2026 NFL Draft: ESPN argues Saints should trade out of No. 8 pick

Over the many years that Mickey Loomis has been the general manager of the New Orleans Saints, they have typically been a team that has favored trading up in the draft rather than trading down. This comes from the point of view of wanting the players they like the most to come to their roster, rather than sitting back and picking from the remaining options. Sometimes that approach has served the Saints well. Sometimes it hasn't.

2026 is an interesting situation in this regard for New Orleans, as they sit with the No. 8 pick in a class that generally is not regarded as a highly promising one, at least when it comes to high-end talent near the top. 2027 is rather the opposite, as a highly top-heavy class with lots of premier prospects to choose from. So, could a trade down from eight be in order?

Longtime ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell believes they should consider it heavily, and in an optimal world, they would do so:

"Like the Titans, the Saints should prioritize adding premium picks in bulk as opposed to focusing on adding one star-level talent. It would be tough to turn down Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate if he's still on the board at No. 8, but it would also be a surprise if the Titans, Browns and Commanders all passed on him. There should be plenty of talent at wideout available in the bottom half of Round 1, and moving down would allow the Saints to comprehensively address both receiver and the secondary within the top 75 picks of the draft."

He also cites that the Saints, while they improved in 2026, had a low level of competition to face, which contributed to their ability to bring in a few more wins than anticipated. The difficulty with this notion that they should trade down is that it requires two to tango in a draft-day trade. It has already been well recorded that many teams want to trade out of the top 10 picks, but there is very little intrigue in moving up.

In a perfect world, they could certainly consider moving down into the 20s, taking a receiver or corner later on, and gaining some extra capital either later in this class or near the top of the next class, which would be outstanding. The reality is that this is a buyer's market type of class, and the Saints' prolonged history of doing so could indicate they choose to move up from pick No. 42 to get a receiver instead.