LSU NFL Draft Recap
Zach Nunez • April 26, 2026
NFL Draft slides are fairly common for individual players. Shedur Sanders, Aaron Rodgers, Brady Quinn, Laremy Tunsil, Maurice Hurst Jr., and Jake Butt all serve as examples from my conscious lifetime that highlight large draft slides for one reason or another. I cannot, however, remember numerous players from a single team falling as much as this year’s crop of LSU draftees did in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Granted, the 2025 Tigers finished 7-6, but it did not seem like anyone doubted the talent of LSU (outside of the offensive line) until the draft rolled around this year. Watching this crop of Tiger talent slide as much as they did, to put it lightly, felt like Christmas as a kid. You enjoy some family time and smaller gifts on Christmas Eve, but the real excitement waits for Christmas morning. The problem is you struggle to fall asleep on Christmas Eve, knowing Santa will not come until you do. You toss and turn, pleading for morning to arrive, but no matter what you try, sleep will not come. Eventually exhaustion wins, you drift off, and you wake up to the good stuff. The whole process drags on far longer than it should.
To continue with the comparison, here is my recap and analysis of the gifts:
Round 1, Pick 6: CB Mansoor Delane to the Kansas City Chiefs
2025 Stats: 45 total tackles, 28 solo, 11 PBUs, 2 INTs; First-Team All-SEC, Unanimous All-American.
In the predraft process, I highlighted the Saints, Commanders, Chiefs, and Rams as the best fits and most likely landing spots for Delane. An elite talent in the secondary like Delane was never going to make it past No. 13 after being a unanimous All-American. With corner needs for three of those four teams built to compete in 2026, it felt like no matter where he went, he would be set up in a good system. Ultimately, after trading Trent McDuffie to Los Angeles, Kansas City traded up ahead of New Orleans and Washington, from pick No. 9 to No. 6, and drafted Delane to likely be their CB1 of the future. This is a great fit for Delane, as he will not only make top-10 pick money but will also be in the Super Bowl picture as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center. Delane will certainly face some challenges, though, as Kansas City will see quite a few high-powered offenses. As Saints fans are well aware, Steve Spagnuolo’s blitz scheme can occasionally leave defensive backs on an island. Delane, being as talented and hungry as he is, should be willing and able to stand up to the challenge of facing numerous high-powered offenses in the regular season and what feels like an inevitable postseason matchup with the Bills.
Round 3, Pick 14 (78 overall): S A.J. Haulcy to the Indianapolis Colts
2025 Stats:
49 total tackles, 39 solo, 0.5 TFL, 4 PBUs, 1 FF, 3 INTs; First-Team All-SEC, First-Team All-American.
Admittedly, Indy wasn’t on my radar for A.J. Haulcy, but you have to love how much they are investing in the secondary. Pairing Haulcy with the likes of Sauce Gardner, the Colts’ pseudo first-rounder, should be fun to watch for years to come. Haulcy should transition well to Lou Anarumo’s defense, as it plays more of a week-to-week, adaptive style that should suit Haulcy’s mixed skill set of run-stopping and ball-hawking. Haulcy should get ample opportunity to get on the field in 2026 and make an immediate impact on a Colts team that looked playoff-bound until the injury to Daniel Jones.
Round 3, Pick 25 (89 overall): WR Zavion Thomas to the Chicago Bears
2025 Stats:
41 rec., 488 yds., 4 TDs; 19 rush, 99 yds., 1 TD; 18 PR for 153 yds.; 1 KR for 22 yds.
Because Chicago took Thomas fairly ahead of his projection, I did not get the chance to put out my best fits for him. You can point to the 4.28 40 at the combine as a reason for the rise in stock. While I do love the idea of Caleb Williams throwing to Zavion Thomas, I will be curious to see where Thomas factors into a WR room that has other young, highly drafted players like Rome Odunze (2024 first-rounder), Luther Burden (2025 second-rounder), and Kalif Raymond, who, having come to Chicago from Detroit, has a good bit of familiarity with head coach Ben Johnson. Johnson, being the scheme guru he is, will surely find ways to incorporate Thomas into the offense, and he will have a chance to be the punt and kick returner for the Bears. Johnson’s offenses often use well-designed motion concepts, which should be a seamless transition for Thomas, considering that is how he was often utilized in the 2025 LSU offense.
