After a successful free agency so far, the New Orleans Saints still have some major needs to target in the NFL Draft. The defense did not receive much investment from free agents, so that should be a focus throughout the draft, but the offense cannot be overlooked. WR, OG, TE, and even RB are still potential needs for the Saints, and for two of those positions, the Saints have been very focused on doing as much work as possible during this pre-draft process.
WR
In the 2026 NFL Draft, WR is one of the best
position groups, and the real strength lies in depth. At the top of the draft, there are three choices of Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, and Jordyn Tyson, but other players may be prioritized over them because of how many other options there are on day 2. This is what is likely to happen for the Saints, although they do have a top-30 visit scheduled with Lemon.
If the Saints are going to wait until Day 2, or even Day 3, for a WR, they have to find which WRs they like over others. So far, the Saints have met with (or are planning to) more WRs than any other position, and the names that have been revealed are Ted Hurst (Day 2), Reggie Virgil (Day 3), Raja Nelson (Day 3), and Lemon. There will probably be even more additions to that list.
TE
WR has been a position with names being revealed for a while now, but recently, some TE names have been linked to the Saints. This is interesting because the Saints already have Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant. Both players are starters in 2026, but their contracts expire in 2028, so planning for the future could be a really smart move by the Saints.
The Saints could select a TE at 8, but that is extremely unlikely, so like WR, Day 2 or 3 will be the likely move. So far, two TEs have been revealed to be meeting with the Saints, and according to Arye Pulli, the Saints have real interest in both.
Oscar Delp’s draft stock keeps rising, so the Siants will probably have to select him at 42, and although Dallen Bentley is projected to be a Day 3 pick, this type of interest from teams could move him into the 3rd round.
