Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season is not quite over, but for the New Orleans Saints, everything they were waiting on playing out has been completed. The most notable outcome for this game was who ended up leading the NFC South, as with their loss, the division title was handed to the Carolina Panthers over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Additionally, New Orleans was able to find out and solidify their draft selection in the first round for 2026 ahead of time.
While the Kansas City Chiefs could end up finishing with the same record by losing to the Las Vegas Raiders, their strength of schedule would still not be weak enough for them to overtake the Saints at that selection. So, with that all but confirmed, New Orleans will be making their choice at pick No. 8 in the 2026 NFL Draft. This gives them a pretty good opportunity to still get a high-quality prospect, considering multiple teams near the top will likely be going quarterback regardless of how many are deserving of those spots.
With three wide receivers being widely considered as top 20 selections in this upcoming draft, that may be where the Saints look to turn at pick No. 8. While they may not get their pick of the bunch, all three of Makai Lemon, Jordyn Tyson, and Carnell Tate are widely considered to be very valuable young offensive talents. Pairing Chris Olave up with one for Tyler Shough to work with in 2026 would be a positive utilization of such a high selection.