Tag: Alontae Taylor

How does Kool-Aid McKinstry fit in the Saints secondary as a rookie?

The Saints traded up for Kool-Aid McKinstry in the NFL draft. Should he learn to play the slot or stay outside as a rookie?

Here’s the biggest question for New Orleans Saints’ second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry is where will he play in 2024. For now, Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo are the starting corners on the outside with Alontae Taylor manning the slot. Where does McKinstry fit into that picture as a rookie?

When New Orleans traded up to select the Alabama cornerback, Lattimore was the next person who jumped to many peoples’ minds. Some disregarded Adebo as a threat to start, mostly national media, while some said this sealed Lattimore’s fate as a trade candidate this summer. For multiple reasons, including constant speculation of a Lattimore trade, the latter feels the most reasonable route to McKinstry starting as a rookie.

If Lattimore and Adebo are on this team, they are your starting corners. Does that mean Taylor is the odd man out? Despite the rookie’s lack of experience in the slot, Dennis Allen believes his instincts, physicality and intelligence would allow McKinstry to play inside. The problem is that this is a projection after McKinstry played outside exclusively at Alabama.

This is the same approach the team took with Taylor last season. Maybe McKinstry can transition more seamlessly to the slot and take that spot from Taylor. Right now, the Saints have four cornerbacks who are best suited for playing outside. One will be your slot corner. One will be left out out of the starting lineup, or possibly traded. Regardless, where does McKinstry fit is the biggest question around the selection right now. We’ll see what the Saints have planned for him over the summer.

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Field Yates’ new mock draft makes an unconventional pick for the Saints

Field Yates’ new mock draft makes an unconventional pick for the Saints. Does Georgia prospect Kamari Lassiter have what they look for at cornerback?

We’re finally entering the fun part of draft season: with only weeks remaining before the 2024 NFL draft kicks off, analysts like ESPN’s Field Yates are expanding their mock drafts to explore the first two rounds of picks (if not more). The real drama on draft day picks up after the obvious selections are made early on. And for a team with as many needs as the New Orleans Saints, it’s important to know what their options may be in the second round.

And with that in mind, we’re spending more time today talking about Yates’ pick for the Saints at No. 45 overall rather than the 14th selection (Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu, who has been a popular choice for New Orleans in the first round). Yates has the Saints picking Georgia Bulldogs cornerback Kamari Lassiter after addressing their bigger need at left tackle early on.

“The Saints restructured Marshon Lattimore’s contract late last season, fueling speculation that he could be a trade candidate this offseason,” Yates wrote. “Lassiter would add depth there if such a move happened. He’s sudden, confident and capable in man coverage.”

Lassiter weighs in at 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds, just meeting the Saints’ thresholds at the position, but his incomplete athletic testing makes it tough to say whether they would consider drafting him. His poor performance in the 40-yard dash on a fast track at Georgia’s pro day doesn’t help his case.

Yates reported that Lassiter timed the 40-yard dash between 4.50 and 4.51 seconds at Georgia’s pro day, but The Athletic’s Dane Brugler reports that he was timed much lower, between 4.61 and 4.63 seconds. NFLDraftScout.com, which has been working in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame while tracking pro day results for decades, had him at 4.65. Yates is still high on Lassiter but other media draft analysts like NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah no longer rank him among their top 50 prospects. Before his pro day, Lassiter was Jeremiah’s 36th-best prospect.

Dubious pro day results aside, Lassiter doesn’t have the production of other players going early in the draft, or similar defensive backs the Saints have drafted in recent years. He only intercepted one pass in college while recording more than 1,000 snaps in coverage. Depending on where you look, in his three-year career he broke up either 9 passes (according to Pro Football Focus charting), 14 passes (College Sports Reference as well as ESPN), or 15 passes (Georgia’s team website). Marshon Lattimore, for comparison, had 4 interceptions and 11 passes defensed in just 357 coverage snaps at Ohio State.

The Saints could very well draft a cornerback regardless of their plans for Lattimore; Paulson Adebo is entering a contract year and Alontae Taylor was a liability in the slot. Lassiter’s future may lie in that same role guarding the slot, given his subpar size, and his controlled aggression making plays upfield. Lassiter only missed 8 tackles on nearly 1,700 defensive snaps in college, per PFF, and he was credited with making 8.5 tackles for loss the last two years. Getting him closer to the line of scrimmage where he can make plays in traffic and not worry about running in stride with faster receivers downfield could let him play to his strengths. If Lattimore is traded this offseason, Taylor makes the most sense as his immediate replacement, and the Saints would need someone else to man the slot.

