Draft Nation’s Focus: NFC South

Only two divisions are left for Draft Nation to preview for the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft. This article will cover the NFC South’s potential draft targets. One of the most volatile divisions in the NFL has several options to focus on in the draft, and the Panthers, Saints, Falcons, and Buccaneers all have unique issues they need to address with those options.

Ian Stuart Martin provides those targets and a glance at each team’s needs:

Panthers:

The Carolina Panthers and head coach Dan Canales have shown that Bryce Young’s rookie campaign doesn’t reflect who he is. And while it would be great to give Young more playmakers or offensive linemen, the Panthers set the NFL record for most points allowed in a single season. The following are some Defensive prospects that can help prevent the Panthers from breaking their own record this coming year at pick 8.

Jahdae Barron (CB, Texas) - Despite playing cornerback the majority of his college career, Barron would be excellent to slot in at free safety for the Panthers. Barron’s strengths are his zone coverage, his ability to read routes early, and his 4.39 40-time. Putting Barron at the back of a defense where his eyes have the best view to read and break down a play as it develops would be well suited to his profile.  

The Panthers did add Tre'von Moehrig, who is a solid starting-level safety in the offseason, but Moehrig is much more of a run-defending strong safety. There is a world where Barron jumps safeties Demani Richardson and Nick Scott on the depth chart in the preseason, and the Panthers start the regular season with excellent complementary safeties.

Mike Green (EDGE, Marshall) - Assuming the Panthers are comfortable with Mike Green, he is the next-best edge rusher in the 2025 class after Abdul Carter. Green led the FBS in sacks with 17 this past year, and for good reason. Green blends elite bend and flexibility with a well-developed set of pass rush moves. With a great motor and a violent, aggressive approach, he found a proven formula for success. The Panthers need a day one starter and not a project that needs to develop. The concern with Green is that his weight and height are undersized compared to a prototypical NFL edge, which will limit his ceiling as a run defender.

The Panthers will need to pay Jadeveon Clowney if they don’t trade him this coming year. Drafting Green will give him a chance to watch and learn from a true veteran of the league like Clowney. 

Saints:

The New Orleans Saints and head coach Kellen Moore are stuck between a rock and a hard place this coming year. The bulk of their cap space is being spent on accounting for players that have either retired, are rapidly regressing, have been traded, or released. The Saints recently restructured Derek Carr’s contract to give them cap space, but that kicks the can down the road again. The Saints need to rebuild. Yes, they have a lot of pieces that are geared towards winning now, but the Saints are still far from clear of cap hell. Although the Saints can still push for the playoffs, they shouldn’t disregard prospects that need time to develop. Building for the future, the following are some options at Pick 9.

Kenneth Grant (DL, Michigan) - Kenneth Grant is one of the highest upside players in this year’s draft. Grant has a rare combination of athleticism, size, and mobility at nose tackle. There are snaps on tape where Grant completely neutralizes a run play by himself. There are other snaps where he takes on double teams and still breaks the pocket. Grant’s main downside is his inconsistency on those big plays. On a play-to-play basis Grant does put in work and will be a solid starter at nose, but the upside to be a true monster on all downs is there. Having a player who has the traits to dominate at the next level, as well as showing it on tape, is rare. The Saints can draft Grant, give him time to develop, and get him in a place where he can consistently get quarterback pressures from the nose tackle. 

Brandon Staley is the Saints’ new defensive coordinator. Traditionally, Staley has run a 3-4 defense as opposed to the Saints running a 4-3 this past year. What Staley needs to transition the defense into his system is a player who can be an anchor that simplifies offenses. Having a big-bodied Nose who needs two blockers who also have the speed to run down Kaytron Allen from Penn State from behind would give Staley a great piece. With Grant, in a year or two of development, the Saints could have guaranteed one-on-ones on the edge as Grant eats up the interior o-linemen.

Jahdae Barron (CB, Texas) - Brandon Staley loves to run zone defense in the NFL, so why not get the best zone corner in the draft? Despite signing Isaac Yaidom in the offseason, the Saints need more corners. Giving Kool-Aid McKinstry a running mate will help both Barron and McKinstry. Both are young players who have complementary skill sets. Barron is an excellent student of the game who reads routes quickly, is to the play in an instant, and a top-tier play disruptor. McKinstry is a fast-moving shutdown corner who mirrors his assignments great while possessing the necessary recovery speed when he’s caught off.

