The NFL keeps a tight lid on its compensatory draft picks formula, but one of the analysts who has come closest to cracking the code is Over The Cap’s Nick Korte. And while Korte initially projected the New Orleans Saints to receive a fourth-round comp pick in the 2026 draft for losing Paulson Adebo in free agency, his updated predictions don’t have them getting that pick. What changed?
“The Saints will have a decision on whether to play Isaac Yiadom as a starter or heavy contributor at cornerback, a position the team looks to be shallow in,” Korte wrote at OTC. “But if they do, the tradeoff will be sacrificing a 4th rounder for a corner that left them in free agency, Paulson Adebo.”
Comp picks are calculated, in Korte’s reverse-engineered formula, by two factors: contract value and playtime. If Yiadom hits a certain threshold for snaps played, which would happen if he starts 17 games this season, the Saints wouldn’t get that fourth rounder in next year’s draft. If he doesn’t beat someone like Rico Payton or Quincy Riley (a rookie fourth-round pick) to run in the starting lineup with Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry? Then New Orleans should expect to get that fourth rounder after all.
One complicating factor? The Saints have been looking into veteran cornerbacks still on the market like Asante Samuel Jr., who is expected to sign with a new team after medical rechecks in July. Samuel could expect to walk into the room and start right away over Yiadom, a career backup, and a couple of first- and second-year pros. The Saints took a big bet on Chase Young after his neck injury last year, so maybe they’re willing to do so again with another veteran defender.
At the same time, the Saints shouldn’t let what may be the 138th or 140th pick in next year’s draft decide who their starting cornerbacks should be. If Yiadom is a better option than his competition, roll with him. The Saints re-signed him for a reason. If he isn’t able to cut the mustard? Go with someone else. But with the team in such a state of transition and with the corners playing under so much scrutiny after Adebo and Marshon Lattimore were let go in the last year, this decision is going to carry a ton of weight all season long. Here are the picks the Saints currently own in the 2026 draft, per Tankathon’s projections:
Round 1, Pick 1Round 2, Pick 33Round 3, Pick 65Round 4, Pick 101Round 4, Pick 138 (compensatory)Round 5, Pick 141Round 6, Pick 180