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Alontae Taylor celebrates Baker Mayfield’s new contract extension

Alontae Taylor celebrated Baker Mayfield’s new contract. He’s eager to play against Mayfield again after snagging his first career interception:

New Orleans Saints defensive back Alontae Taylor took to Twitter to celebrate a division rival extending their quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Mayfield to a new three-year, $100 million deal; Taylor called Mayfield one of his favorite quarterbacks.

Taylor grabbed his first career interception last season off of Mayfield, in the second-to-last game of the year (quickly following it up with another takeaway in the season finale against the Atlanta Falcons). This will likely come back around in the news cycle when the Saints and Bucs meet next season. The two teams split their matchups last season, each team winning one with Mayfield at quarterback.

Mayfield will stick around in the NFC South, doing enough in his first season to earn a bigger deal. He had 4,044 passing yards last season with a 64.3% completion rate. He also threw 28 touchdowns to 10 interceptions and was selected for the Pro Bowl Games. The Bucs also recently gave wide receiver Mike Evans an extension, so this is going to remain an intense rivalry for years to come. The Saints will need Taylor to keep playing great football so they can remain competitive in the series.

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Saints hosting veteran cornerback Avonte Maddox on free agent visit

The New Orleans Saints are hosting veteran cornerback Avonte Maddox on a free agent visit. He could upgrade Alontae Taylor in the slot:

This could be an interesting pickup. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that the New Orleans Saints are hosting cornerback Avonte Maddox on a free agent visit; the Philadelphia Eagles recently released him to save salary cap resources after a string of injuries limited his availability in recent years.

Still, he’s just turning 28 in March, and he’s been one of the game’s better defenders in the slot when healthy. Maddox has logged more than 1,735 snaps in the slot through his six-year NFL career. He’d be a big upgrade over Alontae Taylor in that role.

Taylor struggled last year when he split time in training camp learning a new position while actively competing with Paulson Adebo to start outside. He had never played at the nickel before in either college or the NFL, and no player was targeted more often than him in the slot as teams keyed in on that vulnerability.

It remains to be seen whether Maddox would be starting ahead of Taylor or competing with him for the job, but he’d be a good pickup for the Saints either way. Having a veteran who is so experienced in that role next to him in the film room would be great for Taylor’s development. And because Maddox was released by the Eagles, he will not count into the compensatory picks formula for the 2025 NFL draft, and the Saints don’t need to wait until the start of the new league year on Wednesday to sign him..

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Alontae Taylor says he won’t be replacing Marcus Maye at safety

New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor moved to the slot in 2023, but says he won’t be replacing Marcus Maye at safety in 2024:

The New Orleans Saints secondary will look different this season with the team intending on releasing starting free safety Marcus Maye when free agency begins in a few weeks. Could another position switch be on the way for cornerback Alontae Taylor, who moved to the slot for the first time in 2023?

Don’t bet on it. Taylor shot down the idea of learning another new position in 2024 in response to fans on social media, who were discussing the notion of playing him at free safety in the wake of Maye’s departure. Whether he primarily covers the slot or moves back outside, he wants to be listed at cornerback.

While the Saints do have an intriguing internal candidate to replace Maye in second-year pro Jordan Howden, they’re going to need more players in the group with Johnathan Abram, Lonnie Johnson, and Ugo Amadi all headed for free agency. And we can’t ignore that Abram finished the season ahead of Howden on the depth chart. He may not be as ready for a full-time starting role as we think.

But as for Taylor: hopefully this experiment in the slot was just a one-year plan. No player was targeted more often or gave up more catches and yards than he did when guarding the slot last season, and he allowed the second-most touchdown passes in the league in that role. He’s a dynamic player on the outside, where he’s played since high school, but he was miscast in the interior over the slot. One benefit to the Saints possibly trading Marshon Lattimore this summer is that it would open a path to keep Taylor in the starting lineup where he’s played his best football.

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PFF says Saints should target this slot DB in free agency

PFF says the Saints should target Colts slot specialist Kenny Moore in free agency, moving Alontae Taylor back where he’s played his best football:

Dennis Allen has built the New Orleans Saints around his secondary, and fans should expect him to continue to pour resources into that position group in 2024. That starts with free agency. According to Pro Football Focus analyst Gordon McGuinness, their top target should be Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II. A specialist in guarding the slot, Moore could be a big upgrade in that role over Alontae Taylor. Here’s what McGuinness had to say in making his case:

2022 second-round draft pick Alontae Taylor has struggled from the slot through his first two NFL seasons. With the way the slot cornerback market usually shakes out, the Saints might be able to bring in some competition without spending too much. Kenny Moore II is coming off the highest PFF coverage grade of his career (79.3) in 2023 and would be an immediate upgrade on the inside.

