Ross Jackson#21 of 87 NFL pundits · Jun 16, 2026
Ross Jackson ranks the 10 most important New Orleans Saints players entering 2026, with quarterback Tyler Shuck first, Chase Young second and Chris Olave third, plus honorable mentions. They also suggest safety Julian Blackmon is the logical candidate to become the first Saint since 2017 to top four interceptions in a season.
Said on air, transcribed by us · Locked On Saints (podcast)Hear the original
What Ross Jackson said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThe New Orleans Saints' most important player going into 2026 is Tyler Shuck.
- Where it was said
- Locked On Saints (podcast)
- The episode
- MIP: New Orleans Saints Tyler Shough Leads Top-10 Most Important Players
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Top Player Lists“Tyler Shuck, number one. Chase Young, number two. Chris Olave, number three. Calvin Banks junior. Carl Granderson, cornerback Kool Aid McKendree as well as safety. Julian Blackman give us four through seven. And then eight was Jawan Johnson. Nine, David Edwards. 10, Travis h Han junior.”
- 2David Edwards to be 1st on the depth chart“Number nine, we're gonna go with David Edwards... That, of course, being their new starting left guard”
- 3Julian Blackmon to record 5 interceptions“Saints have not had a player finish with more than four interceptions... since 2017 season... Julian Blackman's the guy that logically makes the most sense. It's the next New Orleans saint that could get that done.”
- 4Kool-Aid McKinstry to be 1st on the depth chart“Now we're going to cornerback, and not just any cornerback. The number one cornerback on your team.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Tyler Shuck, number one. Chase Young, number two. Chris Olave,…”1 | Top Player Lists | — | — | — | — | |
| David Edwards to be 1st on the depth chart2 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| Julian Blackmon to record 5 interceptions3 | Player Season Numbers | — | — | — | — | |
| Kool-Aid McKinstry to be 1st on the depth chart4 | Depth Chart Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 calls · 4 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
4 checkable claims — 2 depth chart calls, 1 player season number and 1 top player list — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
“Tyler Shuck, number one. Chase Young, number two. Chris Olave, number three. Calvin Banks junior. Carl Granderson, cornerback Kool Aid McKendree as well as safety. Julian Blackman give us four through seven. And then eight was Jawan Johnson. Nine, David Edwards. 10, Travis h Han junior.”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Depth Chart CallsDavid EdwardsNew Orleans Saints
David Edwards to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
3Player Season NumbersJulian BlackmonNew Orleans Saints
Julian Blackmon to record 5 interceptions
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Depth Chart CallsKool-Aid McKinstryNew Orleans Saints
Kool-Aid McKinstry to be 1st on the depth chart
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
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More depth chart calls
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