The New Orleans Saints took a ton of criticism for spending a top-40 pick on Tyler Shough last year, given his age and injury history, but he showed some flashes of potential throughout his rookie season that should have the team encouraged.
To ensure that he keeps building on those moments, the Saints spent their top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, giving Shough another high-end weapon to pair with Chris Olave. Dealing Rashid Shaheed at the trade deadline last year left the Saints without an impactful No. 2 receiver, but Olave and Tyson should give Shough a dynamic tandem to challenge opposing defense.
If they can stay on the field.
Olave played just eight games in 2024, and though he only missed one game last season, his average yards per reception (which has decreased over each of his four years in the league) dropped to a career-low 11.6. Most concerning is Olave's history of head injuries during his young NFL career so far, having suffered one concussion as a rookie in 2022, and two in 2024, including the one that ended his season prematurely.
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Tyson is another promising playmaker with all of the physical tools to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, but he's got his own durability concerns. A nagging hamstring injury limited him throughout his final season with the Sun Devils, and impacted his ability to participate in the predraft process. He also tore multiple knee ligaments in 2022, and suffered a broken collarbone in 2024.
Thankfully, Tyson isn't the only pass-catching weapon the Saints drafted back in April.
In the third round, they grabbed the most underrated tight end in the entire class, Georgia's Oscar Delp. In the fourth round, they landed a high-upside receiver in North Dakota State's Bryce Lance.
Delp wasn't featured terribly often as a pass-catching weapon in the Bulldogs' run-first offense, but it's clear he has the physical traits to make a big impact as a receiver. He's got an impressive size/speed combo, and when the ball did come his way, Delp proved he could turn short catches into big gains. He's a willing and able blocker, which should allow him to stay on the field regardless of formation or situation, making him a dangerous downfield option in the play-action game. It won't take much for him to be more productive in the NFL than he was in college, but the sky is the limit for the impact Delp can have in Kellen Moore's offense.
Speaking of size and speed, Lance brings both to the table as a big-play threat who can stretch opposing defenses over the top. The younger brother of Los Angeles Chargers backup quarterback Trey Lance, Bryce measured in at 6-3 and 204 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, then burned up the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium with a 4.34-second 40-yard dash. He topped 1,000 yards receiving in each of his last two seasons for the Bison, catching 17 touchdown passes in 2024, and averaging a whopping 21.2 yards per catch in 2025.
According to my board, both players were steals for the Saints on draft weekend. Delp was the No. 49 overall player in my rankings, and New Orleans landed him with the 73rd overall pick. Lance came in at No. 104 on my board, but fell to the Saints at No. 136.
Both Delp and Lance will need some refinement in terms of their route-running and processing of NFL-level schemes and defending talent, but all the skills are there for them to be difference-makers once they adjust to the speed and complexity of the pro game.
If injuries start to pile up again for Olave and Tyson, the Saints could end up needing them to speed up their development and become significant contributors to the passing game right away.
