We said it all summer — New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley was given a depth chart best characterized as a mile wide and an inch deep. And by Week 4, a series of untimely injuries exposed just how badly they lack difference-makers. Years of poor drafting have come back to haunt them. Without Kaden Elliss patrolling the second level at linebacker, Carl Granderson and Anfernee Jennings setting the edge, or Bryan Bresee and Christen Miller controlling the line of scrimmage, the Saints looked helpless while the Atlanta Falcons ran for 205 yards and five touchdowns.
Sure, those are a lot of injuries to overcome. But it’s a mess the Saints made for themselves. AH Datalytics co-founder Jeff Asher observed that, outside of the offensive line, just three of the 21 players who logged more than 30 snaps against the Falcons were drafted by the team before 2025. The only team with fewer than that was the Miami Dolphins (2). If you’re curious, that trio included Chris Olave, Kool-Aid McKinstry (57), and Pete Werner (44). Alvin Kamara and Cameron Jordan (28) just missed the cut in a game the Saints ran 74 plays on offense and 57 on defense.
Fans can blame Mickey Loomis for that. The NFL’s longest-tenured general manager botched a series of premium picks from 2021 to 2023 on draft busts Payton Turner, Trevor Penning, and Isaiah Foskey. Jeff Ireland and his scouting department have lost some shine, but ultimately it’s Loomis making the call on draft day. He’s also responsible for signing off on decisions to draft an injury-prone receiver in this year’s first round, a two-down nose tackle in the second, and a project tight end in the third. There’s still plenty of time for this rookie class to make an impact. It’s only Week 5. That’s small consolation when other inexperienced coaches and rookie draft picks are winning games and making waves where the Saints are struggling.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Years of poor drafting have exposed an all-too-thin Saints defense