Saints land common former top three overall pick in latest 2026 NFL mock draft that instantly gives them a dynamic duo
New Orleans has never shied away from taking risks during the NFL Draft. Their choice in the latest mock draft is one that some fans may get nervous about, but it makes plenty of sense.
If you took a look at mock drafts for the 2026 NFL Draft back in December or January, you often would have seen Rueben Bain Jr. in the first couple of selections. Alongside Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, he was often one of the first names off the board.
Fast forward to April of 2026. Now, Bain is consistently making it out of the first handful of selections in the first round. Instead of a top three picks on a consistent basis, he is usually falling closer to the tenth or twelfth overall pick. For the New Orleans Saints, is this the perfect scenario for them?
Saints pick potential top pass rusher in class during latest 2026 mock draft
Bain was the selection for New Orleans in the latest collaborative mock draft from A to Z Sports. With some popular names for the black and gold off the board, they opted to improve their pass rush and pair Bain’s explosiveness and power with Chase Young off the edge for Brandon Staley’s defense.
“With Downs and Tate off the board in this first round mock draft, another pass rusher makes the most sense for New Orleans.
Even with the length concerns, Bain plays with enough speed, bend, and raw power to translate well to the next level. A combo of him and Chase Young off the edge could wreak havoc for years to come in New Orleans. Value meets need here for Kellen Moore’s team.” – A to Z Sports
The potential risk and outlier status of Bain
Bain’s fall has a lot to do with his lack of length. He measured in with 30 3/4″ arms at the scouting combine, a 0th percentile arm length. That’s as bad as it gets from a pure numbers perspective there.
That being said, his crafty hand usage and quick bursts off the edge allow him to often beat offensive tackles before his lack of arm length really buries him during a rep. He has found ways to overcome it in college, but the NFL will be a different beast to slay.
“He’s one of those rare talents that I believe could play both on the edge and inside. I think him playing inside would help mitigate his lack of bend and hide his length better, but he’s so dominant with a runway on the outside that it’s hard not envision that success not translating as the league slowly starts transitioning into favoring power rushers. We’ve seen rushers win on the outside like Bain does in the NFL with guys like Trey Hendrickson and Alex Highsmith, where they use technique to mask their limited flexibility.
Bain offers true chess-match potential for a creative defensive coordinator. He can play inside or outside in both base and subpackages with little drop off from either side. I don’t think it’s an either/or type of situation for Bain with where he plays. No matter where he plays, you know you’re going to get a disruptive force against the run or pass.” — AJ Schulte
Overall, the Saints take the risky swing in the mock due to his abilities reaching (no pun intended) past the lack of length.
If he can continue to develop his already-deep bag of pass rush moves and keep plugging away at his technique, he can be an impact EDGE rusher for quite some time in the pros. It makes a lot of sense given how the board fell, and it could become reality on draft night for Kellen Moore’s team.
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