B+
New Orleans Saints
The Saints cashed the board's mistake on Stowers: B+.
by NFL 2026 SAINTS DRAFT ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 4 steals
· 3 reaches
Whoever sat across the table from the Saints should ask for a receipt. They cleaned the room out, prying loose far more value than they gave up, and it was the quiet MVP of their weekend. No fireworks, but a solid B+.
For all the activity, edge rusher went untouched, which is hard to explain. On value alone, Stowers makes the weekend a net positive. The cost of the Stephens reach is exactly the players who went right after him.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 20 they get a weapon on the perimeter, reach and all. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
No drama and no debate, D'Angelo Ponds went about where he belonged in the 42nd overall pick. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A tight end of that caliber at No. 73 is the definition of value, full stop. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Skyler Bell slid further than he should have, and Round 3, Pick 28 is lovely value for the wide receiver. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Mike Washington Jr. at the 112th pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
Gracen Halton at slot 132 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A real head-scratcher, Beau Stephens in slot 136 is miles ahead of his ranking. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Charles Demmings in the 150th overall pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Steal is underselling it; Drew Allar at No. 172 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Ar'maj Reed-Adams at Round 5, Pick 40. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Pat Coogan. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.