Underrated offensive lineman Brad Edelman is our Saints Player of the Day
The New Orleans Saints are 63 days away from their 2025 regular season opener against the Arizona Cardinals at home. While it will be the 59th NFL season of existence for the Saints, it will be the first for head coach Kellen Moore. New Orleans is trying to improve on a disappointing 5-12 finish from last season. There is currently no player on the roster wearing No. 63 for the Saints. As such, we’ve selected Brad Edelman to look back on his career as our Saints Player of the Day.
- Name (age): Bradley Edelman (64)
- Hometown: St. Louis County, Mo.
- Position: Offensive guard
- Height, weight: 6-foot-6, 265 pounds
- College: Missouri Tigers
- Drafted: Round 2, 30th overall in 1982 (New Orleans Saints)
- NFL experience: 8 years (all with New Orleans Saints)
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Edelman attended Parkway North High School in Missouri and would stay in-state with his collegiate choice of the Tigers. At Missouri, he earned first-team All-Big Eight Conference honors in 1980 and followed that up with second-team all-conference honors the following season. It was enough to make him the third choice in Round 2 and the sixth lineman drafted in 1982.
As a rookie, Edelman was an ideal fit in the run-heavy scheme of Saints coach Bum Phillips. He started all nine games of the strike-shortened season of 1982, earning a spot on the All-Rookie Team. Edelman would go on to be a fixture at the left guard spot for the next several years for New Orleans.
Brad Edelman played 90 of a possible 128 games with the Saints over his seven NFL seasons, only missing games because of injury. He started 87 of those 90 outings as one of the top pieces on one of the best run blocking units in the NFL. In 1987, Edelman earned the first and only Pro Bowl berth of his underrated career. He’d retire after the 1989 season. Since retirement, Edelman has done analysis for WDSU-TV in New Orleans and has also been inducted into the St. Louis Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.