New Orleans Saints Complete List of 2026 NFL Draft Picks: Grades, Analysis and Trades

Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft was a whirlwhind kind of day for most teams, and the New Orleans Saints were no different. They took more weapons for quarterback Tyler Shough and made a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for a former top-10 pick, and wrapped it up late in the afternoon by taking Iowa cornerback TJ Hall.

In the fourth round, the Saints selected guard Jeremiah Wright from Auburn with Pick No. 132 overall (from Seattle). They soon after took North Dakota State WR Bryce Lance with the 136th overall pick. See the updates below for all the other moves the team has made Saturday - and further down Thursday and Friday.

Below is the full list of picks and underneath that are all the moves listed in reverse chronological order with instant grades and analysis. Be sure to stick with us at New Orleans Saints On SI for more updates and full draft grades coming soon.

New Orleans Saints 2026 NFL Draft Selections

• Round 1, pick 8: Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State, WR
• Round 2, pick 10 (42): Christen Miller, Georgia, DT
• Round 3, pick 9 (73): Oscar Delp, Georgia, TE
• Round 4, pick 32 (132 – from Seahawks): Jeremiah Wright, Auburn, G
• Round 4, pick 36 (136 – compensatory pick): Bryce Lance, North Dakota State, WR
• Round 5, pick 10 (150): Traded to Raiders for DE Tyree Wilson and 219th overall pick
• Round 5, pick 32 (172 – from Seahawks): Lorenzo Styles, Ohio State, S
• Round 6, pick 9 (190): Barion Brown, LSU, WR
• Round 7, pick 3 (219 - from Raiders): TJ Hall, Iowa, CB

LIVE UPDATES (Saturday: All times CT)

4:30 PM: The Saints finish their 2026 NFL Draft by going to the position some say should have been he top priority. Cornerback TJ Hall of Iowa heads to New Orleans.

Hall, 6-1, 189, played in 42 college games and led the Hawkeyes last year with 10 pass breakups. He has had some injury concerns in his past, which could have contributed to him falling to the seventh round.

GRADE: B+. This is truly a no risk, reward kind of pick. He doesn't have blazing speed, but reports say he has great feet and has no problem staying tight on his receiver. Hall looks to be a solid run defender and could develop well under DC Brandon Staley on the practice squad.

3:23 PM: Another wide receiver?!? Indeed, and the Saints didn't go far to make this pick. LSU's Barion Brown was the selection at pick No. 190 overall.

Brown, 5-11, 190, spent his first three collegiate campaigns at Kentucky, and his best season was his first - in 2022 with 50 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns. At LSU this past season, he caught 53 passes for 532 yards, but scored only once.

Like Lorenzo Styles, who was taken in the fifth round, Brown also is a special teamer, returning a combined 44 kicks and punts in college.

Brown was ranked as the 161st best player on the board by Sports Illustrated's Daniel Flick.

GRADE: B-. I have said 1,000 times I am all in on surrounding Tyler Shough with weapons, but three receivers? Brown obviously was taken because of his special teams skills, as well, but I thought that was what Styles was for. That being said, Brown very well could be a replacement for Rashid Shaheed.

2:24 PM: Finally, the Saints take a defensive back, which was clearly a top need for this team coming into the draft. Here, with the 172nd overall pick, it's Ohio State safety Lorenzo Styles. If that last name sounds familiar, it's because he is the brother of LB Sonny Styles, who went with the seventh overall pick to the Washington Commanders.

Lorenzo Styles' strength is his athleticism, of which he was ranked second at the combine, and he ran an incredible 4.27 40. NFL.com lists his weaknesses as "lacks instincts and route anticipation to make plays," and "rarely gets head around to find downfield throws."

One thing the Saints likely found attractive on Styles was his ability to play special teams, where if he's going to make the team from the jump, likely comes as a kick returner (and cover guy on kicks and punts).

GRADE: B-. Maybe it would be more fair to give an incomplete, as he likely is being brought in as a project and one would imagine he will end up on the team's practice squad.

1:22 PM: The Saints have traded their first of two picks in the fifth round to the Las Vegas Raiders for defensive end Tyree Wilson and the 219th pick of this NFL Draft.

What this amounts to for Wilson is his need for a change of scenery. For the Saints, they are hoping they can get similar results as they got when they brought in Chase Young, who has now turned into the player many thought he would be when he was selected second overall out of Ohio State in 2019.

TRADE GRADE: A-. What this ends up being is a no-risk move for the Saints. If Wilson turns out to be the third (or fourth) edge rusher they need - depending on whether Cam Jordan returns - then great. If he is a bust like he was in Las Vegas, it didn't cost very much capital.

12:51 PM: Continuing to surround themselves with potential weapons around quarterback Tyler Shough, the Saints took a second wide receiver - this time it's North Dakota State's Bryce Lance, who is the younger brother of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Trey Lance.

Bryce Lance has incredible speed, and was one of the fastest receivers in the combine at 4.34. He also has size at 6-3, 204. He was an FCS First-Team All-American, and this is a fantastic get this late in the draft.

GRADE: A+

12:38 PM: With the 132nd overall pick, the Saints selected Auburn guard Jeremiah Wright. He's a converted defensive tackle, who obviously will have time to grow and learn in the NFL. The Saints had hosted him for a pre-draft visit a couple weeks ago.

GRADE: C+. While the fourth round is fine for drafting guys with raw talent, one would like to see an interior lineman drafted who has a chance to start - or at least fill in for either David Edwards or Cesar Ruiz when needed.

