If you were hoping for the New Orleans Saints to start selling off assets and go in on a tank for Texas Longhorns phenom Arch Manning, you’ll be disappointed. The New Orleans Saints are down to just five picks in the seven rounds of the 2026 NFL draft after dealing a couple of selections to Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos on Wednesday.
Here’s how those picks shake out:
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2026 NFL draft
While they own all of their high-impact picks in the first two days of the draft, New Orleans only has two of their four initial picks remaining on Day 3. Before they traded their 2026 fourth rounder to the Broncos, the Saints also swapped their 2026 seventh-round choice with the New England Patriots in exchange for nose tackle Davon Godchaux. It’s possible that New Orleans will receive a compensatory fourth rounder to make up for this Vele move, but they aren’t projected to get it if Isaac Yiadom starts most of the season.
2027 NFL draft
The other pick going to Denver in the Vele trade is the Saints’ seventh-round choice in 2027.
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2028 NFL draft
Unlike other major pro sports, the NFL doesn’t allow teams to deal draft picks more than three years in advance. So for now the Saints own all of their picks in 2028. That could change — but if it doesn’t, Saints fans will have to wait three more years to see their team own all seven of their picks in a single draft class.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL draft: Saints down to just five picks after Devaughn Vele trade