Cashydemon'S MOCK DRAFT
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2026 Saints mock draft

  • Cashydemon DRAFTING FOR THE
    Saints
Draft Selections
Garrett Nussmeier Head Shot
PICK: 2 RND: 1 (NO)
Garrett Nussmeier
QB LSU
Nic Anderson Head Shot
PICK: 36 RND: 2 (NO)
Nic Anderson
WR LSU
Aaron Anderson Head Shot
PICK: 67 RND: 3 (NO)
Aaron Anderson
WR LSU
Kaleb Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 128 RND: 4 (NO)
Kaleb Jackson
RB LSU
Aaron Graves Head Shot
PICK: 138 RND: 4 (NO)
Aaron Graves
DL Iowa
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 139 RND: 4 (NO)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren Head Shot
PICK: 140 RND: 4 (NO)
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
S Toledo
Lee Hunter Head Shot
PICK: 144 RND: 5 (NO)
Lee Hunter
DT Texas Tech
Ricardo Hallman Head Shot
PICK: 168 RND: 5 (NO)
Ricardo Hallman
CB Wisconsin
Solomon Tuliaupupu Head Shot
PICK: 178 RND: 5 (NO)
Solomon Tuliaupupu
DE-EDGE Montana
Stephen Dix Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 179 RND: 5 (NO)
Stephen Dix Jr.
LB Arkansas
Bryce Foster Head Shot
PICK: 201 RND: 6 (NO)
Bryce Foster
C Kansas
Jaleel Skinner Head Shot
PICK: 211 RND: 6 (NO)
Jaleel Skinner
TE Louisville
Barion Brown Head Shot
PICK: 216 RND: 7 (NO)
Barion Brown
WR LSU
Caullin Lacy Head Shot
PICK: 218 RND: 7 (NO)
Caullin Lacy
WR Louisville
Ja'Keem Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 254 RND: 7 (NO)
Ja'Keem Jackson
CB LSU
Denver Harris Head Shot
PICK: 256 RND: 7 (NO)
Denver Harris
CB UNLV
Draft Picks Received
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 139 RND: 4 (SF)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren Head Shot
PICK: 140 RND: 4 (SF)
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
S Toledo
Solomon Tuliaupupu Head Shot
PICK: 178 RND: 5 (DAL)
Solomon Tuliaupupu
DE-EDGE Montana
Stephen Dix Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 179 RND: 5 (DAL)
Stephen Dix Jr.
LB Arkansas
Bryce Foster Head Shot
PICK: 201 RND: 6 (NYJ)
Bryce Foster
C Kansas
Jaleel Skinner Head Shot
PICK: 211 RND: 6 (NYJ)
Jaleel Skinner
TE Louisville
Barion Brown Head Shot
PICK: 216 RND: 7 (NYJ)
Barion Brown
WR LSU
Caullin Lacy Head Shot
PICK: 218 RND: 7 (DAL)
Caullin Lacy
WR Louisville
Ja'Keem Jackson Head Shot
PICK: 254 RND: 7 (NYJ)
Ja'Keem Jackson
CB LSU
Denver Harris Head Shot
PICK: 256 RND: 7 (NYJ)
Denver Harris
CB UNLV
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (SF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (SF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 5 (SF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (SF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (SF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Tanner Koziol Head Shot
PICK: 182 RND: 6 (NYJ)
Tanner Koziol
TE Houston
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (ARI)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (ARI)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (ARI)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Players Gained
Head Shot
Joe Milton III
QB
Players traded away
Head Shot
Taysom Hill
QB
Draft Grade — Saints
Overall C-
ValueF NeedB TradesC+ FutureC+
Quarterback settled, Nussmeier in the fold, and a C- for the Saints.

There is reaching, and then there is Stephen Dix Jr. at the 179th overall pick. The Saints jumped the board by 245 and dared it to prove them wrong. It washes out to a C-, no better and no worse.

Everything downstream of Garrett Nussmeier depends on Garrett Nussmeier, and the building knows it. The McNeil-Warren pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.

Almost all the early capital went to that side of the ball.

Bottom line, the swing picks will decide whether this ages well.

Pick Analysis
Pick2 Rnd1 Garrett Nussmeier
In the 2nd pick they get their quarterback of the future, a steep price for the projection.
Pick36 Rnd2 Nic Anderson
Value said wait; Nic Anderson in Round 2, Pick 4 says they were not listening. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick67 Rnd3 Aaron Anderson
Aaron Anderson at the 67th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick128 Rnd4 Kaleb Jackson
They left a pile of value on the table to take Kaleb Jackson this early at slot 128. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick138 Rnd4 Aaron Graves
Aaron Graves in the Round 4 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The roster fit checks out.
Pick139 Rnd4 Patrick Payton
Patrick Payton at No. 139 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick140 Rnd4 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
The board fumbled Emmanuel McNeil-Warren all the way to pick No. 140, and they scooped it up. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Pick144 Rnd5 Lee Hunter
Lee Hunter at Round 5, Pick 4 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick168 Rnd5 Ricardo Hallman
They reached into another round for Ricardo Hallman, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick178 Rnd5 Solomon Tuliaupupu
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Solomon Tuliaupupu well ahead of where he belonged. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick179 Rnd5 Stephen Dix Jr.
A wild overpay on Stephen Dix Jr. in the 179th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick201 Rnd6 Bryce Foster
They talked themselves into Bryce Foster at No. 201, and the board did not agree. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick211 Rnd6 Jaleel Skinner
Jaleel Skinner in pick 211 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Pick216 Rnd7 Barion Brown
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Barion Brown. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick218 Rnd7 Caullin Lacy
A real head-scratcher, Caullin Lacy in pick 218 is miles ahead of his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick254 Rnd7 Ja'Keem Jackson
A big swing on Ja'Keem Jackson at the 254th overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick256 Rnd7 Denver Harris
Denver Harris at slot 256 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.