Over the years, the New Orleans Saints have certainly not been shy about trading up to get a player in the 2026 NFL Draft. In fact, during the 23-year tenure of general manager Mickey Loomis spanning back to 2002, the Saints have never traded back in the first round. Over those 23 years, New Orleans has traded up in the first round or traded back into the first round 11 times.
Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, New Orleans holds the eighth overall choice in the first round. Most may hope that Loomis and the Saints make all their selections and perhaps even trades back in the first round to pick up more picks. History shows us that the team will do otherwise.
Here are a few teams that could be potential trade-up partners for New Orleans in the first round on Thursday.
Arizona Cardinals: 3rd overall choice, 7 total picks
Tennessee Titans: 4th overall choice, 9 total picks
New York Giants: 5th and 10th overall choices, 8 total picks
Cleveland Browns: 6th overall choice, 9 total picks
Recent rumors have linked the Cardinals and Saints swapping first round selections. However, Arizona's reported asking price would include the Saints 2nd and 3rd round picks, along with a possible 2027 choice. This would give New Orleans the third pick. However, barring another deal (and more future assets), they wouldn't draft again until the fourth round at pick number 132.
Some recent reports have also suggested that the Tennessee Titans may be interested in moving down. Cleveland is often involved in first round trades, so they could certainly be a possible partner. The Giants just picked up the 10th overall choice when trading Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals. However, they could be interested in gathering more choices by moving down from their fifth spot. Arizona, Tennessee, Cleveland, and New York are in the process of rebuilding their roster, so trading down even a few spots would give them extra picks towards that effort.
Why would the Saints trade up? Typically, a team only trades up in the first round for a specific player. Perhaps New Orleans wants to target one of the top three pass rushers on the board (David Bailey from Texas Tech, Arvell Reese from Ohio State, and Rueben Bain Jr. from Miami) and are afraid all will be gone by their eighth choice. Maybe the Saints are particularly enamored with a wideout like Jordyn Tyson or Carnell Tate. Possibly a player like safety Caleb Downs, linebacker Sonny Styles, or even running back Jeremiyah Love are their target.
New Orleans is also in a similar rebuilding position like the teams ahead of them. Holding on to all their picks, or even trading back and picking up a few more, is the wisest move for this franchise right now. That isn't how Loomis operates historically, so the above teams might be worth watching closely during the first part of Thursday's selection process.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 4 potential trade-up partners for the Saints in the 2026 NFL Draft