Round 6, Pick 4 (185 overall): TE Bauer Sharp to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2025 Stats:
24 rec., 252 yds., 8 TDs.
Due to his history as a QB at Southeastern, my ideal spot for Bauer Sharp would have been Denver, just to see Sean Payton try to recreate the magic he had with Taysom Hill in New Orleans. Despite not getting running back snaps, Sharp reminds me more of Hill than I (and I’m sure many others) would like to admit, obviously just a tad slower. I did, however, have Tampa on my list for how they usually seem to have some success scouting and developing talent at the tight end position. He was and is a work in progress, being relatively new to the position. Sharp will have time to hone his skills behind Cade Otton and potentially compete for a TE2 or TE3 role. Sharp may not get that starting role in 2026, but as the NFL shifts further toward more 12-personnel year by year, if he competes well in camp and the preseason, he could find himself on the field a decent amount.
Round 6, Pick 9 (190 overall): WR Barion Brown to the New Orleans Saints
2025 Stats:
53 rec., 532 yds., 1 TD; 3 rush, 33 yds.; 1 PR for 6 yds.; 15 KR for 445 yds., 1 TD.
For the first time since 2018, when New Orleans selected offensive lineman Will Clapp, the Saints have drafted an LSU Tiger. Saints GM Mickey Loomis even played into the joke in his post-draft press conference, saying, “I didn’t trade up, and I took an LSU player so there shouldn’t be any questions.” I’ll start with the bad here: The Saints used a first-round pick on Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson and a fourth-round pick on North Dakota State WR Bryce Lance. Add to that Chris Olave, Ja’Lynn Polk, Trey Palmer, and other veterans, and New Orleans has a crowded WR room. Brown will have to scratch and claw for every snap on offense, which, having seen it in flashes at LSU, he is capable of working his way into the rotation. Brown will, however, provide second-year QB Tyler Shough with another option to stretch the defense downfield with his 4.40 speed. Where Brown will make the biggest impact early on in New Orleans is in the return game, and he should provide a much-needed spark, as he has three times the number of return touchdowns in college as the Saints do in the same time frame (six to two).
Round 6, Pick 34 (215 overall): LB/Edge Harold Perkins Jr. to the Atlanta Falcons
2025 Stats:
55 total tackles, 26 solo, 8 TFLs, 3 PBUs, 4 sacks, 1 FF, 3 INTs; Third-Team All-SEC.
As the trending topic around Harold Perkins Jr. during the draft was something along the lines of, “If you told me during his freshman year that Perk would get drafted in the sixth round, I would never have believed you.” His production (likely due to injuries) had fallen off at LSU year over year, but the talent was never deniable. Everyone knew he could be an absolute game-wrecker. This is what made his fall from projection to actual draft slot surprising. What did not make it surprising was the ever-looming question around him from the very beginning: “What position does he actually play in the NFL?” LB? Edge rusher? Star? I think the answer is still unclear. What is clear is that if you put Harold Perkins on the field, he is going to make plays. That is why the Atlanta Falcons took him. Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich will find a spot for him, more than likely filling the hole left by former (and once again current) New Orleans Saint Kaden Elliss, who I can see as a very similar style of player. Another avenue to consider for Perkins is that Falcons 2025 first-rounder James Pearce Jr. has found himself involved in some legal trouble, so Perkins could potentially fill that role on the edge if the legal processes linger. The knock on Perkins as an edge was always his size, but with his 4.38 40 speed, I can almost guarantee that offensive tackles will have a hard time containing him. Whatever role Perkins finds himself in for Atlanta, he will make plays.
Round 7, Pick 33 (249 overall): QB Garrett Nussmeier to the Kansas City Chiefs
2025 Stats:
194-288, 67.4 completion %, 1,927 yds., 12 TDs, 5 INTs, 133.8 rating.
