I’ve enjoyed what the New Orleans Saints have built in terms of young talent over the past year or so, and the 2026 NFL Draft will give them an opportunity to continue building upon that. It’s tough to say that the Saints will be contenders with one right move, but they can certainly get a lot closer if they hit that first-round pick out of the park.
To me, this is a perfect time to add a decent player for quarterback Tyler Shough, and frankly, there should be nobody else on their board if he’s available than Carnell Tate.
Tate, to me, is the best wide receiver in this draft, and he was actually incredible at Ohio State. Drafting wide receivers from Ohio State is almost a guarantee to be a good plan as well, and while we can’t always go based on that logic, it sounds like the Saints are at least interested in him right now.
“The Saints are looking hard at cornerbacks and receivers. There is a belief out there that this is the floor for Tate. It may also be the ceiling for LSU CB Mansoor Delane, whose stock has risen after a solid pro day, proving he has high-end traits that back up some really good 2025 tape. Plus, there are serious injury concerns hovering around Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy; Delane is clearly the draft’s No. 1 corner now, and would be a solid fit in Brandon Staley’s defense.
“Edge would be a consideration, too, though the next guy there after Reese and Bailey, Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr., isn’t necessarily an ideal fit for Staley’s scheme,” Albert Breer wrote.
The one problem here, as Breer touched on, is that the Saints might not have an opportunity to select Tate. If he doesn’t fall to them in the draft, there isn’t much they can do. If that happens, I would be interested in them taking some other guys on the board, perhaps even a defensive player.
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