So much of football at the next level is having as many different tools in the toolbox during a game. Having players with different skill sets is key to handling the variety of schemes run in the NFL. Giving Staley another club in his bag will allow the Saints to have the flexibility to deal with both offenses that rely on one primary threat and teams that spread the ball around to their receivers and tight ends.

Shedeur Sanders (QB, Colorado) - With the news that Derek Carr may need shoulder surgery, the Saints will now be in the running for selecting the QB2 of the 2025 NFL Draft class. That quarterback is Colorado’s own, Shedeur Sanders. Sanders realistically isn’t a true first-round prospect, but it's not his fault. Colorado ran a college-style offense in part because they didn’t have the personnel to run anything else. Sanders’s offensive line struggled mightily to protect him, so he had to bail from the pocket incredibly often. Also, Colorado ran 10-personnel so often, not because Travis Hunter, LaJohntay Wester, and Will Sheppard were that amazing, but because Colorado had no tight ends that could play. Sanders has a good high completion percentage, but Colorado ran screen plays so often that it inflates the completion percentage. While Sanders has great throws down the field, he also wouldn’t throw his receivers open and would wait until they were fully separated from the defense and open. This could be because Hunter, Wester, and Sheppard were so good that he wouldn’t risk a throw if he knew they would get open with time.

What makes Sanders such a hard prospect to judge is that he has the best foundational mechanics of any quarterback in the draft. Sanders also has tons of great throws while working through plays well because of Sanders's top-notch processing. There is an equal chance that Sanders is amazing at the next level or falls apart. In one potential reality, Sanders steps into the NFL as one of the marquee field generals who picks apart defenses behind clean pockets. In another scenario, Sanders struggles to throw with anticipation, sits in the pocket too long waiting for separation, and bails from clean pockets because he lacks experience judging when to bail.

All said, the Saints would benefit from selecting Sanders because he would be entering one of the best possible situations for a quarterback to enter. The Saints have aging, but still good play-makers along with an old but solid offensive line. Sanders would have a great supporting cast while throwing in a dome stadium, allowing him to develop and have the best chance at succeeding.

Falcons:

The Atlanta Falcons and head coach Raheem Morris have a lot of work to improve this roster. Losing Grady Jarrett for nothing this past offseason cripples an already thin defensive line. The Falcons could add another wide receiver, but their needs on defense means they can’t draft the best available player. There are a couple of standouts as prospects for the Falcons at Pick 15.

Donovan Ezeiruaku (EDGE, Boston College) - Donovan Ezeiruaku had an incredibly impressive 2024, where he won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award and the Ted Hendrick award for being the best defensive end in the country. Ezeiruaku is a proven pass-rusher who compiled 16.5 sacks and 20.5 TFLs in the FBS this past year. Ezeiruaku did this by having a long list of pass-rush moves that are all polished and well-honed. He wins with his technique and blend of speed and strength. While at the next level Ezeiruaku is very undersized, being only 6’2” and 248 lbs. and while he has found success at his size, he will struggle unless he is playing 5-tech or wide-9 at the NFL level. Ezeiruaku will struggle against setting the edge against runs, but will instantly be one of, if not the best, pass rushers on a Falcons roster that has struggled for years with generating sacks.

Ezeiruaku is a pure pass-rusher. He tested with elite numbers at the 40, three-cone, and shuttle cone, but how much of that is due to his weight being 248 lbs. when the average defensive end is closer to 275 lbs.? What makes him a good choice for the Falcons is his clear current ability to pass-rush. A player who has figured out what works for him at the college level translates to the NFL level. Too many players are drafted too high based on their tools, assuming they will figure out how to use their athletic abilities. What Ezeiruaku provides the Falcons is some much-needed pass-rush skills that will immediately give an impact on third and fourth down.

James Pearce Jr. (EDGE, Tennessee) - Pearce has the ability and tools to step in as a good pass-rusher for the Falcons. Unlike Ezeiruaku, Pearce wins because he has developed his skills around using his lightning-fast first step and incredible bend. He is less technical than Ezeiruaku, partially because he hasn’t needed to be. What Pearce does provide the Falcons is a rusher who has higher upside and can benefit from working in a 3-4 system and having him out wide.

Pearce’s one concern is if he can maintain his speed, agility, and bend when he adds muscle. Pearce is listed at 6’5” and has room on his frame to add weight. If Pearce can add another 15 pounds of weight onto his current 245-pound frame he would be better able to handle setting the edge against top NFL tackles. If the Falcons draft Pearce, they’d get a rotational pass rusher whose frame and athleticism give him the potential to be a future No. 1 edge. The question is whether head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot think that they have the time or patience from owner Arthur Blank to select a more developmental prospect. If they feel that they can pick a player with a slightly lower floor but a much higher ceiling, then James Pearce Jr. is a clear choice.