I really should have just put his 2024 stats up there, but I had to stick to the formula I had been using, because the past 365 days for Garrett Nussmeier in terms of his football career could not have gone much worse. Injuries and poor offensive play-calling derailed what could have been an early first-round draft pick for Nussmeier. The abdominal/oblique injury that greatly hindered his performance was followed by his benching for said injury, only to find out there was a cyst on his spine making the pain worse. Even with the pain continuously subsiding and Nussmeier seemingly finding his form again in the predraft process, and a 2-3 week recovery time if surgery were deemed necessary to remove the cyst, teams still did not want to spend a pick on the LSU signal-caller until Andy Reid agreed to take the project in the seventh round. A once first-round prospect a year ago, to likely a Day 2 guy a few weeks ago, dropped all the way to the seventh round. Ideally, I would have liked to see Nussmeier get drafted by a team like Pittsburgh, Arizona, Minnesota, or Indianapolis, who may have more QB questions than answers, somewhere he could compete for the starting job from Day 1. Unfortunately, that was not the case, but the bright side to not being in a QB room where he can win the starting job (because let’s be honest, no one in the world is going to take the starting job from Patrick Mahomes) is that he will get to learn under Andy Reid, one of the best offensive minds in football, and from Mahomes, who profiles in a similar gunslinger mold as Nussmeier. The best thing he can do now is learn, develop, show out when he gets the chance, and maybe see his trade value spike so someone will take a chance on him.
Undrafted Free Agent Tracker and a Few Quick Notes
WR Aaron Anderson signs with the Cleveland Browns
— Not a bad landing spot. Cleveland needed some help at receiver, but he will have to fight his way up the depth chart.
WR Chris Hilton Jr. signs with the Washington Commanders
— Really like this for Hilton. Reunite with Jayden Daniels and stay healthy. The Commanders’ WR room outside of Terry McLaurin is not really lighting the world on fire. Some potential to make some noise.
EDGE Jack Pyburn signs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
— Nice to see him return to his home state. Familiarity with 3-4 defense. May carve his path as a special teams contributor with the occasional defensive snap early on.
DT Bernard Gooden signs with the Cleveland Browns
— Quite a few former UDFA guys would be ahead of him on the depth chart going into the preseason, but if he returns to his form from USF, he could make some noise.
LB West Weeks signs with the Indianapolis Colts
— Decent spot for him. Zone-heavy defense. Has his work cut out for him in terms of rising up the depth chart, but he can earn his spot on special teams.
IOL Josh Thompson signs with the Kansas City Chiefs
— Following Nuss to KC. They need all the competition on the OL they can get to make sure they are keeping Mahomes healthy after last year.
DT Jacobian Guillory signs with the Los Angeles Chargers
— Was a really good prospect coming out of high school. I know many players are, but I still see the vision with him. The 3-4 system does not offer a clear path, but like I said, I still see the vision.
Unsigned:
Edge Patrick Payton
Edge Jimari Butler
K Damian Ramos
A quick share helps us a lot!
What to expect from USA Offense and Defense Roll Dat Wave Pod drops tmr w/ @greenwavecolin ! Full Preview breakdown and more! What South Alabama’s offense is: Head coach Major Applewhite is calling the plays himself after taking over mid-2025. It is a multiple-spread system that wants to run first, stay on schedule, and live in the short-to-intermediate passing game. They do not take many deep shots. Last year they ranked 121st nationally in pass attempts per game. Week 1 this year they rushed 59 times for 241 yards. That is the identity. QB Bishop Davenport started all 12 games in 2025: 200-of-294 (68%), 2,073 yards, 12 TD, 6 INT, plus 325 rushing yards and 9 rushing TDs. He is efficient when he is completing 70%+. When he dips below that, USA went 0-7 last year. He is a throw-on-the-run, keep-it-alive quarterback, not a 