New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough during an NFL game.
Bruce Feldman’s latest mock draft handed Tyler Shough the kind of first-round news any young quarterback would want to hear.
In Feldman’s projection for The Athletic, the Saints use the No. 8 overall pick on Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, giving New Orleans a polished pass catcher from a program the franchise already knows well. Feldman wrote that the Saints could consider defensive line help there, but with other edge options off the board in his mock, he had New Orleans turning to wide receiver instead.
For Shough, that is the real story. A top-10 receiver projection is not just another draft-board note. It is the kind of move that would signal the Saints are serious about improving the environment around their quarterback rather than asking him to carry too much too soon.
Why Bruce Feldman sees this as a Saints fit
Feldman did not frame this as a random best-player pick. He tied it to a pattern.
He noted that Ohio State has already treated the Saints well at wide receiver, pointing to Michael Thomas’ production in New Orleans and Chris Olave’s 100-catch season. In that context, Tate becomes more than a talented draft prospect. He becomes the latest Buckeye receiver projected into a Saints offense that has already benefited from that route-running pedigree.
That is a clean and sensible hook because Tate’s scouting profile in Feldman’s mock is built more on polish than pure flash.
At 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, Feldman wrote that Tate is not a burner, noting a 4.53-second 40-yard dash and a 1.61-second 10-yard split. But he also described him as “a very good route runner” with “a really good feel for space,” adding that Ohio State’s long track record at the position helps elevate his stock. Feldman’s bottom-line view was that Tate looks like a player with a high floor, which is often exactly what teams drafting in the top 10 convince themselves they need.
The part of Tate’s evaluation the Saints would have to weigh
What keeps this from being a one-note draft story is that Feldman also included skepticism from opposing coaches.
One Big Ten defensive backs coach told him Tate is “really smooth and polished,” but questioned his top-end traits and wondered whether he would be discussed as a top-five or top-10 pick if he had played somewhere other than Ohio State. Another defensive backs coach said Tate runs strong routes and finds ways to get behind defenders, but added that he is not a true speed threat and does not “scare you” in the way some recent Buckeyes receivers have.
That tension is what makes the Saints angle more interesting.
This is not a projection built around overwhelming athletic upside. It is built around refinement, projection stability and a belief that New Orleans might prefer a receiver who can step into an offense quickly and help a quarterback with timing, spacing and reliability.
Why this would qualify as great news for Tyler Shough
Quarterbacks benefit from a lot more than raw speed outside. They benefit from receivers who are where they are supposed to be, who understand spacing, and who can uncover without the entire offense having to be perfectly dialed up around them.
That is why Feldman’s Tate-to-New Orleans projection qualifies as good news for Shough. The mock is effectively saying the Saints could use premium draft capital to give their quarterback a polished, pro-ready target from one of college football’s most productive receiver factories.
Even better for the Saints, this would not be a blind bet on upside alone. Feldman’s sourcing paints Tate as a player with translatable route-running and strong feel, even if the debate over his top-10 value remains open.
The draft value question is fair. The ceiling debate is fair. But if Feldman’s projection proves right, the Saints would be making a very clear statement about helping Tyler Shough immediately.