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Everyone meets with everyone in the months leading up the NFL Draft, and 2020 should be no different. Whether contact is made before or after practice at all-star games like the Shrine Bowl or Senior Bowl, in brisk interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine, after-hours following pro day workouts, or on private facilities visits, the New Orleans Saints and every other team will have opportunities to meet with every draft prospect on their big board.
So we shouldn’t look too deeply into individual meetings. All of that said, it’s fun to track these things and speculate about the future. Per a report from The Draft Network, the Saints were noticed meeting with four different draft prospects at last week’s Shrine Bowl practices. Here’s a quick summary on each of them:
RB Rico Dowdle, South Carolina
Other meetings: Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins
Weighing in at 5-foot-1 and 214 pounds, Dowdle is a perfect fit for what the Saints like from a height/weight profile. He logged 428 rushing attempts for 2,167 yards on the ground in four years with the Gamecocks (averaging 5.1 yards per carry), scoring 16 touchdown runs along the way. He also caught 62 passes in his collegiate career to gain 483 yards through the air (7.8 yards per reception), scoring three touchdowns in his first three years. He played 39 games for South Carolina, averaging 11.1 carries and 1.6 receptions per game.
WR Binjimen Victor, Ohio State
Other meetings: Miami Dolphins
Victor weighed in at 6-foot-3 and 196 pounds, and has shown an ability to stretch the field in four years with the Buckeyes. He averaged 16.1 yards per reception in 33 games, totaling 83 receptions for 1,340 yards — and catching 18 touchdown passes. He averaged 2.5 catches and 40.6 receiving yards per game, though he caught just 4 passes for 64 yards in three games as a true freshman back in 2016. He could be someone the Saints target on the third day of the draft, or maybe in undrafted free agency.
WR Keith Gavin, Florida State
Other meetings:Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Chargers
Tipping the scales at a hair under 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds, Gavin only played one game as a true freshman before finding a role for himself the last three years. Injuries limited his availability throughout his career, however, as Gavin suited up for just 28 games in his last three years. He finished his career with 71 receptions for 901 receiving yards (12.7 yards per catch) and only a single touchdown grab. He averaged 2.5 receptions and 31.1 receiving yards per game and might be a priority free agent after the draft.
WR John Hightower, Boise State
Other meetings: Philadelphia Eagles (twice), New York Giants, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs
Hightower measured in at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, a little shorter and quite heavier than his listed stats, which is preferable (the list of productive 172-pound receivers in the NFL is brief, but plenty don’t quite reach 6-foot-2). He transferred to Boise State from the junior college ranks and immediately established himself as an offensive weapon, averaging 17.6 yards per catch in two years while scoring 16 touchdowns from scrimmage. He averaged 3.6 catches for 63.0 receiving yards per game, as well as 1.0 carries for 13.8 rushing yards per outing. He could be seen as a backup option should the Saints target someone like Laviska Shenault Jr. early but aren’t able to select that kind of versatile weapon.
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