When their turn came around in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints selected a player they hoped would help them reach the NFL’s leading edge.

They didn’t focus on positions of immediate need, at least not in the sense of a traditional starter. Instead, the Saints saw the way NFL offenses were trending and leaned into it by drafting tight end Oscar Delp.

Put together a “two deep” right now — a depth chart that shows the backup and starter — and Delp may not even be on it. Juwan Johnson is coming off a career-best season as a receiver, hauling in 77 passes for 889 yards. In free agency, the Saints brought in veteran Noah Fant, a former first-round pick with 334 career receptions.

But the tight end room was still not complete — especially if the Saints want to be in vogue with some of the NFL’s better offenses.

“Playing multiple tight end positions is valuable,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said after drafting Delp. “You can see the teams that made runs this year, a lot of them are playing with 12 or 13 personnel.”

A quick refresher: Numerical personnel groupings are defined by the number of running backs and tight ends on the field, with the running backs being read first. When Moore says “12” personnel, he means one running back and two tight ends.

Like most teams, New Orleans spent the majority of last season in 11 personnel — one back, one tight end, three receivers. Twenty-three NFL offenses were in 11 personnel at least 50% of their offensive snaps, and the Saints were near the top of the league, ranking fourth at 66.7%.

Analytically, this isn’t where the Saints want to be. Only one of the top-10 offenses in 11 personnel usage ranked in the top 10 in Expected Points Added (EPA) per play — the Dallas Cowboys. Five of the NFL’s seven worst offenses by EPA per play, including the Saints (27th), ranked in the top 10 in the percentage of time they were in 11 personnel.

NFL teams have started to skew toward bigger personnel packages. The Los Angeles Rams (first in EPA/play) leaned hard into 13 personnel, running more than 30% of their offensive plays with three tight ends sharing the field. For context, the Rams ran twice as many plays in 13 personnel as the next closest NFL team (the Steelers, at 140 snaps).

Five of the top-10 offenses by EPA/play also ranked in the top 10 for 22 personnel usage, including the Buffalo Bills, who ranked second in offensive EPA.

This isn’t just about running the football. The Rams specifically were seeking matchup advantages by going in “heavy” packages that also featured pass-catching options. Not only did the Rams lead the NFL in 13 personnel usage, but they passed out of it nearly 40% of the time and averaged +0.5 EPA per dropback when they did pass out of 13 personnel.

That’s where Delp — and the Saints — see him changing the offense.

“Tight ends are the biggest mismatches on the field,” Delp said. “Every team that is elite has an elite tight end, and when you’ve got a good one, you can almost revolve the offense around them and do crazy things.”

The Saints already had two capable veteran tight ends on their roster, but both of them profile as pass-catchers first. Delp may have more in the tank as a receiver than his college statistics suggest, but he is still a player who fits the mold of a traditional “Y” tight end — someone who is going to line up over the tackle and contribute in the run game as much as in the pass game.

“He can drop out in space. He’s got some juice and some speed, vertical speed,” Moore said. “He’s a very willing, physical run player. I think that’s an important aspect. We know with Juwan and Noah, we have some guys who can make some plays with the ball in their hands. These guys are going to have to do some dirty work, and (Delp is) ready for that.”

So think of Delp less in terms of where he may fit on the depth chart, and more in how he may become a sort of skeleton key that can unlock new things for the offense.