C
New Orleans Saints
The Saints lost the trade table, and the C tells the story.
by McPatriot22 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 3 reaches
The Saints did not so much draft Bryce Foster as overpay for him, 61 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend. For now it grades a C, with the swing picks left to settle the rest.
The trade table is where this weekend went wrong. That edge rusher hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The Claiborne pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
The verdict is a shrug for now, with the swing picks left to write the real ending.
Pick-by-Pick
By-the-book stuff, Zachariah Branch at pick 62 squarely in line with his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They took Keionte Scott at par in the 63rd overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Dontay Corleone at slot 73 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. The roster fit checks out.
Harold Perkins Jr. in No. 132 is fair value, right on his grade. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Nothing to complain about; Oscar Delp went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They liked Kage Casey enough to skip the value, taking him in Round 5, Pick 10. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A big swing on Red Murdock at the 170th pick, well ahead of any board in the building. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
Demond Claiborne slipping to slot 172 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Bryce Foster at the 190th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.