The Atlanta Falcons' biggest rival, the New Orleans Saints, finished 2025 at the bottom of the NFC South, but that will only help them this draft season. The Saints finished the 2025 season winning four of five after starting off a putrid 2-10, and endangering first-year head coach Kellen Moore from being a one-year wonder.
Fortunately for the Falcons, this winning streak pushed them back in the NFL draft to No. 8, but they still possess an elite pick. The Saints have a lot of work to complete if they want to be in the 2026 playoffs, but a new mock draft from Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick certainly helped their case.
With the No. 8 pick, Chadwick gifted the Saints Arizona State standout receiver Jordan Tyson to line up across from Chris Olave. If the Saints land Tyson at No. 8, it will create a first-class trio in New Orleans next season led by second-year QB Tyler Shough, who badly needs another weapon.
The Atlanta Falcons' arch rivals get much-needed help in the latest PFF 2026 NFL Mock draft
The 6-foot-2 junior posted 711 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2025, after a breakout season in 2024 where he logged 1,101 receiving yards after transferring from Colorado. So not only is he productive, picking Tyson fills a position that New Orleans desperately needs to be filled.
The Saints second leading receiver in 2025 was 29-year-old Juwan Johnson, who never posted more than 550 yards through his first five seasons in the league. The third-highest receiver, Rashid Shaheed, was traded at the deadline and just won Super Bowl LX with the Seahawks.
Shough dazzled through nine starts in his rookie campaign. He threw for 250 yards per game and 10 touchdowns across nine starts to go along with a 67.6% completion rate. He was just starting to get into a groove before the season ended, throwing for over 300 yards in both Weeks 16 and 17.
Thanks to his fantastic rookie performance, Olave bounced back to produce his best season since 2023. During his final three games of the season from Weeks 15-17, Olave caught 24 passes for 352 yards and four touchdowns. His production is just a glimpse of what the Saints could produce offensively, even without Tyson.
Thankfully, the Falcons mostly held this duo in check in 2025. The Falcons were 2-0 against their arch nemesis and allowed 251 passing yards per game to Shough. For this success to continue, Falcons' fans must hope Tyson isn't added to the roster, especially given how the secondary struggled.
After all, the Saints will desperately need defensive help this offseason if a couple of key pieces don't return. A lot is still on the table, but Tyson joining New Orleans should scare any Falcons fan. This may not commence until April, but all we can do is sit back and wish at this point that this doesn't happen.