to decide where everyone will ultimately play, but said the team feels Banks can play tackle in the NFL.
"He did it in Texas for three years, against some of the best competition college football, that's big time production right there," Moore said. "Within that he also has the flexibility to play a bunch of other stuff."
The Saints hold the 40th pick when the second round begins on Friday. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe are three quarterbacks still available after the first round.
