Saints Meeting With Intriguing WR Prospect in 2026 NFL Draft

The New Orleans Saints have been in a bad spot as a franchise for a few years and it's all stemmed around their horrific cap situation. But year by year, the Saints have rebuilt this cap situation while trying to put a contending team on the field.

This offseason, the Saints have toed the line of adding expensive talent without completely crushing their future with cap casualties. The three biggest additions they made were signing Kaden Elliss, Travis Etienne, and David Edwards. All three players should step into big roles with the Saints from the beginning of the season.

But there are still holes on the roster.

Saints still desperately need to add a wide receiver

New Orleans Saints helme — Sep 7, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the helmet worn by New Orleans Saints safety Ugo Amadi (0) with and American Flag and the flag of Nigeria during warmups against the Arizona Cardinals at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The biggest hole on the entire Saints roster is at wide receiver. The Saints have Chris Olave, who's a star in his own right, but that's it. Beyond Olave, the team doesn't have anything that jumps off the page.

They whiffed on all the top wide receiver options in free agency, but there's still a chance, albeit a low one, that the Saints dive into free agency late in the offseason to add a wide receiver. They could also explore a possible trade.

But the most likely scenario sees the Saints adding a wide receiver in the NFL draft and it seems like they already have their eyes set on somebody.

Saints to host Makai Lemon on an NFL draft visit

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) celebrates with tight end Walker Lyons (85) after catching a 32-yard touchdown pass against the UCLA Bruins in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Saints reporter John Sigler recently noted that the Saints have planned some of their NFL Draft 30 visits, including one with wide receiver Makai Lemon, who could be their target at pick No. 8.

"New Orleans Saints 30 visits reported so far: Louisville WR Chris Bell, USC WR Makai Lemon, LSU CB Mansoor Delane," Sigler wrote in a post to X. "We never get all 30 names, and the Saints don't always draft someone from that group. But worth keeping track anyway."

Lemon is in play for the Saints at pick No. 8. He's one of the best wide receivers in the draft class, though most see him a step below Ohio State's Carnell Tate. Tate would be the dream addition, though it's hard to imagine he'll be available at pick No. 8.

Lemon is almost certainly going to be available, and he wouldn't be a bad selection for New Orleans. He's a versatile weapon who can make plays after the catch, which would complement Olave very well.