LSU DB's worst landing spot is with local Saints due to scheme reasons

The New Orleans Saints are finally beginning to turn the corner in many different ways. Tyler Shough has given them an answer at quarterback, Chris Olave broke out in a big way, and the core of the team is finally taking shape.

At 8th overall, the Saints will have a chance to add an instant-impact starter for 2026 and beyond. While the focus will be on offense, at wide receiver and running back, the Saints could use an outside cornerback as well.

If they go for a cornerback, taking LSU DB Mansoor Delane, the local prospect, would be a fun addition. But, according to Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, the Saints would be Delane's worst landing spot. Why? This would be a bad match schematically.

Saints named worst landing spot for LSU DB Delane

"The New Orleans Saints might not be that team," Knox writes. "The Saints utilized zone coverage just under 78 percent of the time this past season, according to Sharp Football Analysis, while running pure man coverage less than 16 percent of the time."

With Delane's strengths being as a man coverage cornerback, the Saints taking him 8th overall would be putting him in a situation where his best strength won't be on display much.

If the Saints were running man coverage half the time, then the Saints would be a much more suitable landing spot for Delane.

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But the local NFL Draft prospect, who's one of, if not the top, cornerbacks in this year's draft class, is not a viable option for the Saints in the first round.

His scheme fit makes him an unlikely selection, as the Saints would be better off taking a different player who's a better match for their defense later in the draft.

Taking local talent in the NFL Draft is always a fun storyline, but this year, the Saints, in Knox's opinion, would be a bad landing spot for the LSU cornerback who's set to go very early in the 2026 NFL Draft.

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