Saints Draft Speedster WR Barion Brown in Round 6

By Shane Hallam | Updated on Sat, Apr 25 2026 8:37 PM UTC

The New Orleans Saints selected LSU WR Barion Brown in Round 6 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Brown’s best work came as a freshman at Kentucky in 2022. He led that Wildcats team with 79 targets, 50 catches, and 628 receiving yards. Brown’s 2.20 yards per route was also best among the team’s top 8 targets. But he failed to progress the next two seasons. Brown finished third on the team in receiving yards in 2023 (539) and second in 2024 (361). His yards per route: 1.80 and 1.89. Brown transferred this past year to LSU, where he led the team with 53 catches and 532 yards. But he scored just once and ranked 45th among 49 WRs invited to the Combine with a 12.7% dominator rating (share of team’s receiving yards + TDs). Brown also posted a career-worst 1.77 yards per route. Drops were a problem throughout his college career (10.7% drop rate). And he’s undersized at 5’10, 177 pounds. On the plus side, Brown ran for 228 yards and two scores over the last four seasons and was an elite returner. He set Kentucky records for kickoff return average in a season (36.0 yards) and career (30.3). Brown ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at the Combine and recorded the fastest speed among all WRs at the Senior Bowl.

What They're Saying

Draft Sharks Rookie Guide: “His burst off the line and ability to track the deep ball make him a vertical threat. The concerns are consistency and size. At 5’11 and 177 pounds with a career 10.7% drop rate, he profiles as volatile.”

2026 Fantasy Football Impact

Brown becomes the third WR drafted by the Saints so far after Jordyn Tyson (Round 1) and Bryce Lance (Round 4).

Brown offers special teams upside as a returner who can fill in for Rashid Shaheed, who was traded to the Seattle Seahawks last season.

Brown’s early breakout age gives him some potential upside to contribute down the line, but he will have to battle to make an offensive impact.

Brown offers no redraft value.

Dynasty Impact

Brown isn’t worth drafting in rookie drafts, but he can be worth monitoring. His fastest speed at the Senior Bowl could allow Brown to be a jet sweep or deep threat on specific gadget plays.

That makes him worth monitoring on your dynasty waiver wire.

Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format, including redraft, dynasty, devy, C2C, IDP, CFF, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC and a King's Classic Champion. Shane utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance. He led the industry in 2024 preseason Kicker Rankings and ranked second in preseason QB Rankings. He also ranked eighth in preseason IDP rankings.