vvv'S MOCK DRAFT
  1. Home
  2. Simulator

vvv'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON APR 5, 2026

vvv

  • vvv DRAFTING FOR THE
    Saints
Draft Selections
Peter Woods Head Shot
PICK: 8 RND: 1 (NO)
Peter Woods
DL-EDGE Clemson
T.J. Parker Head Shot
PICK: 11 RND: 1 (NO)
T.J. Parker
DE-EDGE Clemson
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 42 RND: 2 (NO)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Deion Burks Head Shot
PICK: 73 RND: 3 (NO)
Deion Burks
WR Oklahoma
Malachi Fields Head Shot
PICK: 88 RND: 3 (NO)
Malachi Fields
WR Notre Dame
Harold Perkins Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 132 RND: 4 (NO)
Harold Perkins Jr.
LB LSU
VJ Payne Head Shot
PICK: 136 RND: 4 (NO)
VJ Payne
S Kansas State
Ephesians Prysock Head Shot
PICK: 150 RND: 5 (NO)
Ephesians Prysock
CB Washington
Anez Cooper Head Shot
PICK: 172 RND: 5 (NO)
Anez Cooper
OG Miami
Keagen Trost Head Shot
PICK: 190 RND: 6 (NO)
Keagen Trost
OT Missouri
Draft Picks Received
T.J. Parker Head Shot
PICK: 11 RND: 1 (MIA)
T.J. Parker
DE-EDGE Clemson
Malachi Fields Head Shot
PICK: 88 RND: 3 (JAX)
Malachi Fields
WR Notre Dame
Draft Picks Traded
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 1 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 2 (LV)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Players traded away
Head Shot
Alvin Kamara
RB
Head Shot
Carl Granderson
DE
Head Shot
Chris Olave
WR
Head Shot
Erik McCoy
C
Head Shot
Spencer Rattler
QB
Draft Grade — Saints
Overall F
ValueC NeedA- TradesF FutureD-
The board had answers; the Saints had Payne. Grade: F.

The Saints looked at the value chart, folded it up, and took VJ Payne at No. 136 regardless, 60 picks early. A F, plain and simple.

Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. A whole weekend of picks and quarterback is somehow still a want. Landing Fields that late papers over a lot of smaller sins.

It is a win-now wager, and the future is the stake.

In the end, a class that has to defy its grades just to matter.

Pick Analysis
Pick8 Rnd1 Peter Woods
In the 8th overall pick they get a premier pass rusher, reach and all. The biggest hole, addressed.
Pick11 Rnd1 T.J. Parker
In the 11th pick they get a double-digit-sack hope, though they paid up to get him. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Pick42 Rnd2 D'Angelo Ponds
A straight-up fair deal on D'Angelo Ponds at pick No. 42, value and slot in agreement. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Pick73 Rnd3 Deion Burks
A premium they did not need to pay, Deion Burks a notch or two before his time. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick88 Rnd3 Malachi Fields
A tidy bit of business in the Round 3 slot, where Malachi Fields graded well above the range. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick132 Rnd4 Harold Perkins Jr.
Harold Perkins Jr. in No. 132 is fair value, right on his grade. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick136 Rnd4 VJ Payne
A wild overpay on VJ Payne in the 136th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Pick150 Rnd5 Ephesians Prysock
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Ephesians Prysock well ahead of where he belonged. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Pick172 Rnd5 Anez Cooper
They went early on Anez Cooper in pick No. 172, and the value did not follow. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick190 Rnd6 Keagen Trost
They read the board right and Keagen Trost was the payoff at No. 190. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.