The New Orleans Saints could solve a major issue by taking the player projected for the club at #8 in a recent mock draft.
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The New Orleans Saints could solve a major issue by taking the player projected for the club at #8 in a recent mock draft.
The New Orleans Saints are gearing up for the 2026 NFL Draft with one clear objective: Supporting starting QB Tyler Shough.
Shough emerged as the team’s no-doubt choice to run the offense. But he’ll need more than just moxie to make headway next season.
That’s where the Saints’ first-round pick could solve a major issue. According to The Athletic’s Mock Draft, New Orleans is slated to take a running back with the eighth pick. With the Saints’ running game needing a major boost, picking up Heisman finalist Jeremiyah Love out of Notre Dame could make plenty of sense.
As it stands, the Saints could use a wide-out more than a running back. But looking at the projections, the top-rated receiver, Carnell Tate of Ohio State, could be going to the Cleveland Browns at number six.
That means New Orleans could either reach for the next-best wide-out or settle for the best running back in the draft. The choice there is clear. Love had a banner year at Notre Dame, running the ball 199 times for 1,372 yards. He scored 18 TDs, while adding 27 catches for 280 yards.
That’s the sort of piece the Saints would need to support Alvin Kamara. Love could easily spell Kamara, giving the offense another weapon. Adding Love would also take some of the pressure off Shough, making the Saints’ offense much more balanced.
Saints Urgently Need More Help on the Ground
Taking Love at number eight could become a practical matter for the Saints. The team urgently needs help on the ground. Kamara led the club in rushing last season with 471 yards. While that’s not exactly impressive, the next-best rusher paled in comparison.
New Orleans got fewer yards than Kamara from their next two rushers combined. Devin Neal ran for 206 yards, while Audric Estime chipped in 198. Those are numbers that have to improve moving forward.
So, bringing in Love could drastically change that situation. While it’s unreasonable to expect Love to rush for 1,000 yards as a rookie, it wouldn’t be a stretch to hope for 400 to 500 yards. That additional yardage, combined with a solid season from Kamara, could push the Saints well over 1,000 rushing yards on the year.
Could Trading Down Be an Option?
Could trading down be an option for New Orleans if Love and Tate are off the board? That’s a fair question to ask if the Saints see their top two offensive targets off the board. That move would depend on another club feeling motivated to move up. At this point, perhaps one of the 8-9 teams might be willing to move up.
Perhaps that is just purely speculation. The Saints could just go ahead and take the best player available at number eight. While there’s a clear need for New Orleans, the hope would be that one of their best targets remains on the board.
It will be interesting to see what happens beyond the Raiders taking Fernando Mendoza first overall. From there, it’s anybody’s guess what could unfold.