The New Orleans Saints took a shot with the 40th pick of the NFL Draft on Louisville QB Tyler Shough, who will be 26 years old before this season starts.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid thinks New Orleans will be back at the quarterback well even earlier in a year’s time.
In his new 2026 mock draft released Thursday, Reid has the Saints replacing Shough right away, especially with Derek Carr’s time in New Orleans likely numbered.
Reid slots the Saints at No. 8 overall and has them choose Penn State QB Drew Allar.
“Allar took a big step as a junior in 2024, throwing for 3,327 passing yards and 24 touchdowns with 8 interceptions,” Reid writes. “He has prototypical size (6-5, 238 pounds) and every raw tool a coach could want. He’s known for his strong arm but still needs to work on his ball placement and progressions; his completion rate increase from 60% in 2023 to 66.5% in 2024 bodes well. Allar should be in the first-round conversation if he continues his upward trajectory.”
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Allar is from Mentor, Ohio but spurned Ohio State to go with the Nittany Lions, one of the first teams interested in him.
He can sling it and run it, and he’s got a chance to contend for a national championship with Penn State in 2025.
If he does that, he’ll certainly be a top-10 pick next spring.
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The only variable here is how the Saints end up feeling about Shough.
There’s a chance they decide to ride out Shough another year, especially if New Orleans adopted son Arch Manning doesn’t declare for the draft.
But if the Saints want another QB, Allar would be a great one to land.
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