60-yard bomber. Vs Tulane last September he was good: 17-of-24, 231 yards, 2 passing TDs, 63 rush yards, 1 rushing TD. Week 1 vs SELA: 18-of-27, 154 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, plus a rushing score. Backup is Jared Hollins. Running backs by committee, by design. Kentrel Bullock (1,085 yards last year) is gone. In his place: • PJ Martin 18-69-1 vs SELA; 5.4 ypc last year • Keenan Phillips 13-66 vs SELA; 605 yards in 2025 • Trae’von Dunbar 13-60-1 vs SELA All three finished between 60 and 69 yards in Week 1. Nobody is the featured back. They will lean on volume and Davenport keepers. Wide Receivers: The problem is they lost Devin Voisin, who had 8 catches for 152 yards and 2 TDs against Tulane last year (including a 65-yard score). Returning pieces: Anthony Eager (top returning target, 40 catches in 2025, more of a possession guy), Brendan Jenkins (5-78-1 vs SELA), Micah Woods, Jeremiah Jones-Thomas. Tight end Rod Gibbs is in the mix. This group can move chains. It has not shown a true vertical threat yet this season. Offensive line is the question mark. Last year’s unit ran well; this year’s line lost most of its starters. Ethan Hubbard (RT) and Kenton Jerido (C) are the veterans. Week 1 vs an FCS team they still ran for 241, so the committee can function. How it matches Tulane this week Tulane just allowed 227 rushing yards and 2 TDs to Nate Sheppard on 35 carries. Edge setting and run fits were a problem in Durham. That is exactly what Applewhite will try to exploit: inside zone, duo, QB keepers, and a three-back rotation that does not let the Wave pin its ears back. Last year USA had 190 rush yards and 421 total on Tulane and still lost because they went scoreless in the second and third quarters. The script they want Saturday: 1. Establish Martin/Phillips/Dunbar early so Davenport can keep and throw play-action. 2. Get Jenkins and Eager involved on timing throws, Davenport’s comfort zone. 3. Avoid the mid-game stall that killed them in Mobile. What South Alabama’s defense was last year The 2025 Jaguars allowed 30.4 points (110th nationally) and 176.6 rushing yards per game at 4.8 yards per carry. They could not get to the quarterback. Vs Tulane they gave up 241 rushing yards and three rushing TDs on 45 carries. Jake Retzlaff and Zuberi Mobley ran through them. Pass defense was more respectable (205 ypg), but the front never consistently collapsed the pocket. They also lost pieces that now wear green: Ed Smith IV and Dalton Hughes transferred to Tulane. Starters Blayne Myrick, Darius McKenzie, and Wesley Miller are gone too. What it is this year: New DC Todd Orlando (USF the last three years; coached with Applewhite at Houston). He is not running last year’s “keep it in front of you” 4-2-5 as a religion. He said the package will be multiple four-man/three-man, nickel, dime fitted to personnel, and more attacking. Co-DC Jason Washington still runs the corners. Front and edge: This was the weakest group on paper after the portal purge. Returning: Stephen Johnson (NT), Emmanuel Waller, Tyler Carter, E’Mauri Smiley. Portal help: Mase Lewis (McNeese), Christian Ross (Holy Cross), Dylan Chiedo (Furman). Tirrell Johnson is the hybrid/edge they lean on (54 tackles, 5 TFL last year). Week 1 they had only one sack vs SE Louisiana. Linebackers: Tirrell Johnson, Tre’Mon Henry, Parker Shattuck, Seidrion Langston (ULM transfer), Kaydon Degraffenreid, Caleb Dozier. This room is supposed to be the stabilizer while the line develops. Secondary: More continuity here. Jayvon Henderson (CB), Cole Blaylock (S), Dallas Young (FS), Damyrion Darby. Portal: Jaylen Moson (Utah) and DJ Moore (Georgia Tech). Week 1 both Darby and Moson got interceptions on SELA’s first couple of series. Week 1 tape (vs SE Louisiana) Held SELA to 231 yards, 45 rushing yards, and 0-for-7 on third down. Two interceptions, one sack. Possession was 40:09–19:51 because the offense sat on the ball, but the defense also never let SELA convert. The caveat: SELA’s two scores were both four-play explosives. When they could not hit a chunk play, they went nowhere. That is the binary Orlando’s group imposed, score fast or punt. It will not be that easy against an FBS offense that can motion TEs and superbacks. The