Since the Atlanta Falcons don't have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, their experience on Thursday night will be living vicariously through the Los Angeles Rams and their NFC South rivals. But of the three divisional foes the Falcons should be worried about, the New Orleans Saints top the list.
Falcons fans should be worried enough about the Saints after their free agent spending spree, but to add insult to injury, they also have the eighth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. And that's a selection where they could go a multitude of different directions depending on how the first few picks play out.
The Saints could go with a WR like Carnell Tate or Makai Lemon, a linebacker like Sonny Styles, or a cornerback like Mansoor Delane, and none of those would be good news in Atlanta. But perhaps the worst outcome of all would be be if New Orleans drafted Miami's Rueben Bain with pick eight.
Falcons fans will be shaking in their boots if the Saints draft Rueben Bain
The Dirty Birds just saw Kaleb McGary retire, so watching their archrival (and arguably toughest competition for the NFC South title) draft a player like Bain, they should be scared. Even with his short arms, the 21-year-old has the technique to give Jawaan Taylor and this Atlanta offensive line a fit.
The Saints have yet to re-sign Cameron Jordan, yet if they drafted Bain, would have his long-term successor regardless of his 2026 status. And they would be pairing him with Chase Young, Carl Granderson, and Bryan Bresee off the edge, with ex-Falcon Kaden Elliss helping out the pass rush.
After recording 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss for the Hurricanes in 2025, Bain was projected to be a top-five pick, but his draft stock has slipped because of his short arms. Historically, pass-rushers with arms shorter than 31" tend to fail in the NFL, but Bain looks like the exception to the rule.
The Ted Hendricks Award winner has everything you could want from a pass-rusher. At 6-foot-3 and 275 pounds, he has the size, he has the explosiveness, the quickness, and the pass-rush moves to become a star in the NFL at both getting to the QB and stopping the run as the Saints' new Jordan.
While Atlanta is in the midst of their QB competition, fans in the Big Easy are already sitting pretty entering Year 2 with Kellen Moore and Tyler Shough. They have a nice nucleus on offense with Shough, Chris Olave, and Travis Etienne, but adding Bain to Brandon Staley's defense is even scarier, especially when the Falcons have more red flags on the OL than they've had in a while.
As I mentioned, the NFC South looks to be pretty wide open, but the Saints have been popular picks to return to the postseason with a division title. And any pick they make at 8 will be scary, but if they draft a future star like Bain, that could be what sets them over the edge over the Falcons in 2026.
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