The New Orleans Saints will have some intriguing options on the table when they go on the clock at No. 8 overall in the 2026 NFL draft, but will they do something we haven't seen in more than a decade?
That'd be the case if the Saints picked star Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, but it'd be the path that many draft and NFL analysts are suggesting. That group includes Times-Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan, who broke down his reasoning on WWL Radio this week.
“I feel like it’s the perfect match of need and fit with the player, and that happens every once in a while." Duncan told WWL's Mike Detillier and Bobby Hebert.
Hear the full interview with Jeff Duncan in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
Duncan compared the situation to 2017 when the Saints landed Marshon Lattimore, one of the top players on their draft board, at No. 11.
"They got [Lattimore] and it’s exactly the player they needed because a lot of the teams ahead of them were drafting for other positional needs," Duncan continued. "It feels like something like that could work out this year with Jeremiyah Love, who is without question, I think, the best explosive playmaker on offense in this draft regardless of position, and that’s something this offense desperately needs."
If the Saints went that route, it'd be the first time they drafted a running back in the first round since Mark Ingram in 2011 (28th) and the highest pick at the position since Reggie Bush in 2006. The team does have a clear need at the position with Alvin Kamara entering his age 31 season and the final year of his current extension, and the other options on the roster consisting of a 6th round pick from last year in Devin Neal, along with veterans Audric Estime and Evan Hull.
If Love went off the board in the top 10, he would join a short list of RBs that can say that over the past decade:
- 2016, 1.4, Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott
- 2017, 1.4, Jaguars: Leonard Fournette
- 2017, 1.8, Panthers: Christian McCaffrey
- 2018, 1.2, Giants: Saquon Barkley
- 2023, 1.8, Falcons: Bijan Robinson
- 2025, 1.6, Raiders: Ashton Jeanty
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The Saints could also look to the free agent market with proven players like Kenneth Walker III and Breece Hall scheduled for new deals, though they would be potential candidates for franchise tags. The Saints could also look to the later rounds, where they hold the No. 42 and 73 overall picks in the second and third rounds.
“Get players," Duncan continued. "They need players. They have a lot of different needs, but [Love is] a special player. … People say oh, you can get a good running back in Round 3 or 4, you’re not getting Jeremiyah Love in Round 3 or 4. That guy is special.”