6. New Orleans Saints: Travis Etienne, running back
After racking up 1,399 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns last season, proving himself to be one of the most dynamic 3-down backs in the NFL. And for whatever reason (it's always money), the Jaguars let him walk relatively uncontested.
Even though Etienne had a pretty robust market in NFL Free Agency, he was motivated to play close to home. As a native of Louisiana, the Saints were the obvious landing spot.
Kellen Moore did a fantastic job in his first year with the Saints last year, but they needed to get more weapons for young QB Tyler Shough. Etienne's reliability on all three downs will be amplified significantly in this offense.
5. Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, running back
The Arizona Cardinals made the (somewhat controversial) decision to take Jeremiyah Love with the 3rd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. At over $53 million in total contract guarantees, simply selecting him with the 3rd overall pick made Love the highest-paid running back in league history (in terms of contract guarantees) by over $17 million.
The draft capital and financial investment in Love make him one of the most highly anticipated rookies in the 2026 class, and maybe one of the most anticipated non-quarterback rookies in recent memory. Even Ashton Jeanty, whose dominance was unrivaled at the college level, was the 6th overall pick.
Love is joining an offense with major question marks, starting at QB, entering the 2026 offseason. He'll be expected to literally hit the ground running and provide star power from Day 1.
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