Saints have an Intriguing New Weapon in Athletic Rookie Tight End Oscar Delp

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The New Orleans Saints drafted tight end Oscar Delp with the 73rd overall pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and they had good reason: his athleticism and speed are stuff you cannot teach.

Delp, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound Georgia product, had an impressive pro day as he registered a 4.49-second 40-yard dash and a 38-inch vertical. In four seasons with UGA, Delp totaled 70 receptions for 854 yards and nine touchdowns in his career.

It will be interesting to see how the Saints use Delp with veterans Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant. Regardless, the Saints have been delving into multiple tight end packages and Delp’s versatility could be used there.

Delp is a member of a loaded tight end room

Delp is in a loaded tight end room led by Johnson and Fant, so he may not get the most playing time as of right now. However, his versatility could get him on the field and Delp wants to do whatever he can to get on the field and help his team win games regardless of the role.

“Right now, I'm just trying to find a way to get on the field. I know that he's been very successful with tight ends in his past, and I feel like I can bring something to the table. And we got a lot of very talented guys in our room and just different ways to get us on the field. Anything they need me to do, I'm willing to get out there and just help us be successful.”

Delp has had a chance to learn from the Saints’ veteran players on how to approach everything as a professional from the film room to being on the pratice field.

“It's been great. A lot of learning, a lot of growing. I’m very fortunate and blessed to be in the tight end room with some vets and some guys. I've got some games under their belt to just learn a lot from everyone, just taking everything in.”

How Georgia helped him prepare for the NFL

Delp said that Georgia helped him transition to the NFL. That makes sense because the Bulldogs have been one of the NFL’s talent factories since Kirby Smart took over in 2016, especially at the tight end position. Since 2017, Georgia has produced seven tight ends that ended up being draft picks, including Pro Bowl tight end Brock Bowers.

“I think Georgia did a tremendous job preparing me and other players for the transition from college football to the NFL. I've talked to guys for years while I was in college, figuring out what's different and what happens in that transition. It's just like everyone said about Kirby — he's very big on developing players and practicing hard, and here it's a lot more mental.”

“It's not going to be as bang-bang every day as it is in college, where you're practicing six days in a row, basically scrimmaging for two hours a day. And I think they've done a really good job preparing me to be a receiving tight end, a blocking tight end, wherever they need me. I've done it in college, and I feel comfortable doing whatever they want me to do in this offense.”

Delp thinks Saints’ offense has a chance to light it up

A lot of Saints fans are excited about this year’s offense. That’s because they have Tyler Shough coming back after a strong rookie season, a reenergized running back room with Travis Etienne joining the franchise and a deep receiving room led by Chris Olave.

Delp has liked what he’s seen from the Saints’ offense, and he has a first-person view of what it will ultimately look like.

“I mean, I think it's just very explosive. I mean, I think it'd be a really explosive offense. You know, we got the guys to run the ball when we need to run the ball, and then we got the dudes who can go out on field and make big plays. I really think that, you know, the sky's the limit for this offense. And, you know, with the guys like Tyler and Spencer (Rattler) back there, I mean, you know, I think we have a really, really special team.”

Training Camp Schedule

Here's the practice schedule for the week:

- Sunday, 9:00-11:00 a.m., Pads (SOLD OUT)
- Monday, OFF DAY
- Tuesday, 9:00-10:35 a.m., Pads (Closed)
- Wednesday, 9:00-10:15 a.m., Helmets (Closed)
- Thursday, 9:00-11:00 a.m., Pads (SOLD OUT)
- Friday, TBD, Walk-Thru (Closed)\
- Saturday, Saints vs. Jaguars, 3:00 p.m., Superdome

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