We're still waiting for the New Orleans Saints to regroup for training camp, which means it's time to check in on the latest mock drafts and highlight some names to know in the 2027 NFL Draft class. Today's pick comes from Paul M. Banks over at Draft Wire, who has the Saints choosing Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore with the eighth overall pick. Most mock drafts have had the Saints choosing one of the best edge rushers available -- either Colin Simmons (Texas) or Dylan Stewart (South Carolina), but neither of them were still on the board when New Orleans went on the clock.
"Our first off-script pick, Saints' primary need is edge rusher, but there is no one rated high enough on the big board to go here," Banks wrote. "So we see them going best player available."
Just two other corners were taken in this way-too-early mock draft; Ellis Robinson IV (Georgia) went to the New York Giants at No. 11, while Zabien Brown (Alabama) joined the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 17. There wasn't a single edge rusher taken in the top-20 after Simmons and Stewart went top-5. Moore has been linked to the Saints before, but they'll need a top-10 pick to get him. Cornerback may not be their top priority in next year's draft but it will be a position to address. Kool-Aid McKinstry will be entering a contract year in 2027 and could walk just like Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo did.
Moore won a host of honors last year at Notre Dame; he was a unanimous All-American, a finalist for both the Jim Thorpe Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and a semifinalist for both the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. He was chiefly responsible for holding USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon, the Philadelphia Eagles' first-round pick in April, to just four catches and 76 yards when their teams met. He has all the qualities teams look for between his prototypical size (listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds), clean play (5 penalties on 1,368 career defensive snaps) and ball skills (7 career interceptions and 18 passes defensed). If the Saints are going to be as successful this season as we hope, Moore may not be there when they pick next year.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Will Saints pick high enough in 2027 to get Notre Dame's Leonard Moore?
"Our first off-script pick, Saints' primary need is edge rusher, but there is no one rated high enough on the big board to go here," Banks wrote. "So we see them going best player available."
Just two other corners were taken in this way-too-early mock draft; Ellis Robinson IV (Georgia) went to the New York Giants at No. 11, while Zabien Brown (Alabama) joined the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 17. There wasn't a single edge rusher taken in the top-20 after Simmons and Stewart went top-5. Moore has been linked to the Saints before, but they'll need a top-10 pick to get him. Cornerback may not be their top priority in next year's draft but it will be a position to address. Kool-Aid McKinstry will be entering a contract year in 2027 and could walk just like Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo did.
Moore won a host of honors last year at Notre Dame; he was a unanimous All-American, a finalist for both the Jim Thorpe Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and a semifinalist for both the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. He was chiefly responsible for holding USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon, the Philadelphia Eagles' first-round pick in April, to just four catches and 76 yards when their teams met. He has all the qualities teams look for between his prototypical size (listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds), clean play (5 penalties on 1,368 career defensive snaps) and ball skills (7 career interceptions and 18 passes defensed). If the Saints are going to be as successful this season as we hope, Moore may not be there when they pick next year.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Will Saints pick high enough in 2027 to get Notre Dame's Leonard Moore?
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