Saints put Ole Miss WR De'Zhaun Stribling through private workout
· Yahoo Sports
Immediately after the New Orleans Saints traded wide receiver Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks at the trade deadline, it became clear that the team lacked a consistent deep threat. As New Orleans gears up for a 2026 NFL Draft class that appears deep in wide receiver talent, the Saints will have several opportunities to reload in that room.
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Many will focus on the receivers that the Saints could select in the first round with their No. 8 overall pick — Ohio State's Carnell Tate and Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson catching the attention of many — but the reality is that there's plenty of talent in the draft's middle rounds. One player that has been receiving plenty of buzz in the build-up to the draft is Ole Miss wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, a 6-foot-2, 23-year-old prospect who ran a blazing 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.
The Saints recently met Stribling for a private workout, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, who reported that the former Ole Miss wide receiver had eight pre-draft visits. The Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, and New England Patriots were among the teams that brought Stribling in for a visit, and the Dallas Cowboys were another team to host the Hawaii native for a private workout.
Stribling had back-to-back 800-plus yard seasons in 2024 and 2025. He averaged 14.75 yards per catch and had just one drop last season, his lone year at Ole Miss after transferring in from Oklahoma State. A former three-star recruit, Stribling is one of just a few players in this class to have the height and speed combination. It's the same reason his draft stock has skyrocketed from Day 3 to a likely Day 2 selection, with the second round being an option.
If the Saints decide to focus elsewhere in the first and second rounds, hoping Stribling falls to them at pick No. 73 in the third round is a potential scenario. They could also trade back up into the latter half of the second round if the private workout was enough to convince the front office that he'd fit right in with Tyler Shough and the rest of the offense.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Saints work out Ole Miss WR De'Zhaun Stribling