Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
METAIRIE, La. – The 2026 NFL Draft is in the book and the New Orleans Saints are again expected to be among winners of the selection process for the second year in a row.
New Orleans entered this year’s draft with eight selections and despite trading one pick away, recouped a seventh-rounder in return. This allowed the Saints to still make eight total picks while landing a veteran edge rusher in the process.
Round 1,Pick 8: Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson
Round 2, Pick 42: Georgia DT Christen Miller
Round 3, Pick 73: Georgia TE Oscar Delp
Round 4, Pick 132: Auburn G Jeremiah Wright
Round 4, Pick 136: NDSU WR Bryce Lance
(Round 5, Pick 150 traded to Las Vegas Raiders for EDGE Tyree Wilson)
Round 5, Pick 172: Ohio State S Lorenzo Styles Jr.
Round 6, Pick 190: LSU WR Barion Brown
Round 7, Pick 219: Iowa CB TJ Hall
Here are five key takeaways from the Saints’ 2026 NFL Draft class.
Building around quarterback Tyler Shough was clearly a priority.
For the first time since 1989, the Saints selected three wide receivers in a single class. This is the first time since the selection process moved to seven rounds. Headlined by star Arizona State wideout Jordyn Tyson, New Orleans is set to inject speed and playmaking into its offense and special teams with the trio of selections that include 6-foot-3, 204-pound wide receiver Bryce Lance (who also clocked a 4.34-second 40-yard-dash at the NFL Scouting Combine) and LSU standout Barion Brown.
The Saints didn’t stop there, though. They added another weapon in Georgia tight end Oscar Delp, who can contribute both as a pass-catcher and can help to spring runs downfield as an effective blocker, and offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright from Auburn.
Adding a veteran pass rusher was a strategic win.
Why roll the dice on a late-round edge rusher who will need to translate to the NFL when a team can instead land a former first-round pick looking for a change of scenery? The Saints elected to go for the latter.
New Orleans sent its No. 150 overall selection from the fifth round to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for 2023 first-round selection and edge rusher Tyree Wilson. The Saints also recouped a seventh-round pick in the process.
While the Saints didn’t draft an edge rusher, they still got a potential answer and a surefire addition to the position’s rotation. One that already has 12 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss in the pros.
Speed, speed, speed.
The Saints drafted Ohio State safety Lorenzo Styles Jr., who ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash, Brown and Lance, who each bring a ton of speed with them to the Big Easy. Getting faster has been an obvious emphasis for the franchise this offseason.
No trade ups again.
For the second season in a row, New Orleans sat back and let the draft come to them without packaging picks together to move up and down the board. Rumors were abundant ahead of the first two days that the Saints would be looking to trade up and target certain players. Instead, the Saints opted to stick and pick at their scheduled selections with the exception of No. 150 overall, which they moved for a veteran player.
This follows the logic of general manager Mickey Loomis’s pre-draft media availability when he discussed the team not being just one player away and expressed an interest to protect assets thus.
“When you have a Drew Brees,” he said. “When you have that caliber of quarterback, you’re always feeling like you’re one player away. And so (you say) ‘Man, let’s go get the one player.’ When you have a young quarterback and you’re developing your roster, then you’re not one player away, so you’re less inclined to give up a number of assets to get one player.”
The Saints must feel their answer at the STAR/slot position is in-house.
New Orleans had ample opportunities to select some players that would be perfect fits in defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s secondary following the departure of slot cornerback Alontae Taylor to the Tennessee Titans. Despite that, the Saints passed on adding those options.
Head coach Kellen Moore said during the Annual Meeting that the team is comfortable with in-house options, but it appears they’re more than comfortable and altogether may feel they have an answer ready to go.