Buccaneers:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and head coach Todd Bowles have a winning formula on offense. Baker Mayfield has been a solid starting-level quarterback that teams can take deep into the playoffs. The Bucs’ offense was 4th in scoring last year while their defense was 16th. The next step for Tampa is to add defensive contributors that can elevate them into true contenders. The choices will be more limited, but the following are some players that would be available at Pick 19.

Jihaad Campbell (ILB, Alabama) - Many mocks and rankings have Campbell graded much higher or have him selected much sooner than Pick 19. However, year after year, fewer teams are selecting interior linebackers like Campbell in the first round. There are too many players like Isaiah Simmons, 2020 8th overall pick by the Cardinals, and Jamin Davis, 2021 19th overall pick by the Commanders, who are listed as middle linebacker but have skills to play in coverage as a safety more, like Simmons, or as an outside linebacker, like Davis. Too often, those styles of players don’t work out because teams don’t have the specific coaching needed to utilize that player effectively. 

Campbell is worth a first-round pick. What makes Campbell so good is that he is a complete missile. A true downhill scary tackler and one of, if not the best, tackler in this year's draft with only a 5.5% missed tackle rate last year. On tape, Campbell reads screen passes and breaks them up, rushes up the middle A-gap to break up passes and rushes, and explodes past tackles on third down from the edge. Campbell is a versatile defender who, in the past, would have been the prototypical SAM linebacker. In today’s NFL, there aren't any players like that anymore. The only two notable exceptions are players like Kyle Van Noy and Andrew Van Ginkel. While those players are good players, it was only last year, in year 11 at age 33, that Kyle Van Noy made his first Pro Bowl, and Andrew Van Ginkel, in year 6 at age 29, that he made a Pro Bowl and second team All-Pro. Players in the style Campbell is best suited to take time to really hit their stride.

If any team was to develop Campbell it would be defensive-minded head coach Todd Bowles. The Buccaneers are uniquely suited to pick a prospect like Campbell. Ideally, the Buccaneers could use Campbell as a middle linebacker alongside Lavonte David on first and second down, and then use Campbell as a wide-9 on passing downs when they use their nickel defense. This would both give the Buccaneers someone to eventually replace the 35-year-old Lavonte David, and someone to play opposite of free agent signing Haason Reddick on the edge. Campbell would be learning how to play the strong-side middle linebacker role from Lavonte David, who has consistently filled that role his entire career. If there was ever an argument for a linebacker to be picked in the first round, it would be for a player like Jihaad Campbell to go to a team with Lavonte David to mentor him, with a defensive-minded head coach to use his versatility correctly and needs more pass-rushers like the Buccaneers.

If Trading Down:

The Buccaneers can consider trading down because their top needs, interior linebacker and cornerback, lack elite prospects likely to still be available at Pick 19. Instead, the Buccaneers can trade down to grab several players with solid floors to boost the positions of need. Notably, the cornerback room was devastated by injuries last year. Their best corner, Jamel Dean, is great when he plays, but has never played over 15 games in his 6 years at Tampa, and only played 12 games last year.

Trey Amos (CB, Ole Miss) - Trey Amos is a great press-corner with ideal size and strength to be a true man-coverage cornerback. Amos possesses quick feet and fast hands to get receivers off their routes early. He has good instincts and great technique when contesting with receivers. He doesn’t have the afterburners to keep up with the NFL’s deep ball speed demons and still needs to work on his processor in zone coverage. At the very least, the Buccaneers will have a solid, durable cornerback to throw at the opposing team’s receivers that will wear them down physically with strong jabs in press coverage. 

Benjamin Morrison (CB, Notre Dame) - Benjamin Morrison is a good outside cornerback with good acceleration and high football IQ. Morrison’s tape shows a cornerback who has fluid mobility, with great discipline not to fall for fakes, and is a ball-hawk. He has a history of playing 26 starts at Notre Dame, giving him plenty of experience. The concern for Morrison is if he will recover well from the torn labrum he had repaired in his left hip last October. Outside of that injury, Morrison was very reliably healthy and durable in college. If the Buccaneers like Morrison’s medicals and he recovers well, he will be a solid dependable cornerback that the Buccaneers need.