March 21, 2026, 1:39 p.m. CT

Few teams invested as much in their offensive line as the New Orleans Saints, with four starters drafted in the top 48 picks and a big free agent signing in David Edwards. And they may not be finished adding to their big blockers up front. Longtime NFL draft insider Tony Pauline shared some intel for Essentially Sports that links New Orleans to Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon (pronounced “preg-non” per the Oregon media guide).

“Presently, the expected range for Pregnon is between picks 25 and 42,” Pauline wrote. “Besides the Cowboys and Vikings, he also met with the Cincinnati Bengals on pro day and is getting a lot of attention from the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks, teams that both need interior offensive linemen.”

Want to guess which team is picking at No. 42? That’s New Orleans. But as Pauline noted, there are plenty of teams picking ahead of the Saints who could snatch him up. The Texans pick twice in that range (Nos. 28 and 38), with Seattle at No. 32. The Bengals are right in front of the Saints at No. 41. There’s a very good chance he won’t make it to their pick. But if he does, he’s too promising a prospect to pass up.

So why is Pregnon so sought-after? He transferred to Oregon in 2025 and dominated his opponents after two strong years with the USC Trojans; before that, he put himself on the map at Wyoming. Pregnon is clean in pass protection with just three sacks allowed on 1,825 snaps against the rush. And he’s well-versed in clearing out room to run, too, with 1,376 snaps in that phase. He’s a good fit for the Saints as one of college football’s top-rated blockers on inside zone, with Kellen Moore’s offense ranking among league leaders in that specific blocking assignment last year. His versatility is appealing, too. Pregnon started the last three years at left guard but held down the right guard spot in 2022, and he moved back to the right side in a pinch during the Ducks’ midseason rout against Minnesota.

As for where he would fit in with the Saints? They have their bookend tackles in Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga, with Edwards expected to start at left guard and Erik McCoy remaining at center. Cesar Ruiz has been a weak link at right guard —even general manager Mickey Loomis called him out on it. Right now Ruiz has the second-highest cap hit on the team at $14.196 million, so it’s notable they didn’t restructure his deal as they did with other veterans like McCoy, Juwan Johnson, and Chase Young. The Saints could draft Pregnon and have him compete with Ruiz at training camp, or choose to move Ruiz after June 1 (saving $9.5 million in a trade, or just $6.8 million in a release). They need a backup center they can trust after losing Luke Fortner in free agency. Maybe their best option has Pregnon starting at right guard with Ruiz backing up McCoy at his college position, at least for this year.

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Or maybe we’re getting too far ahead of ourselves. There’s no guarantee Pregnon will be there when the Saints pick. It’s not a given that he would take a starting job from Ruiz. But if the Saints are going to get where they want to go in 2026, continuing to invest in their offensive line needs to be a priority.