2026 NFL Mock Draft: New Orleans Saints select pass rusher

David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

New Orleans — home of Super Bowl 59 and a place where I assume they still hold an annual moment of silence for Reggie Bush after that 2007 hit by Sheldon Brown. It is now also the home of former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. In appreciation for his contributions to our 2024 championship season, I’m doing my part to get him some help in the 2026 NFL Draft.

This is a significant draft for the Saints. Entering Year 2 under Moore, New Orleans is looking to capitalize on the momentum of their 5-1 finish last season. History shows that at least one last-place team each year often takes a big leap the following year, and the NFC South is not a particularly strong division:

The Bucs are trending downward.
The Panthers will have a much more difficult schedule.
The Falcons hit the reset button on their front office and coaching staff after years of confusing decision-making.

With an 8-8 record potentially good enough to win the division, it’s possible that a last-place schedule and a strong draft could catapult the Saints into competing for the division title. If that happens, they won’t be picking in the Top 10 again anytime soon. So, let’s see who the Saints can draft in order to add a foundational player to their roster, solidifying the progress they made in Year 1 of the Kellen Moore era, and help make the “Sirianni coaching tree” look a little better, which will be a lot easier now that Jonathan Gannon is no longer a head coach.

As you would expect of a team picking in the Top 10, their roster has quite a few holes. The defense is missing leaders such as Cam Jordan and Demario Davis. On offense, some of the pieces are there: The team spent their last two first-rounders on OT’s and boasts a star in Chris Olave. Most importantly, they may possibly have found a viable quarterback in Tyler Shough. But there are plenty of other holes and very little depth. From a roster-building perspective, the priority for 2026 is simple: Set Shough up for success. The front office needs an accurate gauge of his ceiling before the 2027 draft, which looks like it’ll be loaded with QB talent.

To help Shough in the draft, the best bet on offense would be to look at wide receiver, as it is a premium position and there are some very good ones still on the board, like Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon. With Jeremiyah Love already drafted in the BGN community mock and Travis Etienne signed in free agency, I’m not looking at RB with this pick. And I’m going to give their recent picks at OT (Kelvin Banks and Taliese Fuaga) the opportunity to continue to improve. Finally on offense, Kenyon Sadiq may end up having a good career in the NFL, but he’s simply not the best player available at this pick in my opinion, either overall or with regard to what the Saints would benefit from at more valuable positions, when it comes to improving the quality of the overall roster.

Setting aside Shough’s development for a moment, let’s look at the defense, especially since a good defense will take the pressure off of the offense, and Shough, to put up 25+ points per game. There are needs at every level, but the Saints just signed Kaden Elliss at LB and Kool-Aid McKinstry had a successful rookie year at CB – he and recent free agent signing Justin Reid can anchor the secondary. Considering the tried and true strategy of building out from the trenches, the Saints could first and foremost use some DL help, particularly at edge rusher.

So, with all of that in mind, this year’s pick will hopefully result in a player that could be a career Saint and a leader of the team, on and off the field, for the next decade or so. Taking all of the above into account, I narrowed my focus when evaluating the best player available to some of the top remaining players at WR, edge rusher, and CB, while also noting that Caleb Downs was still available at safety.

And then I saw David Bailey was still on the board and ran to the podium as soon as I was on the clock. Some players ace the combine and others have lots of good production at the NCAA level. With 14.5 sacks last year and a great performance at the combine, David Bailey offers both. He’ll be an immediate impact player due to his high-end athleticism, existing pass-rush repertoire, and ability to win instantly with an elite first step. All of these traits will make him a cornerstone defensive talent for years to come, as he projects as an every-down player at the next level. While he’s admittedly slightly undersized, his relentless motor and proven ability to generate a high pressure rate ensure that his game-wrecking ability will translate directly to the NFL.

He has the highest ceiling of any DL prospect in the draft and a very high floor as well. Not only is he literally the best player available at #8 (with apologies to Caleb Downs), but he’s also the best fit for what the Saints need on defense right now, enabling the team to focus on getting Shough some additional help on offense throughout Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft. Add in the positional value of potentially getting top edge rusher production on a rookie contract for the next 4 years (plus the 5th year option), in a league where Jaelen Phillips just got an annual value of $30M per year, and this pick is a home run. Having your top edge rusher and your QB simultaneously on rookie deals frees up cap resources to fill out the rest of the roster.

This must be what it feels like to be Howie and have talented players drop down the board to your pick – outside of the Raiders obviously picking Mendoza at #1, the other GM’s who picked before me are now on my Christmas card list.

The Kellen Moore era just got its defensive anchor: The 2026 first round pick for the New Orleans Saints is David Bailey.

2026 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Raiders (Mailata_in_a_Miata): Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
2) Jets (Dr.MidnightGreen): Arvell Reese, EDGE, Ohio State
3) Cardinals (grantspectations): Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
4) Titans (DrBubbles): Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
5) Giants (ablesser88): Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
6) Browns (kjb304): Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State
7) Commanders (Jerry Robinson 56): Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
8) Saints (VetStadiumSection358): David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
9) Chiefs (Hoosinole)
10) Bengals (chuckelberryfinn)
11) Dolphins (phillyfan)
12) Cowboys (ejdubya)
13) Rams (All_Hail_Howie)
14) Ravens (215T1LL1D1e)
15) Buccaneers (pascofljoe)
16) Jets (Euegene11)
17) Lions (BCHaas)
18) Vikings (The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop)
19) Panthers (LancGuy)
20) Cowboys (Cravin’ LeBlanc)
21) Steelers (iam4theBirdz)
22) Chargers (Aint1stULast)
23) Eagles (Philly21)
24) Browns (FierceDisc65)
25) Bears (jazztafari)
26) Bills (PhillyTexan)
27) 49ers (granthill7)
28) Texans (CrackTheEaglesNut)
29) Chiefs (z)
30) Dolphins (Booth12)
31) Patriots (Niels Rosenquist)
32) Seahawks (J. Wil)

2026 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft

Now it’s YOUR TURN to vote for who you think should be selected with this pick.

1) Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza
2) Jets: EDGE Arvell Reese
3) Cardinals: OT Francis Mauigoa
4) Titans: RB Jeremiyah Love
5) Giants: LB Sonny Styles
6) Browns: WR Carnell Tate
7) Commanders: EDGE David Bailey
8) Saints:

Read the full article here