12:15 PM: A running back that slipped way down the draft board, Arkansas' Mike Washington, was taken off the board by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 22nd pick of the fourth round (122nd overall). The Raiders in the fourth round took two playerrs that notoriosly slipped: Washington and CB Jermod McCoy.

12:09 PM: If the Saints were thinking about taking a wide receiver who could double as a kick returner, the Pittsburgh Steelers took one of the top options off the board with the 21st pick of the fourth round (121st overall) in Iowa's Kaden Wetjen.

11:55 AM: Another cornerback who dropped way down the draft and was a possibility for Saints (according to some) was taken, as Keionte Scott of Clemson went to a NFC South division rival in Tampa Bay with the 116th pick. The Saints must think they are OK at the position and have alternative plans none of us yet know about.

11:05 AM: A player who often was linked to possibly going to the Saints went with the first pick on Day 3, and that's Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy, who is headed to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 101.

Below are the updates as they happened live Friday night.

LIVE UPDATES (Friday)

9:00 p.m.: Unless Mickey Loomis draws up a package to get back into the third round — which would likely revolve around the team's two fourth-round picks — it'll be all quiet on Airline Drive until the draft resumes on Saturday.

8:45 p.m.: The Saints stood pat at No. 73 and selected Oscar Delp, a tight end from Georgia, with their third-round pick.

Delp was highly lauded throughout the draft process for his athleticism and vertical speed. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end clocked a 4.49 40-yard dash time at the Bulldogs' Pro Day. During his four seasons in Athens, he racked up 854 yards and nine touchdowns on 70 catches.

Tight end was seen as a position of need for the Saints after Foster Moreau departed for Houston earlier this offseason. Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant are primarily viewed as pass catchers, so it's no surprise to see Kellen Moore select a player with strong potential as a blocker.

Delp gained plenty of experience as a quick run-blocking tight end in Georgia's ground-heavy offense. He could play a key role early on in New Orleans, as Moore and Doug Nussmeier look to their key free agent aquisition, Travis Etienne, to revamp the team's rushing attack.

GRADE: B

6:42 p.m.: The Saints made Georgia DT Christen Miller the newest member of the Black and Gold at No. 42. While many expected New Orleans to address holes on its defensive depth chart in the second round, most mocks believed Mickey Loomis and Co. would look to add a slot corner or EDGE.

Instead, Brandon Staley gets a new 321-pound weapon on the interior defensive line. Miller is highly regarded among scouts for his effectiveness in the run game, as well as his ability to get off his block at an above-average clip compared to peers.

He'll look to compete with the likes of Davon Godchaux, whom the Saints acquired from the New England Patriots in March 2025 for a seventh-round pick in this year's draft.

GRADE: B-

LIVE UPDATES (Thursday)

8:47 p.m.: Jordyn Tyson addressed the media to and was candid about his injury history. According to Luke Johnson, Tyson talked about "tight hips," which may have led to some of his hamstring problems. He was emotional as any player walking up the tunnel to meet NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

We have been saying the Saints would draft around Tyler Shough, and the first pick for the team is a player some say is the best wide receiver in this draft: Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.

INSTANT GRADE: A. There is no question this was either the No. 1 need on this team or No. 2. And when Mansoor Delane was taken by the Chiefs at No. 6, it was either Caleb Downs or Tyson for them. It's a huge risk because of Tyson's injury history, but if he does remain on the field, he will be a star in this league.

7:43 p.m.: Sonny Styles is going to Washington, so it is either Caleb Downs or Jordyn Tyson to New Orleans.

7:36 p.m.: Another SHOCKER, as a potential Saints target, Mansoor Delane of LSU, is headed to the Chiefs after their trade with the Browns. Could Tyson fall to the Saints? If not, it's likely Caleb Downs or Rueben Bain.

7:33 p.m.: Arvell Reese slipped to the fifth spot, and the New York Giants must feel like it's Chrstmas Day, as they take the Ohio State linebacker. Very few thought he would still be available at that spot. Then, the Kansas City Chiefs made a trade with the Cleveland Browns.

7:27 p.m.: First MAJOR surprise of this draft, and it certainly affects the Saints and their potential plans. Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate going fourth to the Tennessee Titans has got to be a shock to teams like New Orleans, who now have to think about trading up to get Jordyn Tyson.

7:23 p.m.: Jeremiyah Love is headed to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3, which quashes rumors the Saints would trade up AND the dream of trying to find a way to get the franchise-changing back.

7:19 p.m.: David Bailey goes to the Jets for the first mini-surprise, which moves Arvell Reese. There have been rumors that the Saints would move up to get him at No. 3. If it's going to happen, it has to be now.

The NFL Draft is underway, Fernando Mendoza is a Las Vegas Raider, and the New Orleans Saints currently hold the eighth pick. Will they remain at 8? Who will they take?

Here at Saints On SI, we will continue to update the entire three days of action with commentary on each move that involves the team – whether it be a selection, a trade or a player that had been rumored to come to New Orleans that is going somewhere else.

As of this pre-draft writing, New Orleans has eight total picks with one on Day 1, two on Day 2 and five on the final day.

Also, the Dattitude Podcast with Jim Derry, the publisher and beat writer for New Orleans Saints On SI, will co-host a live show with the Insiders at NOLA.com that begins at 6:30 p.m. CT and will last until Pick 32 is made.

The live show will give spoiler alerts on draft picks, as well as focus on selections from the perspective of a Saints fan. This post, meanwhile, will update in reverse chronological order with the latest news at the top. Stay with us!

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