Ranking the top 100 prospects on the New Orleans Saints 2026 big board

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Who are the best prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft? More importantly, which of this year's best players could do the most to help the New Orleans Saints win games in the fall? Wide Left's Arif Hasan did the hard part of collecting rankings from more than 100 different draft analysts to find a consensus on this year's top 300 prospects. We'll be thinning the field out to just top-100 prospects at the Saints' top positions of need: wide receiver, edge rusher, defensive tackle, and defensive back. You could make an argument for right guard to be a high priority, too, but there isn't a player the Saints could realistically draft who would push Cesar Ruiz out of the lineup. Unless we just jinxed it. Hasan's consensus rankings are a big undertaking, and we'll continue to lean on this resource throughout the draft. Be sure to support his work.

Wide receivers

• 9. Carnell Tate (Ohio State)
• 12. Makai Lemon (USC)
• 14. Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State)
• 24. Denzel Boston (Washington)
• 25. KC Concepcion (Texas A&M)
• 28. Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana)
• 51. Chris Bell (Louisville)
• 53. Germie Bernard (Alabama)
• 55. Chris Brazzell II (Tennessee)
• 63. Zachariah Branch (Georgia)
• 66. Antonio Williams (Clemson)
• 69. Elijah Sarratt (Indiana)
• 73. Malach Fields (Notre Dame)
• 77. Ted Hurst (Georgia State)
• 87. Skyler Bell (UConn)
• 93. Bryce Lance (North Dakota State)
• 95. Deion Burks (Oklahoma)

Honorable mentions are due for UC wideout Ja'Kobi Lane (No. 101) and Ole Miss receiver De'Zhaun Stribling (No. 105). Opinions are split on the first-round targets, and it isn't hard to find someone who puts Tyson or Lemon ahead of Tate. But there are three viable receivers the Saints could look at with the eighth overall pick. With that said, they've done a ton of homework on the receivers in this class, and it shouldn't shock anyone if New Orleans opts to wait until Round 2 or 3 to address the position. They could have their choice of some good options in Round 2 at No. 42 overall. Chris Olave needs more help, and so does Tyler Shough.

Edge rushers

• 2. Arvell Reese (Ohio State)
• 6. Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami)
• 7. David Bailey (Texas Tech)
• 19. Keldric Faulk (Auburn)
• 23. Akheem Mesidor (Miami)
• 30. T.J. Parker (Clemson)
• 35. Cashius Howell (Texas A&M)
• 40. Zion Young (Missouri)
• 45. R Mason Thomas (Oklahoma)
• 49. Malachi Lawrence (UCF)
• 50. Gabe Jacas (Illinois)
• 60. Derrick Moore (Michigan)
• 70. Dani Dennis-Sutton (Penn State)
• 75. Joshua Josephs (Tennessee)
• 78. Romello Height (Texas Tech)
• 92. Jaishawn Barham (Michigan)
• 96. Keyron Crawford (Auburn)

Honorable mention to LT Overton (Alabama), who just missed the cut at No. 104. Reese could be an intriguing trade-up target if he isn't the New York Jets' pick at second overall; the Arizona Cardinals want to move down, and Reese could be the versatile weapon Brandon Staley needs to round out his edge-rush rotation. If the Saints don't draft an edge rusher early, they could wait and get an impactful player in Round 2, but it's tough to see an exciting prospect being on the board with their third-round pick at No. 73 overall.

Defensive tackles

• 22. Peter Woods (Clemson), 3 tech
• 29. Kayden McDonald (Ohio State), 1 tech
• 37. Caleb Banks (Florida), 1 tech
• 43 Lee Hunter (Texas Tech), 1 tech
• 44. Christen Miller (Georgia), 1 tech
• 71. Domonique Orange (Iowa State), 1 tech
• 85. Gracen Halton (Oklahoma), 3 tech
• 90. Darrell Jackson Jr. (Florida State), 3 tech

Most of the interior defensive linemen expected to go early in the 2026 draft are run-stuffing nose tackles — exactly who the Saints need in the middle of their line. With just Bryan Bresee, John Ridgeway III, and the unproven Vernon Broughton under contract past 2026, New Orleans needs a talent injection up front. Don't be shocked if they double-dip at this position group as part of their youth movement. But it's a deeper group in terms of Day 3 prospects, so the Saints could wait to address this need.

Defensive backs

• 4. Caleb Downs (Ohio State), safety
• 8. Mansoor Delane (LSU), cornerback
• 15. Jermod McCoy (Tennessee), cornerback
• 18. Dillon Thieneman (Oregon), safety
• 20. Avieon Terrell (Clemson), cornerback
• 26. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo), safety
• 31. Colton Hood (Tennessee), cornerback
• 34. Chris Johnson (San Diego State), cornerback
• 39. D'Angelo Ponds (Indiana), cornerback
• 42. Brandon Cisse (South Carolina), cornerback
• 56. A.J. Haucy (LSU), safety
• 57. Keionte Scott (Miami), cornerback
• 58. Keith Abney II (Arizona State), cornerback
• 62. Treydan Stukes (Arizona), cornerback
• 79. Davison Igbinosun (Ohio State), cornerback
• 81. Zakee Wheatley (Penn State), safety
• 83. Bud Clark (TCU), safety
• 84. Malik Muhammad (Texas), cornerback
• 86. Kamari Ramsey (USC), safety
• 88. Chandler Rivers (Duke), cornerback
• 89. Genesis Smith (Arizona), safety
• 99. Jalon Kilgore (South Carolina), safety
• 100. Julian Neal (Arkansas), cornerback

Honorable mentions: cornerbacks Devin Moore (Florida, No. 102), Daylen Everette (Georgia, No. 103), and Will Lee III (Texas A&M, No. 106). The priority here is replacing Alontae Taylor. Whether that means drafting a willing tackler who can man the slot himself — translation: a safety — or a true starting-quality cornerback who can free up Kool-Aid McKinstry or Quincy Riley to move inside remains to be seen. This is an important role in Staley's defense and it says a lot that he's asked guys like Taylor, Jalen Ramsey, and Derwin James to hold it down in the past.

Top 100 prospects on the big board

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Top 100 prospects, team needs for Saints' big board

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