SAINTS MOCK DRAFT GRADE B-

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2026 SAINTS MOCK DRAFT B-

URL 2026-saints-mock-draft-0940

Letter grade with a four-component score, written analysis, and a pick-by-pick breakdown for every selection in this saved mock.

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B-

New Orleans Saints

The steal of the weekend belongs to the Saints and Stowers: B-.

by 1st round trader · 2026 NFL Draft · 10 picks · 2 steals · 3 reaches
Value B-
Need B
Trades D+
Future A

The board owed the Saints one, and it paid up: Eli Stowers, the No. 53 name on the board, sitting there at the 73rd pick like a gift left on the doorstep.

If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through edge rusher. The Caldwell reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.

The trades cost them a sliver of value they did not need to spend. They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.

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

Pick-by-Pick

R2.6 · Pick 38 · Chris Bell · WR · rank 40
No edge and no loss on Chris Bell in pick 38; it is a wash and a sensible one. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R2.10 · Pick 42 · D'Angelo Ponds · CB · rank 47
D'Angelo Ponds in Round 2, Pick 10 is fair value, right on his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R2.27 · Pick 59 · Zachariah Branch · WR · rank 60
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Zachariah Branch. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
R3.5 · Pick 69 · Mike Washington Jr. · RB · rank 75
They took Mike Washington Jr. at par in the 69th pick, which is nothing to complain about. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R3.9 · Pick 73 · Eli Stowers · TE · rank 53
A top-tier tight end at a bargain, Eli Stowers in pick No. 73, plain and simple. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R4.32 · Pick 132 · Davison Igbinosun · CB · rank 113
Steal is underselling it; Davison Igbinosun at No. 132 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R4.36 · Pick 136 · Harold Perkins Jr. · LB · rank 133
Nothing to complain about; Harold Perkins Jr. went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
R5.10 · Pick 150 · Beau Stephens · OG · rank 159
Beau Stephens at slot 150 is a conviction pick that outran the value. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R5.32 · Pick 172 · Jeff Caldwell · WR · rank 189
A reach on Jeff Caldwell in the Round 5 slot; the board had better options right there. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R6.9 · Pick 190 · Aaron Graves · DT · rank 204
Aaron Graves at slot 190 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It fills a real need, too.
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