Who should Saints pick in 2026? Google AI says take Kelvin Banks again

"Though the Saints recently added Taliese Fuaga, the offensive line remains a focal point for long-term stability. Banks is a massive, athletic tackle who has consistently been ranked as a top-10 talent," Gemini responded. "Protecting a young quarterback is priority number one. If the Saints decide that the defensive value at No. 8 isn't as high as the opportunity to grab a foundational blindside protector, Banks is the logical choice to anchor the line for the next decade."

So nice we'll draft him twice. Hey, it would be great if the Saints could have two Bankses. Maybe they could play one at guard and one at tackle, or move Fuaga inside and bookend the offensive line. But, you know, that isn't really feasible given there's just one of him.

What about Grok (now titled, creatively Grok 4)? It advised us to draft Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate, which is a nice start given he's actually eligible to be picked. While noting he was sidelined for multiple games in 2025, Grok said that Tate is "a no-brainer offensive weapon without injury red flags like some peers," also pointing to a good fit "with Chris Olave (another Buckeye) to give young QB Tyler Shough a deep threat." Shough will turn 27 on Sept. 28, while Tate just turned 21 on Jan. 19. Olave will be 26 in June.

Let's keep it going. ChatGPT was confused by our question and initially said to pick Fernando Mendoza ("the QB is too good to pass up if unsettled long-term"), but reassessed itself and said Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey, a consensus top-three prospect, would be a "logical fallback" if his Miami counterpart Rueben Bain Jr. is unavailable at eighth overall.

There are still some strong limitations to what "AI" has to offer. You hate to burst someone's bubble, but this one doesn't look like it's quite ready to make a difference. You'd think that, surely, Lynch and other NFL decisionmakers are doing more than just asking a chatbot who to draft (to which it responds by blending up a bunch of articles from ESPN, NFL.com, and other media outlets). For now, we'll leave them to it.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Google Gemini urges Saints to pick 2025 first rounder