game within the game for USA’s D: 1. Run fits vs a broken ground game. Last year they could not stop Tulane’s run. If Orlando’s front stays gap-sound, Semonza is forced into obvious passing downs, which is when a blitz-happy DC wants to live. 2. Blitz vs Semonza’s timing. Semonza gets the ball out faster than Chriss. Hall will use motion, TEs (Dawson Johnson, Vance Bolyard), and the superback (Jaylin Lucas) to muddy hot reads. If USA sends extra and does not get there, Hill and the intermediate game can eat. 3. Explosives. SELA beat them twice with quick-strike TDs. Hill and CJ Lewis already showed they can take one. USA cannot give up that same shot and survive if Tulane’s offense finally finishes a drive. #RollWave Make sure to follow Patrick Harkness on X
Kam Hamilton is an immediate veteran upgrade for a Tulane D-line that lost its entire 2025 CFP starting front. The 6-4, 292-pound Zachary product just returned as a fifth-year player after going undrafted and is already in the rotation. Eligibility was confirmed about an hour before kickoff. The eligibility path Hamilton never redshirted. He graduated in May 2026 after four seasons and was auto-enrolled in the 2026 NFL Draft. He worked out with the Saints and Cardinals but did not sign. A new NCAA five-year eligibility rule did not grandfather the 2022 class, so he needed the injunction. The American Conference also stated that NFL tryouts would not trigger a penalty. Tulane will not be punished if the ruling is later overturned. Tulane was the only FBS school that offered him out of Zachary High, where he started on the offensive line for the 15-0 2021 LHSAA 5A state champions before switching to defense. Production and traits Career totals through 2025 (54 games, 22-23 starts): • 90 tackles • 12 sacks • 16.5 tackles for loss • 3 forced fumbles • 3 passes defended Year-by-year: • 2022 (FR): 15 tackles, 0.5 sacks • 2023 (SO): 25 tackles, 4 sacks, 6 TFL, 1 FF • 2024 (JR): 21 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 6 TFL, 2 FF, 9 starts, third-team All-AAC • 2025 (SR): 29 tackles, 3 sacks, 4 TFL, 3 PD, 13 starts He is listed as a DE but he can play inside or outside. Strength and awareness are his calling cards; he occupies blockers and still produces sacks and TFLs from the interior. What the 2026 D-line needed: The 2025 starting four from the Ole Miss CFP game are gone: Hamilton was expected to be with the Saints, Harvey Dyson transferred to NC State, Santana Hopper to Colorado, and Tre’Von McAlpine to Kansas. Preseason pieces were transfers Derrick Shepard Jr. (NT, experienced after a 2025 UAB-to-Tulane move) and Ed Smith IV (DT from South Alabama) plus a young rotation (Josh Lewis, Reshad Sterling, Geordan Guidry, Armondous Cooley, Jordyn Crites, PaLanding Drammeh). The room was described as talented and deep but inexperienced. They rotate heavily. Duke exposed the run defense (250 rushing yards, Nate Sheppard 227). What he specifically adds • Experience and leadership in a young room under new DL coach Eric McDaniel. Shepard and Smith IV were the main veterans; Hamilton is the guy with the most Tulane snaps and starts. • Interior run-stopping presence. Size and strength to occupy double teams so linebackers (Dickson Agu, Chris Rodgers, Makai Williams) and the bandit (Jah’rie Garner) can flow. This was the biggest Week 1 need. • Pass-rush from inside. Consistent 3-4.5 sack seasons give the front another interior threat instead of relying only on edges. • Scheme versatility in Tulane’s 4-2-5 / multiple looks under DC Tayler Polk and co-DC Nate Fuqua. He can two-gap or one-gap depending on alignment. • Culture and motivation. Local product who overcame a hearing impairment, just missed the NFL, and is playing for a fifth year on an injunction. Will Hall’s comment after the Duke game: “I think he can help us a lot.” He is not a flashy edge rusher who will post 10-sack seasons. He is a high-floor, high-motor 292-pound interior piece who knows the program, already knows the calls, and immediately improves the rotation quality on a front that needed exactly that after the 2025 attrition. Expect him to stay in the two-deep mix at DT for the rest of the season. #RollWave Make sure to follow Patrick Harkness on X