METAIRIE, La. — Jordyn Tyson couldn’t contain his enthusiasm.
After months of battling hamstring issues that prevented the wide receiver from participating in drills at both the NFL combine and Arizona State’s pro day, he was ready to be a football player again.
“I never stopped working out, never got out of shape. … I’m ready to hit the ground running right now,” Tyson told the media shortly after the New Orleans Saints selected him with the No. 8 pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.
Tyson wasn’t the only new Saints player who seemed ready to get on the field immediately. Enthusiasm became a running theme among the Saints’ draft picks, buoyed by the potential of quarterback Tyler Shough and the possibility of a revamped offense in 2026.
Sixth-round pick Barion Brown, a wide receiver from LSU who was drafted at No. 190, kept apologizing for his exuberance in his media interview on Saturday. Defensive tackle Christen Miller, a second-round pick from Georgia at No. 42, yelled, “Let’s go,” three times in his media session.
“One thing that caught my eye on this last day was, and really the whole thing, is how emotional and passionate a lot of these guys were,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Saturday. “I know you guys could feel that on the Zoom calls afterwards. We certainly felt it on the calls when we talked to the guys.”
One year ago, that excitement might have felt forced. In April 2025, the Saints were days out from quarterback Derek Carr’s unexpected retirement, uncertain about wide receiver Chris Olave’s future after he sustained multiple concussions and attempting a rebuild with a new coaching staff under Kellen Moore.
Now the Saints have a quarterback they can build around and a full slate of options in the wide receiver room after drafting three prospects (Tyson, Brown and fourth-round pick Bryce Lance at No. 136).
The Saints’ draft picks won’t be an instant fix for a passing offense that hasn’t cracked the top 10 since 2019, but it puts New Orleans in a much better position than last summer. Lance, who runs a 4.34 40-yard dash, and Brown, who runs a 4.4, add a speed element that has been missing since Rashid Shaheed was traded to the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 4.
“I think we’ve got a heck of a relay team if we wanted to go that route,” Loomis joked.
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The Saints had only three viable receiving options last season: Olave, Brandin Cooks and Shaheed, none of whom were above 6-foot. The Saints spent last offseason stocking up on options for the future, emphasizing potential and versatility over immediate results.
Then, they ended up with Trey Palmer (claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but never played), Ja’Lynn Polk (acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots but spent the season on injured reserve) and Devaughn Vele (acquired in a trade with the Denver Broncos and had serious playing time in Weeks 10-15).
Cooks was granted his release on Nov. 19 following the Shaheed trade. With multiple receivers injured, the Saints made it to the end of the 2025 season with Olave and practice squad wideouts playing significant time in the last month.
Those additions and subtractions have morphed the Saints into something Moore envisioned at the league’s annual meetings in March: a basketball lineup.
“You always kind of want it to feel like an NBA starting five,” Moore said in March. “You don’t want all the same looking bodies.”
Those bodies now range from Brown (5-foot-11), who excels at returning kicks, to Tyson (6-2) and Vele (6-4). Loomis said there’s now a wide mix, noting a player such as Lance was a developmental player coming from North Dakota State, while Tyson adds a skill set to complement Olave.
“The big thing with all of our receivers … is their versatility. Their ability to line up in multiple positions, line up in a lot of spots,” Moore said. “You watch Jordyn’s career. He’s lined up in a number of places. And so certainly him and Chris, [Vele] and all the other guys, their versatility is positive for us, we’re not going to be stuck in guys playing in one position. Certainly we’ll have all home bases for all those guys, but they’ll be able to line up wherever we need.”
The Saints still have questions to answer on their offense — namely whether Shough can take a step forward in Year 2 after playing well at the end of the season. Health will be another big factor after Tyson dealt with multiple injuries in college in addition to his hamstring problems (he also had knee injuries, a broken collarbone and an ankle injury).
But Tyson said he already envisions it being “amazing” working next to Olave, who had a career-best season in 2025.
“Take pressure off each other, make our job easier and shoot, I feel like us one-on-one? Shoot, it’s gonna get ugly,” Tyson said.
