The New Orleans Saints have had a spell of recent draft classes not panning out as intended, and it’s led to seasons of poor play and perhaps an NFL-worst roster heading into the 2025 season.

After releasing a slew of former draft picks in the last several years, the Saints could use a strong rookie performance from this year’s class under new head coach Kellen Moore.

That may very well be new offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr., who was selected No. 9 overall by New Orleans.

Banks, now tasked with protecting starting quarterback Spencer Rattler, will play an exponential role in the success under center.

He recently earned honors by Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports, who named Banks to his NFL All-Rookie team ahead of the season openers.

Trapasso, who gave Banks’ preseason performance an “A” grade, gave high praise to the Saints’ first round selection.

"Banks was arguably the best blocker, not just rookie, this preseason,” Trapasso wrote. “He was dominant in pass protection, with the vast majority of his reps in those scenarios seemingly effortless. On 33 pass-blocking snaps, Banks did not allow a single pressure of any Saints quarterback."

The rookie has shown flashes of dominance throughout the offseason in training camp, but at offensive line especially, the only way to truly evaluate those players is in real game action.

Banks has a strong blend of quickness and striking power that shone in his performance stifling defensive ends for the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Denver Broncos.

Against the Chargers, Banks perfectly executed all 12 of his pass protection reps – importantly not allowing any pressures or incurring penalties.

While Banks’ first true test will be against the Arizona Cardinals in the Week 1 opener, he showed why New Orleans may have used another consecutive first-round selection on a lineman on either side of the trenches.

It’s a strategy that makes it hard for fans to rally around a team when excitement – and roster holes – focus more on positions like quarterback, wide receiver, and several defensive needs.

That led to initial criticisms surrounding the pick with all of the available talent on the board at No. 9 overall.

However, none of those skill players would matter much without protection in front of them. And Banks is performing above the rest.

His run blocking could use improvement, but if his reps have showed anything, it’s that he’s capable of developing on the fly while solving a key need for the Saints.

That makes him the most valuable rookie on the roster.