New Orleans

Saints

So it was a good visit today. The Saints needed veteran help, having never filled the void of Alontae Taylor after Taylor signed with the Titans this offseason. Quincy Riley and Isaac Yiadom are also candidates to start for the Saints this year.

He visited with the Texans before the draft. Emerson tore his Achilles before the start of last season, so his age-26 season will likely yield a one-year prove-it deal. Emerson has the talent to be an NFL starter if he’s fully recovered, so his decision might come down to playing time and guaranteed money.

Just days after trading for Wilson, Saints GM Mickey Loomis said Wilson is getting “a one-year trial” and that the team “will see how it goes” before making any decision to extend him. Wilson has totaled 12 sacks 50 career games since being drafted seventh overall by the Raiders back in 2023. The Saints’ decision to acquire him was a low-risk/high-reward move, as they hope Wilson can become the best version of himself for very little cost to the team this upcoming season.

Donaldson (6’2”/230) burst on the scene as a true freshman at West Virginia, rushing for 87-526-6 in seven games before a leg injury ended his season. Donaldson was recruited as a three-star tight end before moving to RB during training camp and quickly cemented himself as the starter for the Mountaineers. He rushed for 421-2,058-30 in three seasons before transferring to Ohio State last season. With the Buckeyes, Donaldson managed just 96 carries in 13 games, rushing for 361 yards and 10 scores while averaging a paltry 3.8 YPC. Despite his prowess as a former tight end, Donaldson has never been much of a factor in the passing game, catching just 47 passes for 286 yards in four seasons. Despite his size, Donaldson struggled mightily after contact, posting a 2.99 yards after contact per attempt for his career, and averaging 2.92 YCO/ATT or less in each of his final three seasons. He totaled just 24 carries of 15 or more yards in his career, and may not have much to offer outside of a short-yardage/goal-line role. His larger body of work leaves much to be desired. He’ll need a strong camp if he hopes to stick on the end of a roster. The Saints also signed DT Keeshawn Silver.

The Patriots drafted Jennings in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but he was one of several defenders who saw their snaps heavily cut in Mike Vrabel’s first year coaching the team. Jennings wound up playing just 280 defensive snaps in 2025. He has mostly been used on run downs. Last season, he totaled 15 quarterback pressures, two sacks and 13 tackles.

Hall, 22, is a big, physical cornerback, standing 6’1/189. He showcased high-end agility at the NFL Scouting Combine and Iowa’s Pro Day, highlighted by a 6.75-second three-cone drill at the latter event. He missed 11 games due to injury over the past three seasons, but earned third-team All-Big Ten Honors in 2025. PFF credits him with nine pass breakups last year, tying for fifth among P4 cornerbacks. He also notably totaled 41 solo tackles and two TFLs. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler believes “NFL coaches will love how important run support is to him.”

After three seasons with Kentucky, Brown (5’11"/177) concluded his college career with LSU. He tallied 32 carries throughout four seasons in addition to 175 career receptions and 65 career kick returns. Both Kentucky and LSU’s utilization of him showed Brown’s speed as an open space ball-carrier. Though he ran a speedy 4.40 40-yard dash at the combine, a relatively slow 1.62 10-yard split shows he is more a deep sprinter than a between-the-sticks route runner. Brown’s ability to slash downfield will be more prevalent than his route tree at the NFL level. With kick return experience under his belt, Brown can crack a roster through special teams while competing for a depth receiver spot.

Styles Jr. (6’0"/194) is a traits-driven projection after converting from wide receiver, pairing a near-perfect 9.99 RAS with rare verified speed (4.27s, 100th percentile) and explosiveness that immediately pops in transition reps and recovery situations. Over 334 career coverage snaps, he allowed 31 receptions on 51 targets (60.8 percentile) for 340 yards with a 66.0 coverage grade in 2025, showing incremental growth after a 48.2 mark the year prior. Styles’ 11.0 yards per reception allowed and 67-yard long reception underscore the current gap in route recognition and deep-phase tracking. He does flash improving ball skills underneath, smoother short-area transitions and special teams value, backed by 13 stops and 31 tackles despite a 15.9 percent missed tackle rate. Styles remains an upside bet as a developmental outside corner whose elite athletic ceiling will intrigue teams, but his lack of instincts and route anticipation likely caps his upside.

The Raiders get back a 2026 fifth (No. 105 overall) while dealing Wilson and a 2026 seventh (No. 219 overall). The former first-round defensive end will play the 2026 season on an expiring rookie contract after ranking fourth on the team in snaps at defensive end a season ago. Wilson has not yet lived up to the lofty expectations that made him a first-round pick in 2023, with the suddenly surging Saints happy to take on that risk for any potential untapped upside still present in his game.

The brother of former No. 2 overall pick Trey Lance, Bryce (6’3"/204) followed in his sibling’s footsteps to North Dakota State, where he spent three years as either a redshirt or a special teamer. Lance finally got his chance to start in 2024 and made the most of the opportunity by racking up 17 receiving touchdowns, a mark that unsurprisingly led all D1 receivers. Lance also added one touchdown on the ground. Though he “only” scored eight times in 2025, Lance did so while averaging 21.2 yards per catch and 3.58 yards per route run. Both of those marks ranked top-10 among all D1 wideouts (min. 50 targets). Lance is a lengthy deep-ball specialist from North Dakota State. That, of course, was always going to earn him the Christian Watson comparison. He solidified the connection at the NFL Combine with a 4.34 40-yard dash, beating Watson by two thousandths of a second. Lance also posted 98th-percentile burst measurables and a solid short-shuttle mark of 4.15 seconds. North Dakota State’s run-first offense doesn’t ask its wideouts to run every route at an elite level, meaning Lance will need more reps to hone his skills as an underneath receiver. Even if he never develops that skill set, Lance has a bright future as a big-play Z receiver in the pros.