NFL writer proclaims New Orleans Saints’ budding star will become a household name this season
The New Orleans Saints are counting on second-year cornerback Quincy Riley to fully ascend as a starter. He has a firm believer in him becoming a breakout star.
The New Orleans Saints are counting on second-year cornerback Quincy Riley to fully ascend as a starter.
He has a firm believer in A to Z Sports’ Tyler Forness.
Forness included Riley in his projected NFL breakout players article for the upcoming 2026 season, and he’s quite bullish on him.
Anyone who has followed me for a while knows how big a fan I am of Riley. I gave him a high second-round grade, ranking him 28th in the 2025 NFL Draft, the highest of anyone in the industry. It’s pretty simple: Riley’s a good football player. The Saints selected him at the end of the fourth round at 131st overall and it was arguably the steal of the draft. Riley made multiple all-rookie teams with his play. He had 592 snaps, with 1 interception and eight passes broken up on just 58.8% completion percentage. He was already great as a rookie, but he hasn’t gotten the recognition he deserved. This year, everyone will know who Riley is.
Tyler forness
A to Z Sports NFL & College Football News Writer
Quincy Riley set to build off promising rookie season
Riley was the Saints’ 2025 fourth-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft. He played in all 17 games last season and started five games, including three of the last five weeks. By season’s end, he produced 35 tackles, 10 passes defensed, and an interception.
The end of 2025 saw Riley really step up and look more comfortable. He posted the 19th-best defense grade (70.3) out of 66 qualifying corners. Four of his 10 pass breakups came during this stretch.
Last year definitely gives him a base to build off of. Playing 592 snaps as a rookie, Riley enters his second year with experience to help slow the game down as a full-time starter.
Riley has a massive opportunity in front of him
Riley isn’t like most fourth-rounders entering Year 2. He already played an extensive amount as a rookie, and now he’s expected to start the 2026 season after Alontae Taylor left in free agency for the Tennessee Titans.
NOLA still has Kool-Aid McKinstry starting at the other CB position, but Riley is stepping into shoes that earned $42 million in guaranteed money this offseason.
Opportunity is the first ingredient for a breakout season. If he can elevate his game to the point where he starts earning the recognition Forness believes he deserves, the Saints will feel quite good about letting Taylor go and replacing him with a Day 3 pick.