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Saints’ 7-round pre-Combine mock draft

Feb 23, 2026 | 9:00 AM
Keionte Scott

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

By Ross Jackson

The NFL Scouting Combine kicks off this week and the New Orleans Saints are looking to build off of an outstanding 2025 draft by hitting another home run in 2026.

Throughout this week there will be numerous whispers about where the Saints may be looking to go in the draft. All of which will change and shift by the time April’s selection process actually rolls around. 

Before all of the smokescreens, rumors and aggregated reports swarm the cycle, I wanted to provide a pre-Combine look at how the Saints could look to load up on talent in this year’s draft.

Setting the Scene

In this draft, we’re assuming a few things. Veteran defenders Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis return, the Saints sign a starting-caliber guard in free agency and hand wide receiver Chris Olave a multi-year contract extension. 

However, the team will have to rebound from the loss of cornerback Alontae Taylor in this hypothetical. While signing some free agency talent elsewhere helps to bolster depth, the Saints enter this scenario with many opportunities to add to their team on both sides.

Who’s Off the Board?

1.1:Las Vegas Raiders Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza

1.2: New York Jets select Miami EDGE Rueben Bain Jr.

1.3: Arizona Cardinals select Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey

1.4: Tennessee Titans select Ohio State WR Carnell Tate

1.5: New York Giants select Ohio State LB Arvell Reese

1.6: Cleveland Browns select Miami OL Francis Mauigoa

1.7: Washington Commanders select Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love

Round 1, Pick 8: USC WR Makai Lemon

Bio Info

  • Age: 21
  • Height: 5-foot-11
  • Weight: 195 pounds

2025 Stats

  • Catches: 79
  • Receiving yards: 1,156
  • Touchdown receptions: 11
  • Rushing touchdowns: 2

A bit of a curveball here, but if the medical checks don’t go well for Tyson during the combine, things could get interesting quickly. Lemon is without a doubt the best separator in this wide receiver class and could immediately fit in alongside wide receivers Olave and Devaughn Vele without offering too much redundancy. 

His 3.13 yards per route run ranks second in this year’s class of wideouts, per Pro Football Focus. He also tied for third with 21 forced missed tackles, showing a propensity for picking up yards after the catch and compiled 31 explosive gains. He’s a big-play factor to pair with a big play quarterback in Tyler Shough.

Round 2, Pick 42: Miami CB Keionte Scott

Bio Info

  • Age: 24
  • Height: 6-foot
  • Weight: 195 pounds

2025 Stats

  • Combined tackles: 64
  • Tackles for a loss: 13
  • Sacks: 5
  • Interceptions: 2 (both touchdowns)
  • Passed defended: 5
  • Fumbles forces: 2
  • Fumbles recovered: 2

In this scenario, the Saints have lost Taylor in free agency to a team offering an outside corner role that comes with outside corner pay. In that case, the energetic and incredibly disruptive Scott would be a perfect investment at this point in the draft. New Orleans has a tendency to pursue Day Two defensive backs, Scott is one on which defensive coordinator Brandon Staley should have his eye keenly focused.

Round 3, Pick 73: Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price

Bio Info

  • Age: 22
  • Height: 5-foot-11
  • Weight: 210 pounds

2025 Stats

  • Rushes: 113
  • Rushing yards: 674
  • Touchdown runs: 11
  • Touchdown receptions: 2

While much of the draft community focuses on Love, and for good reason, another Notre Dame rusher is likely to fly under the radar with the general public. Teams, however, won’t be so quick to miss the talented Fighting Irish back. 

Price’s elite vision sets him apart from the rest of the class, he’s a patient and talented rusher with quick feet and the speed necessary to win on the perimeter. 

Round 4, Pick 132: Iowa State DT Domonique Orange

Bio Info

  • Age: 21
  • Height: 6-foot-4
  • Weight: 325 pounds

2025 Stats

  • Combined tackles: 18
  • Tackles for a loss: 0.5
  • Sacks: 0
  • Passed defended: 1

Orange has one of the best nicknames in this year’s draft, “Big Citrus.” And while that pseudonym is elite, it’s the tackle’s elite size and fit as a 3-4 nose tackle that led me to select him for the Saints here. 

New Orleans is trending in the right direction with its run defense, Orange, after some development, could help to keep that trajectory going in future years. His stats from 2025 won’t inspire much confidence, but turn on the tape and it doesn’t take long to see the big man’s impact. 

Round 4, Pick 136: Western Michigan EDGE Nadame Tucker

Bio Info

  • Age: 25
  • Height: 6-foot-3
  • Weight: 250 pounds

2025 Stats

  • Combined tackles: 55
  • Tackles for a loss: 21
  • Sacks: 14.5
  • Passed defended: 1
  • Fumbles forced: 4

Ideally, it’s been proven that drafting older prospects isn’t the worst path to finding impact. Tucker tied for the lead in the nation in both sacks and tackles for a loss. He’s versatile and can move around the defensive line while rushing from 2 and 3-point stances. He’s disruptive and put on a show at the 2026 Senior Bowl, proving that he can win even when matched up with higher-level talent than that which he faced at Western Michigan. 

He could be a strong complement opposite Saints defensive end Chase Young in rotation with Carl Granderson and, in this case, Jordan, should he return to the game.

Round 5, Pick 148: Alabama IOL Jaeden Roberts

Bio Info

  • Age: 23
  • Height: 6-foot-5
  • Weight: 327 pounds

2025 Stats

  • Combined pressures allowed: 2
  • Sacks allowed: 1
  • QB hits allowed: 0
  • Hurries allowed: 1

Roberts might not be the most athletic player and could use some work on his balance, but his imposing size and power on the interior are great foundations upon which to build. 

Addressing guard must be one of the Saints’ first priorities in free agency, but adding a talented player like Roberts in the mid-rounds of the draft to continue to develop would be a wise move in addition. Continuing with my hypothetical here, the Saints have now achieved both.

Round 5, Pick 170: Cincinnati WR Cyrus Allen

Bio Info

  • Age: 23
  • Height: 5-foot-11
  • Weight: 180 pounds

2025 Stats

  • Catches: 51
  • Receiving yards: 674
  • Touchdown receptions: 12

Doubling up at wide receiver could make sense for the Saints who should be taking multiple swings this offseason, with an abundance of resources, to put weapons around Shough and bolstering head coach Kellen Moore’s offense. 

After selecting Lemon in the first round, I turned to the New Orleans native who led the Big 12 in touchdown receptions in 2025. He did so while taking 92.2% of his snaps from the slot. It’s very likely that Allen goes much earlier than this because of his scoring acumen and big-play ability, but if he’s available around the time New Orleans might consider double-dipping at wideout, he’d be a perfect fit back home in the Crescent City.

Round 6, Pick 189: Texas A&M OL Trey Zuhn III

Bio Info

  • Age: 23
  • Height: 6-foot-6
  • Weight: 319 pounds

2025 Stats

  • Combined pressures allowed: 10
  • Sacks allowed: 2
  • QB hits allowed: 1
  • Hurries allowed: 7

At this point in the draft, it’s all about finding players that can do multiple things. Zuhn has experience at tackle, guard and center. He’s the exact definition of player that is often sought out in the closing rounds. He’ll test with short arms more than likely during the pre-draft process, which will force him inside, but having a player that can swing into multiple roles in a pinch is never a bad piece to add to your offensive line depth.

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