Saints Predicted To Select Clemson Qb In 2026 Nfl Draft As New Face Of

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 15, 2025, 10:46 PM

saints predicted to select clemson qb in 2026 nfl draft as new face of

The New Orleans Saints entered the 2025 NFL Draft with plenty of cracks to seal, and none were more urgent than the quarterback position. With Derek Carr now retired, the Saints used the No. 40 pick on Louisville Cardinals’ Tyler Shough — a selection that raised more questions than confidence. Many are unsure if Shough even offers an upgrade over Spencer Rattler. Now, the spotlight has quickly shifted to the ‘way too early’ 2026 NFL mock drafts. The Saints have found themselves stuck near the bottom of the NFL standings, but that could change with the potential arrival of Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik.

Just a year ago, Klubnik was coming off a frustrating season that fell short of expectations, despite the hype surrounding him as a top-tier prospect. But the 2024 season flipped the script for Klubnik. He threw for 3,639 yards with a 63.4 percent completion rate, tallying 36 touchdowns against just six interceptions. On top of that, he showed off his mobility, adding 463 rushing yards and seven more scores. If Klubnik keeps trending upward next season, the Saints could be ready to make a serious move for him in their 2026 draft class. Analyst Mark Stolte of Pro Football & Sports Network slotted New Orleans at the No.

3 overall pick in his latest mock and predicted the franchise could link up with the Clemson standout to finally stabilize their quarterback future. The New Orleans Saints certainly generated some headlines with their picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. After selecting offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. in the first round and quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round, plenty of people had strong opinions about the Saints' overall strategy. But there's no time to look back when you're trying to build a long-shot playoff contender. Sure, it's a tad early to be thinking about the 2026 NFL Draft.

But the Saints seem to have already diminished the odds that they'll be taking a quarterback, which could affect their shot at building a family legacy. Arch Manning, the grandson of beloved Saints quarterback Archie Manning, will be a name to watch all season as one of the highest projected draft picks. The University of Texas quarterback will take over full-time starting duties for the first time in 2025. On Monday, Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski conducted a "way too early" 2026 mock draft, and had the Saints missing out on Manning by one pick, instead taking Clemson edge-rusher T.J. Parker with the third overall pick It's too soon to guess at what the New Orleans Saints will do in the 2026 NFL draft, but it's a great time to highlight some players to watch in the upcoming college football...

Longtime NFL draft analyst Todd McShay shared his picks for all 32 teams in a new 2026 mock draft, using FanDuel's playoff odds to simulate the draft order, which put the Saints at No. 2 overall. Here's why he passed on a quarterback in favor of Clemson Tigers edge defender T.J. Parker: The Saints drafting this high would mean a rough rookie year for Tyler Shough, but Kellen Moore believes in him, so I'm not going QB here. For me, it came down to Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Clemson pass rusher T.J.

Parker. With Cam Jordan on retirement watch after this season, I have New Orleans taking Parker, a power-based edge whose game should translate well to the NFL and whose premium position could be a greater... Parker made an instant impact for Clemson as a true freshman in 2023, notching 5.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss (plus two passes defensed and a fumble recovery) in 13 games. Then he leveled up as a sophomore in a 14-game 2024 season, bagging 11 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, 6 forced fumbles, a pass breakup and two fumble recoveries. He's earned high expectations going into 2025. McShay is right to point to this position as a team need for the Saints, at least based on Cameron Jordan's uncertain future.

Jordan is playing out the last year of his contract and could very well choose to retire in 2026. If this is it for him, the Saints need a third player in that rotation behind Chase Young and Carl Granderson. Isaiah Foskey has been a disappointing second-round pick and probably isn't making the roster in September. But if the Saints are bad enough to be picking second overall, it shouldn't matter how much Moore likes Shough. The only way the team is picking this high is if Shough can't cut the mustard, in which case they owe it to themselves to look into other quarterbacks. Parker's Clemson teammate Cade Klubnik went first overall in this mock draft, but the Saints could have a shot at Garrett Nussmeier (No.

4 to the New York Jets) or LaNorris Sellers (No. 6 to the Las Vegas Raiders). Texas phenom Arch Manning isn't expected to go pro in 2026. The dust has barely settled on the 2025 NFL Draft, but it’s never too early to look ahead to 2026. In this early mock, I’ve got the Saints finally landing a franchise quarterback, half the top ten coming from the ACC, and a total of four quarterbacks coming off the board. The Saints spent a second-round pick on Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough this year, but his extensive injury history makes it hard to see him as the long-term answer.

