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The New Orleans Saints saw a lot to like from the Ohio State Buckeyes receivers earlier this week. They were one of many NFL teams credentialed for the Buckeyes’ season-opening road win over the Minnesota Gophers, with projected first-round wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson each rattling off deep touchdown passes — Olave reeled in scores of 38 and 61 yards, while Wilson caught a 56 yarder. Olave totaled 4 receptions for 117 yards and Wilson grabbed 5 receptions for 80 yards.
Either player would be a welcome addition to New Orleans in the 2022 NFL draft. But the Saints’ college scouting department will be busy evaluating all of their options in the months ahead. While we don’t know exactly where the dozen-or-so members of Jeff Ireland’s staff are assigned each week, some of them have been reported locally across the college football landscape.
Blue Gold News reports that the Saints are one of three NFL teams in attendance for West Virginia’s game with the Maryland Terps. Mountaineers draft prospects to watch include All-Big 12 safety Alonzo Addae and quarterback Jarret Doege, a potential late-round draft choice. But many eyes will be on Maryland passer Taulia Tagovailoa in his second year in the system.
But the Saints are part of a much larger crowd in the Iowa State-Northern Iowa matchup, with KQWC FM’s Quinn Douglas listing New Orleans among ten teams in town to scout the Cyclones. Iowa State’s top prospects include running back Breece Hall, athletic edge rusher Will McDonald IV, and safety Isheem Young. Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy also shouldn’t be overlooked. Northern Iowa left tackle Trevor Penning has all the traits teams value and could be one of the highest-picked small school prospects with a strong season.
The Saints also checked in on West Florida ahead of their season opener with McNeese State. The Argos are looking to defend their Division 2 national championship, which was built by underrated pickups like JUCO-transfer safety D’Anthony Bell. When they aren’t up in the press box catching games live, NFL scouts are busy hitting the road to visit campuses and pad out scouting reports.
But we shouldn’t look too deeply into any of this — or feel concerned about the Saints missing out on higher-profile matchups like Alabama vs. Miami or Georgia vs. Clemson, or Wisconsin vs. Penn State. Scouts or executives could very well be in attendance without being credentialed for a seat in the press box, and all of this game tape will be available to review later on anyway. It’s just one small part of the process that leads into the draft.
Still, it’s always interesting to see where the black and gold pop up on Saturdays in the fall. And it’s fun to speculate about how things could develop as the draft cycle speeds up. Maybe the big gains those Buckeyes receivers made against Minnesota left a strong impression.
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