Tee Bird 'S MOCK DRAFT
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Tee Bird 'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON MAR 12, 2026

2026 Saints Mock Draft

  • Tee Bird DRAFTING FOR THE
    Saints
Draft Selections
Jeremiyah Love Head Shot
PICK: 8 RND: 1 (NO)
Jeremiyah Love
RB Notre Dame
Zachariah Branch Head Shot
PICK: 42 RND: 2 (NO)
Zachariah Branch
WR Georgia
Bryce Lance Head Shot
PICK: 73 RND: 3 (NO)
Bryce Lance
WR North Dakota State
Jalon Kilgore Head Shot
PICK: 132 RND: 4 (NO)
Jalon Kilgore
CB South Carolina
Chris McClellan Head Shot
PICK: 136 RND: 4 (NO)
Chris McClellan
DT Missouri
Beau Stephens Head Shot
PICK: 150 RND: 5 (NO)
Beau Stephens
OG Iowa
Kaleb Elarms-Orr Head Shot
PICK: 172 RND: 5 (NO)
Kaleb Elarms-Orr
LB TCU
Patrick Payton Head Shot
PICK: 190 RND: 6 (NO)
Patrick Payton
DL-EDGE LSU
Draft Grade — Saints
Overall B-
ValueB- NeedB+ TradesB- FutureB-
More right than wrong for the Saints, and a B- to prove it.

The move everyone will second-guess came early. The Saints reached some 61 spots for Patrick Payton, and value like that does not grow back. It nets out to a B-, which feels about right.

Kilgore falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback.

The roster is better shaped than it was, with edge rusher chief among the fixes. They came away with juice, if not much beef up front.

In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.

Pick Analysis
Pick8 Rnd1 Jeremiyah Love
In the 8th pick they get an every-down engine for the run game. A clean fit for the roster.
Pick42 Rnd2 Zachariah Branch
Zachariah Branch at the 42nd overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Pick73 Rnd3 Bryce Lance
They talked themselves into Bryce Lance at the Round 3 slot, and the board did not agree. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick132 Rnd4 Jalon Kilgore
A quiet steal in slot 132: Jalon Kilgore for less than the market said. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick136 Rnd4 Chris McClellan
Chris McClellan at No. 136 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the interior defensive lineman. The roster fit checks out.
Pick150 Rnd5 Beau Stephens
A clean, defensible pick in pick 150 with a little surplus value in Beau Stephens. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Pick172 Rnd5 Kaleb Elarms-Orr
Kaleb Elarms-Orr in slot 172 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Pick190 Rnd6 Patrick Payton
Patrick Payton in pick 190 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.