NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints aren’t wasting any time addressing the crater left by Alontae Taylor’s departure. After Taylor inked a massive deal with the Tennessee Titans last week, the Saints front office shifted its focus toward the 2026 NFL Draft. Jacob Infante of PFSN reports that New Orleans held a formal meeting with Toledo cornerback Andre Fuller, a rising name who could solve the team’s looming depth crisis in the secondary.
The Post-Taylor Reconstruction
Losing Taylor hurts. He was the versatile glue for a unit that leaned heavily on his ability to flip between the slot and the boundary. While the Saints are excited about the trajectory of Kool-Aid McKinstry and Quincy Riley, the cupboard is thin behind them. The meeting with Fuller suggests the Saints are looking for size and length to complement their young duo. Fuller stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 202 pounds, offering the physical profile that New Orleans typically covets in its defensive backs.
Fuller’s journey to the draft board is a story of resilience. After a sports hernia forced him to miss the entire 2024 season, he exploded back onto the scene in 2025. He earned First-Team All-MAC honors, racking up 49 tackles and 11 pass breakups. At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last month, he solidified his stock with a 4.49-second 40-yard dash and a 10-foot-9 broad jump. The stadium energy was electric as scouts noted his fluidity for a player of his size.
“We lost a big piece of our identity with Alontae moving on, but the standard in this room doesn’t change. We need guys who can play press, win at the line, and take the ball away. The front office is doing their homework to make sure we don’t skip a beat.”
— Anonymous Saints Defensive Veteran
Draft Strategy and Tactical Fit
The Saints face a tactical crossroads. Do they hunt for a pure nickel replacement, or do they draft an outside corner like Fuller and shift a veteran inside? Fuller played primarily on the outside at Toledo, but his film shows a player comfortable in tight quarters. His aggressive hands at the line of scrimmage mirror the “bump-and-run” philosophy the Saints have perfected over the last decade.
With the draft moving to Pittsburgh this April, the Saints hold the No. 8 overall pick, though Fuller is currently projected as a high-upside Day 2 or early Day 3 target. If New Orleans can snag him in the middle rounds, it allows them to use their premium capital on an edge rusher or a target for second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. The chilly wind of free agency may have blown Taylor to Nashville, but the Saints appear ready to reload with fresh, hungry talent.
