Let’s look for the silver lining after the New Orleans Saints‘ 0-2 start to the 2025 season. The experts at Tankathon have crunched the numbers, and they project the Saints to pick first overall in 2026, based on the current standings. While at least nine different teams are coming out of Week 2 with an 0-2 record, none of them have a lower strength of schedule than the Saints (.400), and by a pretty wide margin. The New York Jets (.438) and Miami Dolphins (.484) are the only other teams in that group whose schedule sits under .500.
That’s the good news. The bad news? There doesn’t appear to be a generationally talented quarterback waiting for the Saints to draft first in 2026 who could turn their fortunes around. That isn’t too surprising. Real generational talents like Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, or Trevor Lawrence only come around, well, once in a generation. What’s concerning here is that, the way things stand now, there isn’t even a high-floor, high-ceiling safe bet who could change the Saints’ fortunes; someone like C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert, or even Matt Ryan.
Every college quarterback who was talked up as the next best thing has stumbled out of the gates. If he isn’t hiding a secret injury, Arch Manning’s performance so far is flat-out disappointing. Garrett Nussmeier, a hot pick given his father’s role on the Saints coaching staff, was actively coached around with a conservative game plan in LSU’s too-close win over Florida. Cade Klubnik has played himself out of the top-three conversation. Drew Allar looks more like a game manager than a game winner. Fernando Mendoza needs to play against more future NFL players before we can really learn anything about him. LaNorris Sellers has shown the most out of the bunch but he just suffered a concussion, and might not be ready to turn pro anyway as a redshirt sophomore.
But it’s not like this Saints team is a quarterback away from winning it all. They have work to do at nearly every position group on each side of the ball. There are still 15 games to play before the draft order is formalized. Spencer Rattler could very well keep putting it together and look like the answer. He could lose a couple of more games, fall into an 0-10 record, and be banished to the shadow realm when Tyler Shough is named the starter. Maybe Shough is the guy, or maybe it’s Rattler, and they play well enough to win enough games to where the Saints don’t have to worry about drafting a quarterback next year after all. It’s a nice thought. That doesn’t change how unrealistic it is. The way things stand now, the Saints will need a QB, and the 2026 draft won’t have one for them.