B-
New Orleans Saints
A solid, sensible weekend for the Saints: B-.
by Mock Draft 2026 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 3 reaches
The Eli Heidenreich pick is the one that will follow the Saints into the fall. They took him 45 spots ahead of his grade, and the board is not shy about saying so.
They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. They banked enough surplus on Endries to cover a lot of smaller sins. The trades cost them a sliver of value they did not need to spend.
On the needs board they went 5 of 8, with cornerback the one that mattered most.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a potential shutdown corner at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
A straight-up fair deal on Chris Bell at No. 37, value and slot in agreement. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board had Jack Endries higher than the 132nd pick, and the tight end fell to them anyway. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Nothing to complain about; Harold Perkins Jr. went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Skyler Gill-Howard in pick 145 is fair value, right on his grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Beau Stephens at slot 150 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Ar'maj Reed-Adams at the 172nd pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A conviction pick on Aaron Graves at pick No. 186 that the board grades a round light. It fills a real need, too.
Eli Heidenreich in No. 190 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.