The New Orleans Saints’ 2026 draft class has not exactly sprinted out of the gate, but the early backlash may be getting ahead of itself.
Draft expert Justin Melo did not sugarcoat it, calling the group “lackluster” and ranking the Saints 26th among NFL draft classes so far this season. That placement feels fair enough. The bigger issue is the way some observers seem ready to file the whole class away as a miss after only five games.
A lot of the conversation starts and ends with production, and yes, most of the rookie class has been quiet. But the Saints are also trying to evaluate this group without what was supposed to be its biggest early-impact piece: Jordyn Tyson. He hasn’t played yet, and that matters more than people want to admit.
Melo pointed to injuries as part of the explanation, and that’s hard to argue with. Five games is a tiny sample, especially for a class that was never built to light the league on fire immediately. The expectations were more measured than that from the start.
Christen Miller has taken the most visible hit so far. Being a healthy scratch in Week 4 is tough to defend, and Melo noted that Miller “couldn't crack the rotation versus the Falcons,” which gets right to the problem.
Miller played in Week 1, saw the field again last week, and then suddenly disappeared from the lineup. He did flash some quality play in limited snaps against Minnesota, but the Saints expected him to be part of the rotation with Davon Godchaux, and that hasn’t really happened.
Barion Brown has been something closer to a wash as a return specialist. The one real jolt he’s provided came before halftime against the Ravens, when he delivered a big return that helped the Saints close the gap. Outside of that, his impact has been more neutral than explosive, though that’s not exactly shocking in the return game, where splash plays tend to come and go.
Bryce Lance has also been quiet, but he came into the league with a development curve attached. The North Dakota State product was viewed as someone who might grow into the role, not seize it right away, and there was a belief he’d land as the fifth receiver on the depth chart this year. Tyson’s injury and Ja’Lynn Polk’s sudden retirement changed the math on Lance’s importance, but he hasn’t risen to the moment yet.
The fourth-round pick has not made the leap, though that also fits the original scouting picture. Jeremiah Wright has mostly watched from the sideline because he was always expected to spend a year behind Cesar Ruiz.
Then there’s Oscar Delp, who came into the process as a raw prospect with more athletic tools than college production. At this point, him functioning mainly as a blocker should not come as a major surprise. That may have been the expectation all along, even if it wasn’t the most exciting one.
So yes, the Saints’ rookie class has been uneven. But the rush to label it a failure still feels premature. New Orleans spent this draft on players who needed time, and right now they’re mostly playing like players who need time.
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