Saints updated 2026 NFL Draft order: Current 1st-round pick after Week 18

Where will the Saints be selecting in April?

Sadly, the New Orleans Saints have ended their season on a loss, falling to the Atlanta Falcons 19-17, but that is where the bad news stops. If the Saints were to win, there was a really good chance they would fall in the draft order, maybe even out of the top 10. Instead, the Saints stay in the top 10.

With the completion of the 2025/26 season, most of the NFL Draft order has been officially set, and here it is:

Updated 2026 NFL Draft order

  1. Las Vegas Raiders
  2. New York Jets
  3. Arizona Cardinals
  4. Tennessee Titans
  5. New York Giants
  6. Cleveland Browns
  7. Washington Commanders
  8. New Orleans Saints
  9. Kansas City Chiefs
  10. Cincinnati Bengals
  11. Miami Dolphins
  12. Dallas Cowboys
  13. Los Angeles Rams (previously owned by Atlanta Falcons)
  14. Baltimore Ravens
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  16. New York Jets (previously owned by the Indianapolis Colts)
  17. Detroit Lions
  18. Minnesota Vikings
  19. Carolina Panthers
  20. Dallas Cowboys (previously owned by the Green Bay Packers)
  21. Pittsburgh Steelers
  22. Los Angeles Chargers
  23. Philadelphia Eagles
  24. Buffalo Bills
  25. Chicago Bears
  26. San Francisco 49ers
  27. Houston Texans
  28. Cleveland Browns (previously owned by the Jacksonville Jaguars)
  29. Los Angeles Rams
  30. New England Patriots
  31. Denver Broncos
  32. Seattle Seahawks

What the Saints can do at #8

The Saints will officially be drafting at pick 8 in the NFL Draft. This is where New Orleans has been slotted for weeks, and with this team still rebuilding and so many positives heading into next season, staying in the top 10 is excellent. Also, with QB not being a need, the Saints can have the best player available on their board potentially fall right into their lap.

In this case, that player could be Keldric Faulk out of Auburn. Yes, this story has been told many times with the Saints. A young defensive lineman who needs development, but has every trait to make a defensive coordinator salivate. I understand why that might worry fans, but if New Orleans moves on from Carl Granderson, Faulk would be the perfect replacement. He is excellent against the run, very athletic, very high upside, and needs development in pass rush. He would be an interior defensive lineman on 3-4 sets and an edge rusher in 4-3, so the Saints need to find an OLB as well, but he could be really good in this scheme.

Category: General Sports