NFC South · 2026 Draft Class

New Orleans Saints 2026 NFL Draft Class

Every Saints selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, the needs they entered the weekend with, and the trades that reshaped their board.

Compiled by the NFL Mock Draft Simulator research desk · Front office at the time: TBD (GM), Kellen Moore (HC)

The class

New Orleans Saints made 8 selections in the 2026 draft, opening with Jordyn Tyson, a wide receiver out of Arizona State, at No. 8 overall.

The class skewed toward wide receiver, where they used 3 picks. In total they drafted 6 different positions.

Going into the weekend our board had their priority needs listed as Wide Receiver, Defensive Tackle, Edge Rusher, Cornerback, Offensive Tackle. They addressed 3 of their 5 pre-draft needs directly: Wide Receiver, Defensive Tackle, Cornerback. Left unaddressed: Edge Rusher, Offensive Tackle.

Their best value relative to the consensus board was Bryce Lance at No. 136, 42 slots later than the industry board had him ranked (94).

Draft capital

Saints draft capital broke down as 1 Day 1 pick, 2 on Day 2 and 5 on Day 3. 1 of those were compensatory selections, awarded for free-agency losses in the prior cycle. 3 were slots they did not own when the weekend began, acquired by trade.

Pick by pick

Every Saints selection, with where it landed against our consensus board and against their own pre-draft needs list.

• Round 1, No. 8: Saints took Jordyn Tyson, within 7 slots of his board ranking of 15. It was their single highest-priority need going in.
• Round 2, No. 42: Saints took Christen Miller on Day 2, within 1 slot of his board ranking of 41. Defensive Tackle was their No. 2 listed need.
• Round 3, No. 73: Saints moved on Oscar Delp on Day 2, 70 slots early, which is what a team does when it has decided the board is wrong. Tight End was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 4, No. 132: Saints moved on Jeremiah Wright on Day 3, 91 slots ahead of his board ranking, which is conviction rather than value. Interior Offensive Line was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 4, No. 136: Saints took Bryce Lance on Day 3, a board-rank 94 player who fell 42 slots below where the consensus had him. It was their single highest-priority need going in.
• Round 5, No. 172: Saints took Lorenzo Styles Jr. at board rank 263, a late lottery ticket rather than a statement. Safety was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 6, No. 190: Saints spent a late-round flier on Barion Brown, a board-rank 230 player. It was their single highest-priority need going in.
• Round 7, No. 219: Saints took TJ Hall on Day 3, within 2 slots of his board ranking of 221.

Pre-draft needs

Our needs assessment for the Saints going into the 2026 draft, ordered by priority. This is the list the class above is measured against.

Draft-day trades

• With Las Vegas Raiders: sent No. 150 (R5); received No. 219 (R7).

Related

• Round 1 results: every other pick made around the Saints' first selection.
• Position rankings for the groups they drafted: Wide Receiver, Defensive Tackle, Tight End, Interior Offensive Line, Safety, Cornerback.
• The 2026 consensus big board: where every one of these players ranked before the draft.
• Every trade from the 2026 draft: the full ledger, including the Saints' moves.
• Steals and reaches: which picks diverged most from the board, and what that gap means.
• The draft by the numbers: positional supply, school production and how draft capital was distributed.

More on the Saints

The New Orleans Saints franchise hub carries the current front office and needs, plus every other class we cover.