We knew it would be painful to watch the rest of the NFC South make their early draft picks while the Atlanta Falcons sat on their chairs waiting to make their first selection.
And it started with the last-placed New Orleans Saints at No. 8. They used the pick on big wide receiver Jordyn Tyson to complement Chris Olave. If not for Tyson's injury history, he likely would've been off the board by then. He was the most talented wide receiver in this draft class at full strength.
They then landed two Georgia studs in Rounds 2 and three, including a guy atop Atlanta's draft board, but that hasn't been the end. After acquiring Tyree Wilson from Vegas, they added another solid player in the fourth round, to add insult to injury.
Falcons can only watch as the Saints add on to their strong 2026 NFL Draft with Bryce Lance
Wide receiver was a thin position for the Saints last season, but that isn't likely to be the case in 2026. With the 136th overall, they selected Bryce Lance, the younger brother of former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance, and a pass-catcher who was frequently linked to the Dirty Birds during the pre-draft.
Bryce has all the talent you could ever want. NFL.com projected him as a second or third-round pick, but he went with the fifth-to-last pick of the fourth round. He is 6-foot-3, 204 pounds, and ran a 4.34 second 40. He also showed his explosiveness with a 41.5" vertical and 11'1" broad jump.
And it isn't like he didn't have the production to match; he caught 51 passes for 1,079 yards and eight touchdowns as a fifth-year player with the Bison. Sure, it came at the FCS level, but those are still excellent numbers.
Next Gen Stats gave him a 79 production score, 98 athleticism score, and 86 total score. Oh and he logged a 9.98 RAS at the combine. The only thing that has yet to develop are Lance's hands, but for a Saints' offense brimming with weapons for Tyler Shough, this is the worst team for him to land with.
The NFL Network broadcast compared him to Green Bay Packers WR Christian Watson, who has had a strong career to this point. The Falcons will now be tasked with stopping Olave, Tyson, and Lance twice a year. At least they added another Terrell to the mix after taking Avieon in the second round.
The Dirty Birds have a strong and deep secondary with Jessie Bates and Xavier Watts at safety, and the Terrell brothers, Mike Hughes, Billy Bowman Jr., and Sydney Brown (depending on where he lines up) at cornerback.
While the NFC South was the weakest division in football last year, the competition should heat up with the bevvy of high-impact players coming in. And the more elite guys the Saints land, the better their chances of winning the division.
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