Should the New Orleans Saints Go OFFENSE or DEFENSE in the 2026 NFL Draft? | James Skrmetta Reacts

Should the New Orleans Saints focus on offense or defense in the 2026 NFL Draft? šŸ¤”

In this video, James Skrmetta breaks down the biggest decision facing the Saints as they prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft. Is it time to invest in offensive weapons and protection to elevate the Saints’ offense—or should New Orleans prioritize defensive talent to reload the other side of the ball?

James dives into the pros and cons of drafting offense vs defense, how roster construction, positional value, and team philosophy factor into draft strategy, and what approach makes the most sense for the Saints moving forward. This is a full Saints draft strategy discussion built for fans who want real analysis—not surface-level takes.

šŸ’¬ Join the conversation:
šŸ‘‰ Should the Saints draft offense or defense in 2026?
šŸ‘‰ Which positions should be the top priority?

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45 comments
  1. Look at defense let downs & specific player , try to get better impact players, the offense needs better running attack early in ball games , Tennessee had impact players defense tackle, QB, running back, wide receiver. Atlanta had pass rushers, running back, smart quarterback, better defense. Special teams is getting better

  2. From what I read and hear there is a big gap between J. Love and the other running backs. Caleb Downs is supposed to be the top defensive player but there are other dbs and safeties that rate a first round pick. The wr position is supposed to be fairly deep and the Saints have a BAZILLION wrs on the practice team (if they're not worth taking a chance on, why are we paying those guys?). So I say go for the rarest talent available J Love and let Brandon Staley get who he needs in round two.

  3. We already have the 8th rushing defense and 12th passing defense, if we make Staley look too good he’s gonna bounce to be an HC. Let’s go fill out this offense

  4. I’m surprised Surratt isn’t getting any top 15 buzz… I watch a ton of football and every time I watch Indiana he’s catch ā€œgotta haveā€ it passes. Back shoulder throws, jump balls, over the middle, and goal line tough slants.

  5. It's fun to have the mock draft conversations especially for us in this offseason because we're in the "good problem to have" situation. But really we have to see who the Saints are keeping and/or picking up in free agency before we can know what the intent is for immediate impact players. For example, if the Saints let Alontae Taylor walk because he wants to be an outside corner more than he wants to play the "Star*" position then Caleb Downs may become very appealing to either take on that role or fill a safety spot with someone else shifting Alontae's position next season.

  6. We’re all gonna fall in love with a different skill position player — for them to go out, draft an OL, and then figure out who’s going to play inside at Guard

  7. So tired of the analytics talk when it comes to these draft picks. Get the pop and sizzle with a top 10 pick. I don’t want any player you have to say ā€œ when his hands in the ground he has a high pressure rate ā€œ … can’t over think it. If Love, Tyson or Tate is there you run to the podium.

  8. An interesting name to watch is Jake slaughter , center / guard from Florida, would be a day one starter at guard & a good back up center , 2nd round if buffalo doesn't reach for him in the first

  9. Bro I wasn't going to say anything but I just want you to know I been trying to let Armstead on his Podcast know how you're the lead for " Saints Realism", I'm trying to get the real ones here.

  10. When it comes too linebacker saints please get Jacob Rodriguez the safety from Oregon thimmeion how ever you spell denzel Boston or sarratt at receiver the Oregon edge rushers either or ugalelie or the second one tightened Eli stowers corner backs chris Johnson or Keith abbney or running backs love,mike Washington or emmit Johnson ill be kool but definitely line backer Jacob Rodriguez that boy is a problem

  11. Watching most games this season the saints typically always has less than 10 points in the 1st half, so the offense is clearly the weaker side of the ball on this team, plus we have a quarterback on a rookie contract, so I think if one of the top 2 receivers or Jeremiah Love falls to 8 I would take the best offensive player available, we need guards so if we don’t address that in free agency 8 is to high to draft guard in this particular draft but I’d take a guard in the 2nd round for sure if it’s not addressed in free agency

  12. Guard and RB in free agency
    WR, d-line, safety, CB in the draft
    Last offseason we were also bad at safety

    At pick 8? I would love a WR, but not if our guy is off the board, no reaching

  13. My order would be Love Downs then Tyson I know Reese won’t be available I think Love will have the biggest impact and value more so than gambling on a WR at 8th pick

  14. This is a great problem to have on who we should go with on the 8th overall pick. It shows we really don’t have a HUGE need that needs to be drafted. We should go BPA with our first pick and try and get Emmanuel pregnon in the second.

  15. Did everyone forget about Trey Palmer? I think he could be a good depth piece for sure! As the four I haven’t heard anybody mention his name basically since we signed him.

  16. We need that guard not a sexy pic but we need one. We need them to be able to to protect shough and have a run game. Really we dont need any wr we just picked up 2 I think. We got decent rbs unless you want love . Maybe def tackle and another t.e. safety any db really. Nose guard idk šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø but all I know is we need a good guard

  17. Best player available. Likely means EDGE or OL bc those are more top loaded in this class. Although technically there is a S, CB & LB you might grade as BPA. I'm not sure any of the WRs are worth top 8 compared to who's likely available at that position in rounds 2/3. Arguably might still have good OL depth in Rd 2. All things considered, I'm expecting EDGE to line up nicely. This dude from Texas A&M really catches my eye. You watch literally 2 snaps and it just jumps off the screen. Same with the safety from Ohio State. Those 2 really pop to me, much more than WR. You have to go BPA. We have enough needs to go BPA entire draft really.

  18. They traded for two WRs and signed two more already. Ain’t no way they drafting WR. I’d be surprised if they drafted RB. It’s a defensive guy. Most likely the Safety if he’s there if not then pass rusher

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