Katherine TerrellApr 13, 2026, 10:00 AM

CloseKatherine Terrell came back to ESPN to cover the New Orleans Saints in the summer of 2022. She left the company in 2019 after joining in 2016 to cover the Cincinnati Bengals. Katherine is a graduate of LSU and a Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native, and she has covered the NFL since 2013.

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METAIRIE, La. — The 2026 NFL draft (8 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC, ESPN App) will start on April 23 in Pittsburgh. The New Orleans Saints are scheduled to make eight of the draft’s 257 picks, beginning with the No. 8 selection of the first round on Thursday night.

During the three-day event (Rounds 2-3 on April 24 and Rounds 4-7 on April 25), we will update this page with analysis on every pick.

A full list of Saints’ selections are below, in addition to positional needs.

NFL draft coverage:
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Kiper’s Big Board | Team needs
Consensus rankings | More

Round 1: No. 8 overall

Round 2: No. 42

Round 3: No. 73

Round 4: No. 132

Round 4: No. 136

Round 5: No. 150

Round 5: No. 172

Round 6: No. 190

Top three needs: WR, edge, CB.

The Saints don’t have another star wide receiver next to Chris Olave, who will be playing on his fifth-year option. The Saints have a young starting quarterback in Tyler Shough, so it would make sense to surround him with more talent. They already filled multiple needs in free agency, but they did not sign a free agent receiver. Plus, they lost slot cornerback Alontae Taylor to the Titans, opening a void, and could also use another pass rusher since franchise sack leader Cameron Jordan is still a free agent.

Give a percentage chance the Saints go WR at No. 8, and are you hearing anything on who their WR1 might be?

Around 40%. WR remains a big need, but the Saints have positioned themselves to where they could look at a few positions. Don’t rule out pass rusher or other defensive positions after New Orleans signed several offensive free agents. Wide receivers Makai Lemon (USC) or Carnell Tate (Ohio State) would make sense in Round 1. But if the Saints choose to take a WR later in the draft instead, Shough already has made his case for Chris Bell, Shough’s former Louisville teammate.