
Kaden Arkeder
Writer
Kaden is a writer for The Kneaux, growing up in the greater San Diego area as a lifelong Saints fan he offers a unique but relatable perspective on the team. He is following a passion for sports writing and hopes to help build The Knaeux into something every Saints fan can enjoy through his writing.

It’s the night before the draft, and you’re scrolling on X to see what all the NFL insiders and draft analysts have to say about your team. Trying to find any clues about who is going where and what the latest rumor is that could be the biggest surprise of Thursday night. The NFL Draft is one of the few times during the year when every fan has some level of hope and optimism in their team. The draft is a three-day event where it can make or break a franchise to where you can be set up for a Super Bowl contention or be stuck in the doldrums. This year, Saints fans get to have some hope and optimism after how well the 2025 NFL Draft went. Kelvin Banks and Tyler Shough headline their draft class, which showed great promise for the Saints moving forward. Now it is on Mickey Loomis, Jeff Ireland, and company to keep the momentum going and have back-to-back successful drafts. Something they haven’t been able to really do in almost ten years now. But pressure isn’t new to Mickey Loomis, the man is not fazed by the likes of you or me posting online how poor of a job he’s done. No, the man simply chews his gum into a microphone defiantly with the confidence knowing that when his back is against the wall, he can capture lightning in a bottle. Mickey did it for the 06’ draft as well as the 17’ draft. The 2025 draft doesn’t appear to be quite like those, however, getting a starting Quarterback in the second round might help make a case, but that’s beside the point. The Saints don’t need to shoot for the moon with the 2026 NFL Draft, they aren’t one player away, which Mickey confirmed today in his annual pre-draft interview. All the Saints have to do is draft good football players and not get cute. Which I know is putting it way too simply, and is easier said than done. But I don’t want the Saints to get trigger-happy and make a costly trade that backfires on them à la Trevor Penning or Marcus Davenport. If a trade opportunity comes along that they deem is reasonable, then by all means, I hope they take advantage, but just make sure you’re not the ones being taken advantage of. The Saints might have already done the hardest part by finding a QB, so now they can do the fun part of the roster building. I’ll admit there is some nervousness as a Saints fan about the draft and rightfully so, but as I type this out, the Saints are in a spot where they can’t really go wrong with their first pick in the draft. All the players being mocked to them can and should help the team in a major way as a rookie. They could go with a dynamic wide receiver like Jordyn Tyson or Carnell Tate, a do-it-all safety like Caleb Downs, a productive edge rusher like Ruben Bain, or maybe even trade up for a cyborg-like linebacker in Arvell Reese. The Saints have plenty of options, and all of them should be quality options. So now the question is, who is going to be the Saints fans’ present Thursday evening? We don’t have to wait much longer to find out. Merry Draftmas, everyone.
