Saints 6th Round Rookie Looks to Make a Return Difference

The Saints picked wide receiver Jordyn Tyson at the number 8 slot overall in the 2026 draft, with four more offensive players to follow, out of their eight picks this year. Among that repertoire is a Wildcat-turned-Tiger from Nashville, Tennessee.

LSU wide out, Barion Brown, was picked 190th overall by the Saints. A guy with blazing speed at a 4.4 - 40 with dangerous implications in special teams play.

A Worthy Special Teams Replacement

After trading away a versatile weapon in Rasheed Shaheed to the Seahawks last year, New Orleans had a gap to fill in their return game. They found the stuff to fill that gap, specifically in the kickoff-return game.

Brown spent his first three years of college at Kentucky, before transferring to LSU in 2025. Across his time in Kentucky, he racked up 1,464-yards and 5 TDs on 51 return attempts, averaging 28.7-yards per.

After completing his senior year at LSU, he managed to top off his college career in 2025 with another 445 return yards, another touchdown, all while averaging an even higher 29.7-yards per return on 15 total. Suffice it to say, NOLA has something special with Brown, and he’ll be an important asset on special teams.

A Special Background

Brown hailed from Nashville, Tennessee, where he’d play high school ball for Pearl-Cohn. He was a special talent, ranking as a five-star recruit and the no. 2 wide receiver in the nation. Wide receiver was just the position on the depth chart, because what Brown actually did was much more.

He’s listed on the Saints website as a multi-position athlete, which isn’t surprising given his special teams gift. But, no, he didn’t just swap between corner and receiver, he was actually the entire team in high school, playing QB, RB, WR, CB, and KR in one season.

Brown’s QB play was a ton of read-option, making use of his sharp cuts, quick feet, and strong legs. He’s hard to bring down, slithering out of two or three sure-tacklers on just about every other play.

Brown embodies that play-making ability. That guy that you just want with the ball in his hands. The guy that can make anything happen, make nothing into something. These players are who you want at KR, and he fits that bill to a tee.

Regardless of his high school play, Brown made his special teams talent known at a Power-4 level in the SEC. Averaging one kickoff-return touchdown a year in college is pretty good, and we’re sure that Kellen Moore has an idea for how he can fit that explosiveness into the offense as well, adding to the already volatile Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson.

Training Camp Update

Another day of shells Sunday as fans will get to watch from sold-out bleachers again. Monday, the Saints strap on the pads, but that is also a sold out venue. Here is the schedule through August 7:

- Saturday, Off Day
- Sunday, 9:00-10:30 a.m. Practice in shells (Tickets sold out)
- Monday, 9:00-11:00 a.m. 1st Day of Pads (Tickets sold out)
- Tuesday, Off Day
- Wednesday, 9:00-11:00 a.m. 2nd Day in Pads (Tickets available as of this writing)
- Thursday, 9:00-11:00 a.m. CLOSED PRACTICE
- Friday, Off Day

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