The 2026 NFL Draft is more than three months away, but that conversation will only get louder as the season wraps up in a few weeks.
The Senior Bowl is set to kick off in Mobile, Alabama next week, with that event and others like it giving a much clearer picture as to how the draft board could shape up. But that won't stop us from looking at the players currently landing with the Saints in the mock draft universe.
Across a survey of 17 mock drafts posted recently across a variety of outlets, a vast majority think it's time for the Saints to invest in an offensive weapon at No. 8 overall.
The Saints landed a mock draft in more than 70% of the mocks surveyed. Here's how they broke down, with the number of times they were picked in parentheses.
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame (4)
Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State (3)
Makai Lemon, WR, USC (3)
Carnell Tate, WR, Tennessee (2)
It's important to note that all of these draft boards are different, meaning the same players weren't available in all of them, but there were always seven players -- in many cases the same 7 -- off the board.
Jeremiyah Love's name has been a popular one in conversations about the Saints' draft pick, and his name appeared the most in this mock draft exercise. If the Saints went this route, it'd mark the fourth time since 2000 that the Saints took a running back in the first round, and the highest since drafting Reggie Bush at No. 2 overall back in 2006.
It wasn't the running back position, though, that drew the most attention. There's a clear belief in these mock drafts that the Saints should be viewing WR as a position of significant need. Eight different mock drafts surveyed had the Saints selecting one of three WRs, all of whom appearing multiple times.
A major question will be whether the team agrees about their level of need. Here's the team's current WR room heading into the 2026 season.
- Chris Olave - 16 games, 100 catches, 1,163 yards, 9 TDs
- Devaughn Vele - 13 games, 25 catches, 293 yards, 2 TDs
- Kevin Austin Jr. - 8 games, 13 catches, 140 yards, TD
- Ronnie Bell - 2 games, 2 catches, 23 yards, TD
- Samori Toure - 1 game, 1 catch, 3 yards
- Ja'Lynn Polk - spent season on IR
- Bub Means - spent season on IR
- Trey Palmer - spent season on IR
It's definitely fair to look at the lack of stats in that list and use it to define a need, but it's important to remember that Rashid Shaheed and Brandin Cooks were major pieces of the offense for a good chunk of the year. Of Vele's production, 19 of his catches and 239 of the yards came in a four-week stretch one he became a more featured player. That would be a 17-game pace for 80 catches, 1,015 yards.
Beyond that, it's important to scroll down far enough to find the three names listed with zero stats. Means is a former 5th round pick who was injured early in the preseason. Polk is a former 2nd round pick of the Patriots with high upside, and Palmer is a former 6th round pick of the Bucs. All three players are on their rookie contracts and there's value in development.
Related
If the Saints do feel set at WR -- at least in the first round -- there were a handful of potential defensive options listed:
- Peter Woods, DT, Clemson (2)
- Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
- Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn
- Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
All four players hit potential positions of need, particularly depending on how things shake out with CB Alontae Taylor and DE Cam Jordan.
Adding a stout interior lineman could be an option, in this case Woods, with the Saints relying on 32-year-old Davon Godchaux to man the position. The team does also have a wild card in Vernon Broughton, who was drafted out of Texas in the third round last season but was limited by injury to just one game.
Here are all the mock drafts surveyed:
BLEACHER REPORT (Kristopher Knox)
- 1.08, Saints: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
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CBS SPORTS (Josh Edwards)
- 1.08, Saints: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
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CLUTCH POINTS (Tim Crean)
- 1.08, Saints: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
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DRAFTWIRE (Curt Popejoy)
- 1.08, Saints: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
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ESPN (Mel Kiper)
- 1.08, Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
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PRO FOOTBALL NETWORK (Reese Decker)
- 1.08, Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
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PRO FOOTBALL NETWORK (Jacob Infante)
- 1.08, Saints: Keldric Faulk, edge, Auburn
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FANTASY PROS (Richard Janvrin)
- 1.08, Saints: Makai Lemon, WR, USC
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FOX SPORTS (staff)
- 1.08, Saints: Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
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PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS (Gordon McGuinness)
- 1.08, Saints: Makai Lemon, WR, USC
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SB NATION (staff)
- 1.08, Saints: Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
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SI (Mark Morales-Smith)
- 1.08, Saints: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
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SPORTING NEWS (Vinnie Ayer)
- 1.08, Saints: Makai Lemon, WR, USC
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TANKATHON (staff)
- 1.08, Saints: Jerimiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
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THE DRAFT NETWORK (Jaime Eisner)
- 1.08, Saints: Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
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USA TODAY (Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz)
- 1.08, Saints: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
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YAHOO SPORTS! (staff)
- 1.08, Saints: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
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