Wednesday brings us to 4 days before the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. The Saints are on the road to begin 2026, playing at the Detroit Lions. Tight end Oscar Delp will wear No. 4 for New Orleans. A rookie third round choice, Delp is expected to be a key contributor even in his first year. Delp wore No. 88 to start training camp, but switched to 4 as training camp ended. We already previewed Delp as our player of the day then, but we'll take a second refreshed look now.
- Name (age): Oscar Delp (22)
- Hometown: Cumming, Ga.
- Position: Tight end
- Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 245 pounds
- College: Georgia Bulldogs
- Relative Athletic Score: 9.82
- Drafted: Round 3, 73rd overall in 2026 (Saints)
- NFL experience: Rookie
- 2026 salary cap hit: $1.31 million
A four-star recruit at West Forsyhe High School in Georgia, Delp committed to the in-state Bulldogs. With superstar Brock Bowers ahead of him, Delp would just get situational playing time over his first two seasons. Still, he'd catch 24 passes for 284 yards alongside
Bowers in 2023. Both numbers wound up being the best of his collegiate career.Bowers was off to the NFL as a first round pick in 2024, giving Delp a more prominent role. He'd have 21 receptions for 248 yards and 4 touchdowns that season. Delp followed that up with 20 catches for 261 yards and a score in 2025. He'd finish his Georgia Bulldogs career with 70 receptions, 854 yards, and 9 scores with a 15.5 yards per catch average.
Despite his blocking ability and athletic upside, Delp was surprisingly the seventh tight end selected in the draft. He comes to the Saints as an excellent two-way tight end; a more than capable receiver that makes plays down the field and after the catch with good in-line blocking skills. He'll present a coverage matchup problem for most linebackers, accelerates well into his routes to get quick separation, and has reliable hands.
Delp switched to his collegiate number 4 as training camp and preseason wound down. He didn't see much action in preseason and was nursing an injury. However, all indications are that he'll be ready for the season opener. Expect the Saints to work him into a bigger role as the year progresses.
Oscar Delp is the highest-drafted tight end for the Saints since Cam Cleeland with the 40th overall choice in 1998. Of the 30 tight ends New Orleans has drafted in their history, only five were chosen higher than Delp. Juwan Johnson will be the 2026 starting tight end in New Orleans. However, expect Delp to have a major role quickly with his blocking skills and the receiving ability to open up the Saints offense.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Oscar Delp is the Saints Player of Day 4
