2026 New Orleans Saints Mock Draft: 7-Round Projection
Draft Capital: 5 picks | Overall Grade: B+ Last Updated: October 05, 2026Overview
New Orleans Saints enter the 2026 NFL Draft with 5 selections. Biggest needs: Offensive Tackle, Tight End, Edge Rusher.
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Complete Pick-by-Pick Analysis
Pick #9 - New Orleans Saints: Jordan Seaton, Offensive Tackle, LSU
Rank: #6 overall | Grade: A Why This Pick:Offensive tackle is New Orleans' number one need, and Seaton falling to pick 9 after ranking sixth overall is pure value the Saints can't pass up. With a franchise left tackle question mark still unresolved, grabbing a former five-star who's already proven he can protect a blindside as a true freshman is a no-brainer, even with Trevor Goosby already off the board one pick earlier. This isn't a reach, it's a gift, and it addresses the single biggest hole on the roster.
The Fit:Seaton slots in immediately as a left tackle answer, bringing elite pass protection, just five sacks allowed on 940 career pass-blocking snaps and a 79.7 career pass-block grade, with the lateral quickness to mirror speed rushers at a true 330 pounds. The Saints get a developmental runway too, since his run blocking (57 career grade) and second-level consistency need work, but that's coachable technique rather than an athletic limitation. He gives New Orleans a long-term blindside protector while the staff cleans up the details that kept him outside the top five.
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Pick #42 - New Orleans Saints: Ahmad Moten Sr, Defensive Line, Miami
Rank: #37 overall | Grade: B Why This Pick:IDL sits at five on New Orleans' need list, well below tackle, tight end, edge and corner, but Moten slipping to 42 after going 37th on the board is too much value to pass up for a Saints defense that can always use more interior disruption. After addressing the tackle spot with Jordan Seaton at pick nine, the Saints are free to simply take the best player on the board, and a gap-shooting three-tech with rare first-step quickness qualifies even if it is not the sexiest need.
The Fit:Moten's calling card is his get-off, a dynamite first step that let him rack up 9 TFL and 4.5 sacks in his lone breakout season at Miami, and his active hands and powerful club give him real pass-rush juice on the interior. The catch is his short arms and below-average anchor, which get exposed against double teams and down blocks, and his lack of bend limits him once he's past the line. In a 3-4 scheme he profiles best as a situational penetrator early on, a player New Orleans can rotate in to collapse pockets on passing downs while he develops more counters and strength against the run.
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Pick #73 - New Orleans Saints: Sam Leavitt, Quarterback, LSU
Rank: #74 overall | Grade: B- Why This Pick:QB sits dead last on New Orleans' own priority list, yet this is essentially the correct slot for Leavitt's actual grade, coming off the board at 73 against a 74 ranking. With the Saints already having addressed the tackle need at pick nine and taken a defensive lineman at 42, this is a swing for a developmental quarterback rather than a reach to fill a hole, and it is defensible as a value play even if it ignores needs like edge, corner, and receiver still sitting on the board.
The Fit:Leavitt gives New Orleans a dual-threat project with real arm talent, a 1.1% turnover-worthy play rate that ranked among the best in the country in 2024, and the ability to create chunk plays off schedule with 7.8 yards per attempt under pressure. He is undersized at 6'2
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Pick #84 - New Orleans Saints: Clev Lubin, Edge Rusher, Louisville
Rank: #71 overall | Grade: B- Why This Pick:Edge rusher sits at the Saints' third-biggest need, and getting a player ranked 71st overall here at pick 84 is good value, a 13-spot slide that most teams would call a win. New Orleans already used earlier picks on an offensive tackle and interior defensive line, so adding a pass rusher with legitimate production rather than reaching for need keeps the board-value approach intact while still filling a real roster hole.
The Fit:Lubin's game is built on hands and plan rather than elite twitch, which actually suits a team looking for a rotational rusher who can win with technique against a variety of blockers. He pins the tackle's outside hand and uses a deep bag of moves (chops, club-swims, long-arms, rips) to generate pressure, and his 50 pressures in 2025 show that translated against ACC competition. At 6-foot-3, 250 with short arms and only average bend, he projects best as a developmental rotational piece in the Saints' 3-4 rather than an immediate every-down starter, but his motor and closing speed give him a path to carve out snaps early.
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Pick #164: Benjamin Brahmer (Tight End, Penn State) - Grade C-. Day 3 value pick. Depth addition with special teams potential.---
Draft Class Summary
Overall Grade: B+ | 5 positions addressed across 5 picks.---