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Draft Selections
Kenyon Sadiq Head Shot
PICK: 26 RND: 1 (NO)
Kenyon Sadiq
TE Oregon
Caleb Banks Head Shot
PICK: 42 RND: 2 (NO)
Caleb Banks
DE Florida
Lee Hunter Head Shot
PICK: 60 RND: 2 (NO)
Lee Hunter
DT Texas Tech
Malachi Fields Head Shot
PICK: 73 RND: 3 (NO)
Malachi Fields
WR Notre Dame
Mike Washington Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 132 RND: 4 (NO)
Mike Washington Jr.
RB Arkansas
Nadame Tucker Head Shot
PICK: 136 RND: 4 (NO)
Nadame Tucker
DE Western Michigan
DJ Campbell Head Shot
PICK: 148 RND: 5 (NO)
DJ Campbell
OG Texas
Bud Clark Head Shot
PICK: 170 RND: 5 (NO)
Bud Clark
S TCU
Noah Thomas Head Shot
PICK: 188 RND: 6 (NO)
Noah Thomas
WR Georgia
Draft Picks Received
Kenyon Sadiq Head Shot
PICK: 26 RND: 1 (BUF)
Kenyon Sadiq
TE Oregon
Lee Hunter Head Shot
PICK: 60 RND: 2 (BUF)
Lee Hunter
DT Texas Tech
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (BUF)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Caleb Downs Head Shot
PICK: 8 RND: 1 (BUF)
Caleb Downs
S Ohio State
Draft Grade — Saints
Overall C+
ValueB- NeedB TradesD FutureB-
The Saints did enough to get by: C+.

Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Noah Thomas at the 188th pick is 85 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline.

They banked enough surplus on Banks to cover a lot of smaller sins. For all the activity, cornerback went untouched, which is hard to explain.

If Kenyon Sadiq and a couple of the gambles land, hindsight will be kinder than this grade.

Pick Analysis
Pick26 Rnd1 Kenyon Sadiq
In No. 26 they get a seam-stretching tight end at fair value. A real need, handled.
Pick42 Rnd2 Caleb Banks
Value with a capital V on Caleb Banks in Round 2, Pick 10, a genuine coup. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Pick60 Rnd2 Lee Hunter
Lee Hunter in slot 60 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Pick73 Rnd3 Malachi Fields
Malachi Fields in pick No. 73 is fair value, right on his grade. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick132 Rnd4 Mike Washington Jr.
Mike Washington Jr. at pick 132 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick136 Rnd4 Nadame Tucker
Nadame Tucker at the 136th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick148 Rnd5 DJ Campbell
DJ Campbell at Round 5, Pick 10 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick170 Rnd5 Bud Clark
Bud Clark in pick No. 170 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. A minor itch, scratched.
Pick188 Rnd6 Noah Thomas
This one needs a full-page explanation: Noah Thomas in No. 188, miles early. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.