Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
The NFL has released its list of 2026 NFL Draft compensatory picks and the New Orleans Saints are set to earn a fourth-round pick following the 2025 departure of cornerback Paulson Adebo.
New Orleans will receive the No. 136 overall selection in this year’s NFL Draft.
That selection was an expected compensatory pick, awarded after the team lost more qualifying free agents, based on contract value and snap percentage, than it signed during the 2025 offseason.
The NFL took into account the losses of Adebo, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and safety Will Harris against the additions of safety Justin Reid and wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
This will ensure that New Orleans holds seven selections in the first five rounds, including pairs of fourth-round and fifth-round picks.
The Saints’ collection of draft picks this year includes:
- Round 1, Pick 8
- Round 2, Pick 42
- Round 3, Pick 73
- Round 4, Pick 132 (via Seattle)
- Round 4, Pick 136 (Compensatory)
- Round 5, Pick 148
- Round 5, Pick 170 (via Seattle)
- Round 6, Pick 188
Last year, the Saints held nine selections in the 2025 NFL Draft and used each one to draft a player. This year, New Orlenas has gotten off to a hot start in free agency and are filling some of their biggest needs on the open market. Perhaps the team will look to be more aggressive and search for opportunities to trade and move around the draft board with eight selections going into 2026.
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