That leads to New Orleans taking a quarterback in the top 40 for the second straight year, this time selecting LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier with the No. 1 overall pick. I expect rookie Shedeur Sanders to show enough this season to convince the Browns they don’t need to draft another quarterback in 2026. While Cleveland could end up picking lower than this, I’m sticking with Tankathon’s draft order. With this spot, they grab Clemson’s T.J. Parker, a disruptive edge rusher who earned second-team All-ACC honors last season after posting 19.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

The Titans found their franchise quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft with the No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward. Now they turn to the defensive side of the ball, where finding a top-tier pass rusher is the priority. Rueben Bain brings explosive get-off and stands out as one of the best athletes in this year’s edge class. With better health in 2025, expect his production to take a big step forward. The Giants are another team that hope they found their quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.

For Jaxson Dart to succeed, though, they need to upgrade his protection. Kadyn Proctor has true left tackle feet and offers the highest upside of any offensive lineman in the 2026 draft class. The NFL season is past its halfway point, as the NFL trade deadline has passed for the 2025 season. The college football season is nearing the playoffs, while the NFL playoff picture is also coming into focus. Which means, it's starting to become clear which teams need to think about what they want to do in the 2026 draft. With a remixed order and the top prospects in flux, here's Sporting News' third set of first-round projections for what will go down next April 23 in Pittsburgh:

MORE: Where Fernando Mendoza, other QBs rank in 2026 NFL Draft reset (No. 1-18 order courtesy of Tankathon; No. 19-32 from Week 9 playoff picture) Technically, rookie Tyler Shough is the Saints' starter for the rest of the season. When New Orleans goes on the clock in the 2026 NFL Draft, Shough will almost certainly become the latest high-round pick whose team uses an even higher-round pick 12 months later in the hopes...

The Panthers did it in 2011 when they took Cam Newton No. 1 overall, and the Cardinals did it eight years later when they selected Kyler Murray with the top pick. And as we sit here, nine weeks into the 2026 season, the Saints are staring that first-overall selection in the face. There will no doubt be discussions in the building about trading down and what such a draft haul might do to reset this roster, but if the organization feels that Fernando Mendoza or Ty... Former Titans GM Ran Carthon and I talked about this last week on "With the First Pick," our NFL Draft podcast: In my Mock Draft 2.0, I have just three QBs going in the first round -- and one via trade; after trading down from No.

2 to No. 5 last April, the Browns move up from No. 6 to No. 2 in this excerise for a quarterback. And much like the conversation surrounding Shough, it's fair to assume that neither Dylan Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders (or any other QB currently on Cleveland's roster) will be penciled in as the 2026 starter... The New Orleans Saints are considered to be one of the worst teams in the NFL and a recent mock draft has them ending up with the first overall selection.

Curt Popejoy over at Draft Wire had the Saints going with Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik with the first pick in his 2026 NFL mock draft. At this time last year, it would be crazy to consider Klubnik with the first pick of a draft. He was a highly-touted prospect, but had been a bit disappointing since taking over the Tigers offense. A switch flipped last year, though, and he finished with 3,639 yards with a 63.4% completion rate and 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He also used his legs more with 463 yards with seven more scores. If he has another year like that, Klubnik will certainly be in the conversation.

It's a good sign that his mechanics and game processing have improved as he has all the tools to be successful. The other quarterbacks taken in the first round of this mock draft were South Carolina Gamecocks star LaNorris Sellers, LSU Tigers passer Garrett Nussmeier, Indiana Hoosiers breakout Fernando Mendoza and Penn State Nittany Lions... This is obviously assuming that Texas Longhorns standout and New Orleans native Arch Manning would be going back to school for his senior year and waiting until the 2027 NFL draft class to declare. While there is an easy argument to be made that Klubnik is the best of the quarterbacks that did get taken, the Saints might end up waiting until 2027 to re-try under center. That's not fully because of Manning, but it certainly wouldn't hurt their decision making. New Orleans is clearly higher on Tyler Shough than most of the world and Kellen Moore seems to be a huge fan of what he can do on the field.

There is a world where the Saints end up with the first pick and still end up giving Shough another shot before going for another passer. As good as Klubnik can be, he hasn't proven to be a quarterback prospect that is too good to pass up yet. There is still another season to go, though, so let's see what he does as a senior. One shoulder injury to Derek Carr has changed the trajectory of the entire New Orleans Saints franchise. With Carr announcing his shocking retirement weeks before the 2025 NFL Draft, the organization had to scramble for someone else to take the mantle. Unfortunately, the free agency class wasn’t deep enough for New Orleans to splurge a considerable sum on someone.

Saints Predicted To Select Clemson Qb In 2026 Nfl Draft As New Face Of

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