Saints' NFL Draft Dilemma: Defense or Offense?

0:00On April 20th, the 2026 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night, and the New Orleans Saints sit at pick number 8 with no clear favorite. Among our staffwriters, predictions split between beefing up the defense in the secondary, or grabbing a game-changing wide receiver, while edge rushers keep popping up as sneaky values. It's wide open, just like every Saints' offseason. Some folks, like Jeremy Trottier, are all in on LSU Cornerback, Mansour Delane, to lock down that secondary spot left empty, after losing a long titaler. Dylan Sanders pushes Ohio State's safety Caleb Downs as the top player available, saying he'd upgrade the slot right away and avoid past mistakes like, overlooking guys like Kyle Hamilton. Meanwhile, multiple writers eye Miami-edge rusher Rubin Bain Jr. to pair with Chase Young and fill the void if Cameron Jordan walks. Bob Rose, Ari Pulley, and Luke Lofredo all see Bain's past rush and run defense as too good to pass up, especially with deeper options at receiver and corner later.

1:04On the flip side, John Siggler roots for Ohio State wide out Carnot Tate to slide to them, perfect for Tyler's show's deep ball and easing the load on. Chris Olave, but with Tate's workout buzz, he might not last, pushing the Saints toward defensive help in a loaded class. Rumors of trading up for a defender like Arbor Reese at Morchaos, but whatever they do, this picks shapes their rebuild defense first or offensive. Spark, it's anyone's guess as the clock ticks down. That wraps NFL News Today, brought to you with AI, I'm Cory with the story.