Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
Ahead of Friday’s second day of the NFL Draft, we highlighted the New Orleans Saints’ two biggest remaining needs after landing electrifying wide receiver Jordyn Tyson in the first round:
- Edge rusher
- STAR/slot cornerback
While there were a number of options on the board and available at the time of the Saints’ No. 42 and No. 73 overall selections in Day 2, New Orleans didn’t reach for the positions and instead relied on their big board. This follows the same strategy of the team’s successful 2025 NFL Draft class.
In doing so, the Saints’ landed run-stopping defensive tackle Christen Miller, who has an infectious personality and violent play style on the interior, and his Georgia teammate, underutilized athletic tight end Oscar Delp.
Tight end and defensive tackle were additional positions very much worth targeting during this year’s draft. However, the Saints’ biggest needs do remain. The good news for New Orleans is that there is still ample talent to consider with five selections in the final day, including some surprising players that haven’t been drafted yet.
Miami CB Keionte Scott
Scott’s fall is a surprising one. It may have to do with scheme fit, making his value apparent to some teams, but not sought after by others. The disruptive slot corner will now have a major chip on his shoulder coming into the league. That’s something the Saints should consider trying to use to their advantage. In a draft where Scott is falling, a trade up to claim him may be exactly the display of want that resume with the Miami defender.
Arizona State CB Keith Abney
Abney appears that he’ll be best suited for a zone-heavy scheme, which the Saints deploy under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. New Orleans was in zone coverage on defense 76.7% of snaps per Fantasy Points, No. 5 in the NFL in 2025. The Sun Devils corner is also a strong run defender, making him a strong option to move inside at the next level.
South Carolina CB Jalon Kilgore
While the 6-foot-1 and 210-pound defensive back may project best at safety, he’s mostly played nickel during his time with the Gamecocks. He’s not been used much as a pass rusher, but is strong as a tackler and has NFL size. He’s a rangy, fast player with the ability to impact passes at the catch point (10 passes defended and a pair of interceptions in 2025).
Oregon CB Jadon Canady
This would be a return to the Big Easy for Canady, who started his collegiate career at Tulane with the Green Wave. During his time in Uptown New Orleans, he played mostly nickel corner before transferring to Ole Miss. He missed the majority of his 2023 season thanks to a right knee injury (ACL/meniscus) suffered at Tulane in 2022. Since, he’s been healthy and available.
During his final year in college, 2025 with Oregon, Canady was used in the Ducks’ version of the STAR/slot role. He finished the season with 39 total tackles, one for a loss, a forced fumble, eight passes defended and a pair of interceptions, tying his freshman year career-best.
Tennessee EDGE Joshua Josephs
Although Josephs isn’t as surprising a fall as Scott, Abney or his tumbling teammate Jerrod McCoy, it wasn’t expected that he’d still be available going into the fourth round.
The edge defenders’ length, motor and athleticism are all worth consideration in Day 3. His 34 ¼-inch arms place him in the 79th percentile for the position at 6-foot-3 and 243 pounds. His ability to not just reach to make tackles with his impressive strength, but also punch out footballs is notable. He has more forced fumbles than sacks combined over the last two years.
Wisconsin EDGE Mason Reiger
The 6-foot-5, 251-pound edge rusher is another medical question mark, but his explosiveness and pass rushing acumen are hard to miss. He overlapped briefly with quarterback Tyler Shough at Louisville, though he missed the 2024 season with a right knee injury and post-surgical complications that are sure to raise eyebrows. But if he’s back to form after playing 12 games last year with Wisconsin after transferring, he could be a value investment as a rotational pass rusher.
Western Michigan EDGE Nadame Tucker
The Mustangs edge rusher finished last year tied for the Nation’s lead in sacks with 14.5 while also wrangling in 21 tackles for a loss. His lone year in the MAC was also his lone year as a starter, but he finished as both the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and MVP.
He was a standout at the Senior Bowl, rising to the occasion against a higher level of competition. The question teams will have to answer will be whether or not that’s enough to project his ability to work in the NFL and develop further despite being 26-years-old when the season begins.
