Payton'S MOCK DRAFT
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Payton'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON FEB 18, 2026

Cole Payton

  • Payton DRAFTING FOR THE
    Saints
Draft Selections
Jeremiyah Love Head Shot
PICK: 8 RND: 1 (NO)
Jeremiyah Love
RB Notre Dame
A.J. Haulcy Head Shot
PICK: 47 RND: 2 (NO)
A.J. Haulcy
S LSU
Omar Cooper Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 73 RND: 3 (NO)
Omar Cooper Jr.
WR Indiana
Treydan Stukes Head Shot
PICK: 132 RND: 4 (NO)
Treydan Stukes
CB Arizona
Skyler Gill-Howard Head Shot
PICK: 136 RND: 4 (NO)
Skyler Gill-Howard
DT Texas Tech
Beau Stephens Head Shot
PICK: 148 RND: 5 (NO)
Beau Stephens
OG Iowa
Kaleb Proctor Head Shot
PICK: 154 RND: 5 (NO)
Kaleb Proctor
DL SE Louisiana
Pat Coogan Head Shot
PICK: 170 RND: 5 (NO)
Pat Coogan
C Indiana
Cole Payton Head Shot
PICK: 195 RND: 6 (NO)
Cole Payton
QB North Dakota State
Draft Picks Received
A.J. Haulcy Head Shot
PICK: 47 RND: 2 (IND)
A.J. Haulcy
S LSU
Kaleb Proctor Head Shot
PICK: 154 RND: 5 (IND)
Kaleb Proctor
DL SE Louisiana
Cole Payton Head Shot
PICK: 195 RND: 6 (ATL)
Cole Payton
QB North Dakota State
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (IND)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 7 (ATL)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Brandon Cisse Head Shot
PICK: 42 RND: 2 (IND)
Brandon Cisse
CB South Carolina
Jimmy Rolder Head Shot
PICK: 188 RND: 6 (ATL)
Jimmy Rolder
LB Michigan
Players Gained
Head Shot
Neville Gallimore
DT
Draft Grade — Saints
Overall B
ValueB- NeedB TradesB+ FutureB
No fireworks, just a tidy B for the Saints.

The war room fell hard for Cole Payton, and it showed at Round 6, Pick 16: 24 picks ahead of a board that had other ideas. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B.

That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. They squeezed a little extra out of every move they made.

In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.

Pick Analysis
Pick8 Rnd1 Jeremiyah Love
In the 8th overall pick they get a featured back. A real need, handled.
Pick47 Rnd2 A.J. Haulcy
A.J. Haulcy in the 47th pick is fair value, right on his grade. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Pick73 Rnd3 Omar Cooper Jr.
Omar Cooper Jr. at pick 73 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Pick132 Rnd4 Treydan Stukes
They talked themselves into Treydan Stukes at pick No. 132, and the board did not agree. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick136 Rnd4 Skyler Gill-Howard
No drama and no debate, Skyler Gill-Howard went about where he belonged in slot 136. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick148 Rnd5 Beau Stephens
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Beau Stephens at Round 5, Pick 10 is the proof. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick154 Rnd5 Kaleb Proctor
Kaleb Proctor at No. 154 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick170 Rnd5 Pat Coogan
A big swing on Pat Coogan at Round 5, Pick 32, well ahead of any board in the building. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick195 Rnd6 Cole Payton
Cole Payton at the 195th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.