The 2026 NFL Draft didn't represent a banner class for interior defensive linemen, but the New Orleans Saints did manage to land one in Christen Miller with their second-round draft selection.
Audacy NFL Insider Brian Baldinger said on WWL Radio this week that Miller could end up being the best DT in his draft class.
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"I didn’t think there was star power on the interior defensive linemen in this draft," Baldinger told WWL. "I didn’t see Jalen Carter in this draft, those kind of players. ... There are some guys that were just run-stuffers. We’ll see what Caleb Banks becomes out of Florida in Minnesota, but I thought Christen Miller was as good as anybody inside in this draft.”
Miller was the fourth DT selected in this year's draft, behind of pair of first-rounders in Banks (18) and Clemson's Peter Woods (29). Ohio State's Kayden McDonald went six picks ahead of Miller.
Regardless the addition adds youth to a position for the Saints that was led last year by a pair of aging veterans in Davon Godchaux and Nathan Shepherd. Miller can now pair with a rising player and former first round pick in Bryan Bresee, as well as last year's third-round selection in Vernon Broughton, who only played in one game before suffering a season-ending injury.
"You can’t go wrong by addressing the trenches, offensive and defensive," Baldy continued, "and I just thought Christen Miller gives you pass rush and his ability to kind of play the run and to stuff things up."
MORE FROM BALDINGER
- On No. 8 overall pick Jordyn Tyson
“I totally agree with the statement that if he was healthy he would’ve been the No. 1 wide receiver because he’s the most talented wide receiver. He’s a guy that’s got the size, the playmaking ability, the acrobatics. He’s got everything, the hands, and it was just a question of, OK, he had injuries and they were real and you can’t deny it. Sometimes they go away, sometimes they stay with you, but if he was healthy I think he’d have been the first receiver taken. I don’t think he’d be a member of the New Orleans Saints right now, but it’s a good fit. It’s a really good fit, with the year that Olave had, with the development that we saw from Tyler Shough, they should have a good 1-2 combination out there on the outside.”
- On outlook for LT Kelvin Banks
“When I saw him down in training camp in Metairie back in the summer, you know, I remember the day I was there Kellen Moore had a 160-play scrimmage. He was out there for nearly all of them, all the plays. He was a worker. He’s got great movement. He’s got all the size you need at that position, but not too big where you can’t move it in the 4th quarter, on a hot day in September, whatever. He was very consistent. That’s what you’re looking for — you’re looking for just the consistency. The ability to stop guys off the edge, but to do it consistently. I think they found their guy. Taliese is going to be a good player, but he belongs on the right side right now, so I feel like they’ve got their tackle position set for a long time.”
