C+
New Orleans Saints
Flashes of a plan, unevenly executed. Saints: C+.
by Kev05555 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 5 reaches
Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Blake Shapen at No. 150 is 261 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline.
On value alone, Brailsford makes the weekend a net positive. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through running back.
It grades out a shrug today, with plenty of room to move either way.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 8th pick they get a disruptor off the edge, though they paid up to get him. Exactly the need they had to hit.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Aaron Graves. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They talked themselves into Tanner Koziol at pick 73, and the board did not agree. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A big swing on Cyrus Allen at Round 4, Pick 32, well ahead of any board in the building. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Daylen Everette in slot 136 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Blake Shapen at the Round 5 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The roster fit checks out.
Louis Moore at slot 172 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A minor itch, scratched.
They barely believed it either: Parker Brailsford still on the board at the Round 6 slot. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.