Saints make head-scratching pick no one expects during ESPN mock draft with unusual twist

The New Orleans Saints hold the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft as of now. Their choice will impact a lot of teams in the first round. What does an anonymous scout think they may do with that selection? His pick may surprise you.

It will be interesting to monitor the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. They have seen a ton of different players mocked to them ahead of night one. A recent ESPN exercise surprised some fans with how the Saints came out of the first round.

Saints pick Jermod McCoy in unique mock draft scenario

In an ESPN piece from Matt Miller, he asked ten anonymous scouts around the league to make the picks inside the top ten. None of the scouts had any connection to the team they selected for in the exercise.

The Saints’ selection was one that fans have not seen much of throughout this process. The scout chose Tennessee Volunteers cornerback Jermod McCoy with the eighth overall pick. When New Orleans has gone CB in round one, it has usually been LSU’s Mansoor Delane.

“AFC South area scout’s pick: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

The Saints’ remaining top three needs are edge rusher, wide receiver and cornerback, and New Orleans comes on the clock with talented players available at each position. The job of making this pick fell to a second AFC South area scout, who didn’t hesitate to take McCoy.

‘Rarely do you find true blue-chip cornerbacks, and when one falls to you, it’s an easy decision to take them off the board,” the scout said. “So I’ll take McCoy with the belief that his knee is good long term and that he’ll be back to the player we saw in 2024, when he was the best cornerback in the nation.'” — ESPN

This pick is probably rare for a reason. McCoy was a projected top ten pick entering last college football season. That being said, he missed the entire year and some of the pre-draft process due to an injury.

That situation has certainly affected his draft stock, and many mock drafts usually have him going in the back half of the first round now. While he could go earlier in reality, the Saints normally look elsewhere.

I would be really surprised if McCoy is the pick on Thursday evening, but you never truly know. We will see what the Saints decide, based on how the board falls early on, to do with a premium pick in the top ten.