When Is The Nfl Draft: Saints mock-draft focus sharpens as free agency opens
The New Orleans Saints’ latest mock-draft snapshot shows wide receiver leading early first-round projections for the team in the 2026 class. The timing matters because the 2026 free agency period opens Monday, March 9, at 12: 00 pm ET, a start that is expected to reshape needs and intensify questions like when is the nfl draft.
March 9 free agency timing resets New Orleans Saints draft assumptions
Mock drafts published before the free agency window are being framed as speculation, with roster moves expected to change what New Orleans must prioritize in the 2026 NFL Draft. The 2026 free agency period opens Monday, March 9, at 12: 00 pm ET, and while contracts cannot officially be signed until Wednesday, the period is described as one where “countless deals” will be agreed to, setting up a clearer view of draft strategy after this week.
New Orleans Saints Mock Draft Monday counts 59 projections from March 2-8
A team-run tracker compiling 59 mock drafts from March 2 through March 8 found wide receiver as the most frequently mocked first-round position to the Saints in the 2026 NFL Draft, followed by running back and edge rusher. In that March 2-8 set, wide receiver appeared 23 times, and running back appeared 13 times, a tally that illustrates why draft-position debates have gained urgency alongside the question of when is the nfl draft.
Tyler Shough and Saints skill-position projections drive the early mock debate
Several of the tracked projections tied the wide receiver lean to New Orleans quarterback Tyler Shough, describing a potential pairing with Chris Olave and pointing to the Saints’ need for more production at the position. A separate three-round, pre-free agency mock draft also argued the Saints “must find an explosive wide receiver” opposite Olave and Devaughn Vele, placing Makai Lemon as an ideal fit and describing him as the 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner and a possible selection for the Saints at number eight.
Another strand of projections focused on running back, highlighting Jeremiyah Love and citing both explosive speed measured at the NFL Combine and production totals that included over 3, 000 yards and 40 total touchdowns over the last two seasons. That same analysis also pointed to New Orleans’ rushing explosiveness problem in 2025, citing the Saints’ 7. 8% rate of 10-plus-yard runs and noting Love’s 39 runs of 10 yards or more in 2025, plus two 90-plus-yard touchdown runs.
The next milestone is the opening of the 2026 free agency period on Monday, March 9, at 12: 00 pm ET, with contracts unable to be signed until Wednesday. If the Saints fill needs in free agency this week, mock-draft projections for New Orleans in the 2026 NFL Draft are expected to shift quickly afterward.
