NFL Mock Draft: Saints Land Breakout RB to Complement Alvin Kamara

The Saints need to add a running back to their roster in the upcoming NFL draft...

Oct 5, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs the ball against New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints need to make some big moves to upgrade their offense this season. They hit the jackpot by landing their new franchise signal caller with rookie Tyler Shough in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

This offseason, they could look to bolster every unit on offense aside from quarterback. They need another tight end to pair with Juwan Johnson. Chris Olave is the only star playmaker in the wide receiver room. They need to add to the interior offensive line and the running back room to replace the aging veterans, too.

The Saints should be expected to add big to the offense in the NFL draft.

John Sigler of Saints Wire recently put together a complete seven-round mock draft for the 2026 NFL Draft. With the Saints third round pick, Sigler projected they would bolster their running back room by drafting Arkansas playmaker Mike Washington Jr. The Saints landed Sonny Styles after Jeremiyah Love was off the board in the first round.

Mike Washington Jr. is the perfect RB target for the Saints

Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. (RB20) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"The Saints got to know Washington really well at the Senior Bowl, where they had seven coaches on the American Team staff working with him every day (including running backs coach Joel Thomas)," Sigler wrote. "He's a big rusher at 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds, and he crushed the 40 yard dash with a time of 4.33 seconds. You saw that speed on his game tape, too, with 30 runs of 10 or more yards on just 167 carries. Kamara, Gainwell, and Washington can sort things out among themselves while Estime, Neal, and Miller compete for that last spot in the rotation."

There aren't many players who won the combine quite like Washington did. Washington is know as a big running back, but he ran an incredible 4.33 40-yard dash, which boosted his stock quite a bit. He also had a very good showing during the Senior Bowl, where the Saints had eyes on him for a majority of the event.

Last season, he ran for over 1,000 yards with eight touchdowns on the ground. He looked good all season, but he stole the show at the combine.

Adding Washington would be a very good move for the Saints. It would be quite a good change of pace from the veteran Alvin Kamara.