C
New Orleans Saints
The Saints won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: C.
by Jaybeast17 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 7 picks
· 1 steals
· 4 reaches
The Saints went off the board in a big way for Mitchell Melton, 398 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another. Call it a C and check back in two years.
They banked enough surplus on Lemon to cover a lot of smaller sins. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped cornerback, which is a strange place to end up. The DaRon Bland pickup adds a known quantity to a class of unknowns.
In the end, a coin-flip class: fine today, with a wide range of outcomes ahead.
Pick-by-Pick
This one needs a full-page explanation: Mitchell Melton in the 8th pick, miles early. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Ethan Onianwa at the Round 2 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Makai Lemon in pick 73 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They talked themselves into Demond Claiborne at No. 132, and the board did not agree. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Eli Raridon in slot 136 is fair value, right on his grade. A need, and now a little less of one.
No drama and no debate, Jaeden Roberts went about where he belonged in the 150th overall pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Red Murdock at the 190th pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It adds depth where they could use a little.