Jeremy Trottier, Saints WireSat, November 22, 2025 at 10:55 AM UTC·2 min read2026 cannot come soon enough for the New Orleans Saints, at least based on their current record and projected draft pick. With a relatively strong draft class outside the quarterback position to some degree, there are some promising young talents for the Saints to potentially invest in with their selection in the first round.
With much work having been done to purge the roster in the last 12 months, it will likely continue to occur as veterans retire or leave, and the draft will be how replacements are found, given the cap situation.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementESPN's Matt Miller recently posted his latest mock draft, which included multiple trades in the top five picks to shuffle things around. However, New Orleans remained in place with their pick at No. 6, and after three quarterbacks were selected in the top five, Miller had them elect to go a different direction instead with defender Arvell Reese:
"If the Saints move forward with Tyler Shough at quarterback, they'll be left with two obvious needs: edge rusher and wide receiver. Drafting the best player available from those positions is the move for GM Mickey Loomis, and Reese is arguably the nation's top player this season. He aligns at both linebacker and edge rusher for Ohio State, with 6.5 sacks, 17 pressures and 58 tackles this season. His ability to impact the game with an explosive first step would bring a spark to the Saints' front four that has been missing since Trey Hendrickson left in free agency after the 2020 season."
This would be an outstanding pick for New Orleans, and would give them not only an enormously high-upside player to build with, but would also give them an extremely fun pass-rush unit for 2026. Two Ohio State Buckeyes edge rushers who were highly touted as athletic monsters would make for an extremely fun storyline, as Reese and Chase Young would pair up to terrorize opposing quarterbacks for years to come.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: New 2026 mock draft has Saints picking Ohio State star Arvell Reese
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