Wilson pairs with Chase Young, another former draft pick, who bounced around before hitting 10 career totals in 2025 in New Orleans. The Saints are currently using the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft and the No. 7 pick in the 2023 draft on the wing.
“I feel like we see eye to eye,” Wilson said Monday of Young. “He knows what it’s like to be at the top of the NFL. He knows the highs, he knows the lows and he came here, he’s done a great job. It would be another role model next to me, someone who can step up my game and learn things from.
“I feel like every player’s journey in the NFL is different. I can’t speak for (Young); I haven’t really gotten to sit down and pick his brain or what happened in his situation and he doesn’t know what happened in mine. But what we have in common is he’s a top defensive end, a top option and he came here and he’s made the best of my opportunity that I expected.”
It should be noted that Young showed tremendous potential with 7.5 defensive rookie of the year sacks in his first season. Injuries and other issues kept him bouncing around before settling in New Orleans. Wilson hasn’t shown this type of upside in his three campaigns. However, perhaps alongside Young, the 25-year-old can learn some tricks to unlock his athleticism and become a productive pass rusher on the other side under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. For New Orleans, it was worth a fifth-round pick.
The Saints are opting out of Wilson’s fifth-year option, as expected, sending him on a contract campaign. A new environment with significant money incentives heading into 2027. If the Saints don’t get the best out of Wilson, it probably won’t happen in the NFL.