New Orleans Saints 2026 NFL Draft rumor tracker: Latest before Round 1

Yahoo Sports3h ago44 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

The New Orleans Saints are preparing for the 2026 NFL Draft with picks No. 8, No. 42, and No. 73, aiming to build around quarterback Tyler Shough. They have several needs to address, including wide receiver and cornerback, and are considering options for their first-round pick.

Key points

Saints have picks No. 8, No. 42, and No. 73 in the draft
They aim to build around quarterback Tyler Shough
Team has multiple needs including wide receiver and cornerback
Rumors about trading the No. 8 overall pick are circulating

Tyler ShoughNew Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints 2026 NFL Draft rumor tracker: Latest before Round 1

The 2026 NFL Draft is finally upon us, and with that, the New Orleans Saints are looking to continue off of a successful 2025 class with another great one this year. After finding their long-term quarterback solution with Tyler Shough, they will now try to build a contender around him.

The Saints are in a solid spot with their amount of selections, with picks No. 8, No. 42, and No. 73 in the top 100. New Orleans has plenty of needs to address, such as wide receiver, cornerback, edge rusher, defensive tackle, and right guard, but they have plenty of selections to divvy up among those needs. After a promising first year of drafting for Kellen Moore and the staff, the hope would be to apply the same principles in 2026.

There have been plenty of rumors and reports coming from NFL insiders about how the Saints are looking to handle the No. 8 overall pick, or potentially a trade out of it. We're keeping track of all of the draft-related rumors and news surrounding the Saints ahead of Round 1.

Saints could look to trade up into the top five selections

One of the most recent reports surrounding the Saints and their selection at No. 8 is that they may choose to move up and out of the pick. This has been a common theme for New Orleans over the years, and may once again play out in 2026 pending the value. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network had the following to say when it came to potentially moving up within the top five selections for Arvell Reese or David Bailey.

"Then things get interesting at three and four, with the Cardinals and the Titans, both teams, from my understanding, are open to trading, and there are other teams in the top 10 that have at least checked in on what it would take to move up. The Saints, who are at eight, are interested in moving up in the draft, the Chiefs at nine. Could that be for Arvell Reese, if he's not the No. 2 overall pick? Could that be for the top offensive tackle? Those would both make sense for those teams."