Last Call: What the Saints Will Do at No. 8 in NFL Draft

Last Call: What the Saints Will Do at No. 8 in NFL Draft

After a long season filled with low points at the beginning, and massive highs near the end, the offseason arrived with optimism filling the New Orleans Saints building. Free agency felt like a shopping spree waiting to happen for the Saints, and with the additions of RB Travis Etienne, G David Edwards, LB Kaden Elliss, and more, the roster got major upgrades.

With QB Tyler Shough entering his second year and being paid on a rookie deal, it has allowed the Saints to have flexibility to spend, and that's what they did in free agency. It has been a while since those signings, and for most of the regular season, many people who follow Saints football have focused on the 2026 NFL Draft. The 2025 class for New Orleans was a home run, and if the Saints could follow that up with one more excellent group, the playoffs would be more of an expectation than a hope. Mixing a sense of optimism with the Saints selecting an 8th overall, it has created intrigue in what they will do in the draft.

Through this process, we have seen all the different types of names linked to the Saints. At first, it was mostly Jeremiyah Love, then the Ohio State first-round prospects, next was EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. and Mansoor Delane, and finally (and most recently) WR Jordyn Tyson. This year has been really difficult for major reporters and analysts in the NFL World to pinpoint what the Saints are going to do at 8, and eventhough it is draft day, that unknown exists.

So, on that note, I am going to put my offical prediction on who the Saints will select at 8. Looking at the options, while having who I believe will already be gone by 8, the prospects to choose from are Tyson, Bain Jr., Downs, and Delane. Those are the four that could very well be available at 8, and who the Saints would have to choose from.

Attempting to take bias out of it, which would lean my decision towards Bain Jr, I believe the Saints will end up selecting Downs. With how smart he is, the high level he played at, the talent he brings, and how well he would fit with DC Brandon Staley, it feels like a perfect oppurtunity for the Saints to get a game-changing player on defense.

If he is gone, which is also not out of the question, I would have Tyson as the pick for New Orleans.