Saints surprise with Clemson's Peter Woods at No. 8, bolstering the defensive line. Could Rueben Bain Jr. have been the better pick?
Mock drafts continue to pour in for the 2026 offseason. One of them has the Saints making perhaps a surprising pick with their first round selection at No. 8 overall.
Fox Sports is sending Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods to New Orleans to fortify the Saints' defensive line up front. They wrote the following of the talented player from Clemson.
"While Clemson had a down year, Woods has too many tools for any team looking for a dominant defensive lineman to pass on.
At 6-3, 315 pounds, he's reported to have a lean muscle mass percentage of 77%. He's also another player who was a freshman All-American in 2023 and posted a dominant follow-up campaign in 2024 while playing both defensive end and tackle for the Tigers. Woods finished 2025 with a career-high 30 tackles along with two sacks."
Woods seems to be a great potential pick for the Saints, but he does not have the flash that other picks might have. One in particular may have come close to being drafted by New Orleans in this mock draft.
New Orleans Saints defensive end Chase Young (99) on the sideline against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesInterestingly, the Saints fell one spot shy of drafting Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. of Miami, who helped the Hurricanes reach their first national title game since the early 2000s. Here's what Fox Sports wrote of Bain at pick No. 7 to the Washington Commanders.
"Bain might have the best film of any edge player in this draft, dominating teams like Notre Dame, Florida, Texas A&M, and Ohio State. In that first round CFP game, he had a whopping three sacks against an Aggies offensive line that had given up just 12 in 12 games.
Bain is also an elite run stopper and can move inside when needed. According to PFF, he's the only edge player in FBS to have over 500 pass-rushing snaps with a pass-rush grade over 90. He also has the fifth-highest run defense grade (87.1) of any edge rusher with at least 200 run defense snaps.
Bain is the perfect player for a Dan Quinn defense."
If Bain falls as far as seventh, Saints fans may understandably have regrets about winning four of their last five games. The team appears to have already locked down its franchise quarterback and left tackle in the last draft class. Adding a franchise edge rusher on a rookie contract would be icing on the cake.
Still, the team would be in good hands with Woods at defensive tackle after a productive college career. We'll keep an eye on how mock drafts unfold the closer we get to April.