The New Orleans Saints and the Senior Bowl, it's a match made in Mobile.
It's no secret that the Saints put a heavy emphasis on the annual senior showcase, it's a proving ground that's utilized well by a host of NFL teams. Over the past two drafts 106 Senior Bowl participants have landed in the 7-round NFL drafts, and even more on rosters as UDFAs. But few teams are as prolific as the Saints in that regard.
In the 2022 draft alone, three of the Saints' five selections (Trevor Penning, Alontae Taylor and D'Marco Jackson), were Senior Bowl participants.
Listen to a full discussion on the Saints at the upcoming Senior Bowl on Inside Black & Gold. Can't see the player above? Click here.
"We just get more information, and the more you’re around players I think the more you end up liking them," Loomis said following the 2022 draft. "But it’s not a conscious thing by us. It’s not a box that we’re checking when we’re going through this process.”
But conscious or not, there's no denying the connection when it comes to Saints draft picks. Dating back to the 2000 draft, the first for Loomis as a member of the Saints, 49 of the team's 146 selections over that span have been Senior Bowl participants. Interestingly, none of those have been included in the large contingent of of Ohio State players picked during that span.
New Orleans has picked at least one player who was in attendance at the Senior Bowl in 21 of their past 23 drafts. The lone exceptions were 2012 and 2007. The most popular area? Defensive linemen. Of those 49 picks, 12 were either defensive ends or defensive tackles.
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Saints Senior Bowl picks by position
- DE/DT: 12
- OL: 9
- CB/DB: 9
- LB: 9
- WR: 4
- QB: 3
- TE: 2
- FB: 1
The only position not represented on the list above is running back, though the Saints have traditionally not spent a lot of draft capital on the position. Over the past decade the Saints have only drafted four running backs (Boston Scott, 2018; Alvin Kamara, 2017; Daniel Lasco, 2016; Marcus Murphy, 2015). Kamara was a third round selection, while the other three were in the 6th and 7th rounds of their respective drafts.
New Orleans has also geared those evaluations toward the top end of the draft board, it seems. Of the 49 selections, 32 have been third round or higher. Eight of those picks have been first-round selections, including each of the past two seasons.
Here's how all those picks break down, dating back to 2000:
2022
- RD1: Trevor Penning, OL
- RD2: Alontae Taylor, CB
- RD5: D’Marco Jackson, LB
2021
- RD1: Payton Turner, DE
- RD4: Ian Book, QB
2020
- RD3: Zack Baun, LB
- RD3: Adam Trautman, TE
2019
- RD2: Erik McCoy, OL
2018
- RD1: Marcus Davenport, DE
- RD3: Tre’Quan Smith, WR
2017
- RD3: Alex Anzalone, LB
2016
- RD1: Sheldon Rankins, DT
2015
- RD1: Stephone Anthony, LB
- RD2: Hau-oli Kikaha, LB
- RD3: Garrett Grayson, QB
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2014
- RD2: Stanley Jean-Baptiste, DB
2013
- RD3: Terron Armstead, OL
- RD3: John Jenkins, DT
2012
NONE
2011
- RD1: Cam Jordan, DE
- RD3: Johnny Patrick, DB
2010
- RD1: Patrick Robinson, CB
- RD3: Jimmy Graham, TE
- RD5: Matt Tennant, OL
- RD7: Sean Canfield, QB
2009
- RD4: Chip Vaughn, DB
- RD5: Thomas Morstead, P
2008
- RD1: Sedrick Ellis, DT
- RD2: Tracy Porter, DB
- RD5: DeMario Pressley, DT
- RD5: Carl Nicks, OL
2007
- NONE
2006
- RD2: Roman Harper, DB
2005
- RD3: Alfred Fincher, LB
- RD7: Jimmy Verdon, DT
2004
- RD2: Devery Henderson, WR
- RD2: Courtney Watson, LB
- RD5: Rodney Leisle, DT
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2003
- RD2: Jon Stinchcomb, OL
- RD4: Montrae Holland, OL
- RD7: Talman Gardner, WR
2002
- RD2: LeCharles Bentley, OL
- RD3: James Allen, LB
- RD4: Keyou Craver, DB
2001
- RD3: Sedrick Hodge, LB
- RD3: Kenny Smith, DT
- RD7: Ennis Davis, DT
2000
- RD2: Darren Howard, DE
- RD4: Terrelle Smith, FB
- RD5: Tutan Reyes, OL
- RD6: Sherrod Gideon, WR
It's a list that should help explain why, despite not having the allure or the full-top end array of talents as the NFL Scouting Combine, the Senior Bowl is worth keeping a close eye on. That's particularly true this season, with the Saints currently not holding a first-round pick to use on the top end of the draft pool, anyway. That makes the middle-round prospects all the more important to track.
The success rate on this picks is up for debate. Yes, there are great finds like Cam Jordan, Erik McCoy, Tracy Porter, Devery Henderson, Roman Harper and others is great. But there were also high-profile misses like Sedrick Elliss (2008), Stanley Jean-Baptiste (2014) and Stephone Anthony (2015), each in the first or second round, to name a few. Draft scouting is anything but an exact science.
The good news? The last time the Saints went into a draft without a first round selection, they came out with center Erik McCoy in the 2nd round, C.J Gardner-Johnson in the 4th round and Kaden Elliss in the 7th round. The Saints were so confident on McCoy that they used their limited assets to trade up in the second round to get him.
You probably guessed already, but one of the first times the Saints were exposed to him as a prospect? The Senior Bowl.
This year the Saints will also have an extra close look with four staffers on hand, including QBs coach Ronald Curry, who will be leading the National Team as the offensive coordinator, while offensive assistants Declan Doyle and Corey Robinson will be serving as TE coach and safeties coach, respectively, for the American Team. Practices for the event kick off on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at South Alabama University, with the game scheduled for the following Saturday.
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