By Ross Jackson<\/p>\n
Selecting inside the top-10 of the NFL Draft offers a real chance to add a difference-maker for a franchise. The New Orleans Saints will select No. 8 overall<\/a> in the 2026 selection process and should strongly consider adding that talent to their edge rusher room.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even with a chance to bring back defensive end Cameron Jordan<\/a> for the 2026 season, adding more talent to the group alongside starters Chase Young<\/a> and Carl Granderson<\/a> would be a beneficial investment with the chance to pay off massively in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n New Orleans has a chance to add that difference-maker inside the top-10 if one of two prospects falls: Miami\u2019s Rueben Bain Jr.<\/a> or Texas Tech\u2019s David Bailey<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Bain\u2019s measurements tend to dominate conversation around him, his production and play on tape make it undeniable that he\u2019s an elite talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n His 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss in 2025 show his ability to contribute both as a pass rusher and against the run, a key element that is overlooked for many outside pass rushers. His all-around ability as a defensive end makes him a more complete prospect than is usually available at the position in the draft.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bailey, whose stellar performance at the NFL Scouting Combine already feels like a distant memory with how quickly the news cycle churns, is a pass rush specialist that tied for the lead in the nation in 2025 with 14.5 sacks. He also led the Big 12 in tackles for a loss with 19.5. Both were career highs.\u00a0<\/p>\n New Orleans should be looking to add impact at premium positions with the No. 8 overall selection. Outside of quarterback, which is on a promising trajectory, the next-most important position in football is either edge rusher or blindside tackle.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last season, the Saints addressed blindside tackle. If the board falls favorably, they could be in position to address the next premium spot in the defensive edge.\u00a0<\/p>\n Either of these players falling would be an absolute gift for New Orleans. Other premium positions like cornerback (LSU\u2019s Mansoor Delane<\/a>) and wide receiver (Ohio State\u2019s Carnell Tate<\/a>, Arizona State\u2019s Jordyn Tyson<\/a> or USC\u2019s Makai Lemon<\/a>) fill out the remaining premium positions, offering strong options should Bain and Bailey not make it to No. 8. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Ross Jackson Selecting inside the top-10 of the NFL Draft offers a real chance to add a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":847529,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2076],"tags":[7,896,55,2572,2571,6,397],"class_list":{"0":"post-847528","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-orleans-saints","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-new-orleans","10":"tag-new-orleans-saints","11":"tag-neworleans","12":"tag-neworleanssaints","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-saints"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116330543617644268","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=847528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847528\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/847529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}