vleboy'S MOCK DRAFT

vleboy'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON FEB 5, 2026

2024

  • vleboy DRAFTING FOR THE
    Saints
Draft Selections
Kelvin Banks Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 9 RND: 1 (NO)
Kelvin Banks Jr.
OT Texas
Nick Emmanwori Head Shot
PICK: 40 RND: 2 (NO)
Nick Emmanwori
S South Carolina
Quinshon Judkins Head Shot
PICK: 71 RND: 3 (NO)
Quinshon Judkins
RB Ohio State
Tyler Shough Head Shot
PICK: 93 RND: 3 (NO)
Tyler Shough
QB Louisville
Jake Majors Head Shot
PICK: 112 RND: 4 (NO)
Jake Majors
C Texas
Smael Mondon Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 131 RND: 4 (NO)
Smael Mondon Jr.
LB Georgia
Dont'e Thornton Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 184 RND: 6 (NO)
Dont'e Thornton Jr.
WR Tennessee
Teddye Buchanan Head Shot
PICK: 248 RND: 7 (NO)
Teddye Buchanan
LB California
Hayden Conner Head Shot
PICK: 254 RND: 7 (NO)
Hayden Conner
OG Texas
Draft Grade — Saints
Overall B-
ValueB NeedB TradesB- FutureB-
The Saints did the meat-and-potatoes work well: B-.

Thirty-one other rooms let Nick Emmanwori slide, and the Saints were the ones holding the card at Round 2, Pick 8. Highway robbery.

A whole weekend of picks and edge rusher is somehow still a want. Reaching for Majors left real value on the table behind him. Job largely done: offensive lineman settled and 4 of 8 of the wish list covered.

Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.

In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.

Pick Analysis
Pick9 Rnd1 Kelvin Banks Jr.
In slot 9 they get a cornerstone up front. Exactly the need they had to hit.
Pick40 Rnd2 Nick Emmanwori
Nick Emmanwori in Round 2, Pick 8 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick71 Rnd3 Quinshon Judkins
Good price on Quinshon Judkins in the 71st pick, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick93 Rnd3 Tyler Shough
Tyler Shough in the 93rd overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick112 Rnd4 Jake Majors
A wild overpay on Jake Majors in No. 112, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick131 Rnd4 Smael Mondon Jr.
Smael Mondon Jr. in slot 131 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Pick184 Rnd6 Dont'e Thornton Jr.
A straight-up fair deal on Dont'e Thornton Jr. at the Round 6 slot, value and slot in agreement. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick248 Rnd7 Teddye Buchanan
A premium they did not need to pay, Teddye Buchanan a notch or two before his time. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Pick254 Rnd7 Hayden Conner
A conviction pick on Hayden Conner at Round 7, Pick 38 that the board grades a round light. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.