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The New Orleans Saints came out of the 2026 NFL Draft with a strong haul of prospects, headlined by Jordyn Tyson at No. 8 overall.
But, there had been some buzz about the Saints swinging a trade-up inside the top-10 of the draft, though there weren't any exact specifics of this rumor. That is, until now.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Saints were believed by some NFL teams to be eyeing a trade up inside the top-10 if one player, Texas Tech edge David Bailey, fell down the board a bit.
Saints reportedly eyed top-10 trade for David Bailey
"Were the Saints a threat to move up within the top 10? A few teams I spoke to this week believed that, if Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey had fallen out of the top three, perhaps New Orleans would have jumped on picking him," Fowler writes.
This is a fascinating report from Fowler, as the Saints are clearly preparing for life beyond Cameron Jordan if they found a way to land Bailey.
The team did need wide receiver help, so there was some speculation about whether they'd trade up for someone like Carnell Tate if they liked him a lot more than Tyson.
But, since Bailey went at No. 2, the Saints seemingly lost the one player they were interested in moving up for, and decided to stick and pick at No. 8. They got a great player in Tyson, so it worked out.
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Fowler also reported that one NFL executive disagreed with that rumor, as this exec doesn't believe the Saints were looking to trade up inside the top 10 for Bailey.
It does make some sense from both perspectives, as the Saints could've used someone like Bailey, who was coming off a 14.5 sack season at Texas Tech.
But, they had plenty of other needs, including at WR and CB, so spending a lot to move up might not have been worth it.
The Saints never had a chance to explore a trade-up for Bailey, so their actual plans won't be known unless Mickey Loomis reveals his plan.
While there's one unknown about the 2026 NFL Draft for the Saints, reality did result in New Orleans landing Tyson among a solid haul of prospects that has the 2026 season looking like an exciting one for the Saints.
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