Saints Predicted to Land 22-Year-Old SEC WR With Elite Speed

The New Orleans Saints are heading toward a new era of their franchise after losing Derek Carr to retirement and drafting Tyler Shough to replace him.

Shough looked very good for the Saints down the stretch last season. He was able to lead them to multiple big wins, which saw Kellen Moore's team finish the season with a better record than most people would have thought.

But the Saints still need to make moves to improve their team over the next few months leading into training camp and the 2026 season.

Saints still need to add a wide receiver

Jan 4, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore on the sideline against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The biggest position the Saints need to find talent at is wide receiver.

They have Chris Olave, but not much else. This roster hole was quite apparent last season, but the Saints didn't address it. Instead, they traded Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks, making the issue even worse.

After not improving the wide receiver room in free agency or on the trade market, it seems as though the Saints are targeting a wide receiver in the first or second round of the NFL draft.

ESPN's Matt Miller recently put together a full seven-round mock draft for the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. After projecting the Saints to land edge rusher David Bailey in the first round, Miller projected the Saints would land Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch to bolster their offense in the second round at pick No. 42.

Zachariah Branch is the perfect Round 2 target for the Saints

Jan 1, 2026; New Orleans, LA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) gestures after a first down against the Mississippi Rebels during the 2026 Sugar Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

"Round 1 was about taking the best player available (Bailey); Round 2 is geared toward helping second-year QB Tyler Shough," Miller wrote. "Branch can make big plays and would replace the speed lost when Rashid Shaheed was traded to Seattle."

Branch would be the new era of Shaheed in New Orleans, though he isn't quite as quick as the former Saint. Still, Branch is a burner, who ranked near the top of the draft class in 40-yard dash time this offseason.

He's not the biggest wide receiver prospect, but he's fast, explosive, and strong. He was able to put up 20 reps on the bench press despite being 5-foot-9 and less than 180 pounds.

Branch is incredible after the catch, too. His calling card is his ability to get up to top speed after the catch, which makes him very hard to tackle in space. Adding this kind of weapon to the Saints' offense in Round 2 would be a huge step in the right direction.