No player was targeted more often in the slot last season than Taylor (96 times, per PFF charting) and he allowed the most catches (65) and yards (672) in the league. The six touchdown receptions he gave up were second-most. Taylor is at his best playing outside where he can use the sideline to his advantage and compete at the catch point further downfield.

Let’s compare that to Moore, who played six fewer snaps in the slot than Taylor and faced 34 fewer targets. Moore allowed 49 receptions for just 399 yards and intercepted nearly as many passes (two) as touchdowns he allowed (three). He missed a dozen tackles this year but played more than 1,000 snaps, so it’s not a bad rate.

Sure, Moore is 30 years old and is likelier to slow down than improve his game. But the Saints need a better answer for covering the slot than playing Taylor out of position. If they do something drastic with Marshon Lattimore and trade him, opening a path for Taylor to start out wide (where he’s played his best football), splurging on a free agent contract with Moore would make sense. PFF projects him to land a two-year, $13.5 million deal in free agency with about $8 million in guarantees, which the Saints could easily fit on their books after reaching salary cap compliance.

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Saints add more cornerback depth with this reserve/future deal

The Saints added more cornerback depth by signing Rejzohn Wright to reserve/future deal. The former All-Pac-12 corner has spent time with the Panthers and Raiders:

Here’s the big offseason personnel move New Orleans Saints fans  have been waiting for: free agent cornerback Rejzohn Wright has signed a reserve/future deal with the team, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, guaranteeing him a spot on their 90-man roster. He’ll have an opportunity to compete in training camp. Most of the Saints’ 2023 practice squad is coming back on these type of contracts.

A second-year pro out of Oregon State (where he earned All-Pac-12 recognition as a senior), Wright is listed at 6-foot-1.5 and 193 pounds, which fits the athletic prototype the Saints value at cornerback. He previously spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders.

Wright joins a crowded position group. The Saints are bringing back Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor, and Faion Hicks from the 2023 team with players like Isaac Yiadom and Shemar Jean-Charles headed for free agency. But you can never have enough cornerbacks (especially if a Lattimore trade is brewing behind the scenes). We’ll see if Wright can make some noise when practices kick off in a few months.

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Saints’ worst 10 defensive players in 2023, per PFF

These were 10 lowest-graded players on the Saints defense in 2023, per Pro Football Focus:

The New Orleans Saints defense was the strength of the team for much of their 2023 season, but the unit still had some vulnerabilities that were exposed against quality opponents. With much of the roster and coaching staff returning for 2024, it’s going to be important for New Orleans to shore up those deficiencies and take pressure off of Derek Carr’s offense.

But where to start? Here’s a quick look at the 10 lowest-graded Saints players on defense (minimum 100 snaps) from Pro Football Focus. It speaks to the quality of the unit that even some of their lower-rated players are grading out as above-average next to standards around the league:

WATCH: Alontae Taylor comes in off the bench for his second career interception

WATCH: Alontae Taylor comes in off the bench for his second career interception

Alontae Taylor’s Sunday afternoon didn’t start off well, but credit to the young cornerback for turning it around. Taylor was benched after a couple of early mistakes led to long scores by the Atlanta Falcons, with the New Orleans Saints coaching staff replacing him in the slot with veteran safety Ugo Amadi.

But Taylor rallied back when they later switched up the personnel to put him into the game as a boundary corner, replacing Isaac Yiadom. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder made a bad mistake with the football and threw it right into Taylor’s chest, gifting the cornerback his second career interception in as many weeks.

This is where Taylor needs to be playing full-time. It’s clear by now that he isn’t suited to lining up in the slot, which makes sense given his lack of experience in that role going into the season. He’s a good player, especially when playing his natural position out wide, and the Saints need to find a way to keep him there this offseason.

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WATCH: Alontae Taylor’s first career interception is must-see TV

Alontae Taylor’s first career interception is must-see TV. The second-year cornerback rebounded well after being benched last week:

Now this is a great way to bounce back. Second-year New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor was benched last week after struggling to keep up with the high-powered Los Angeles Rams receiving corps, but he worked hard in practice and returned to the starting lineup for Sunday’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And he responded by snagging the first interception of his career. It’s as impressive a play as you’ll see all week. Taylor kept pace with Buccaneers receiver Trey Palmer deep downfield and correctly read the ball’s path to leap the route and take it away in midair, frustrating Baker Mayfield; the Tampa Bay quarterback had been intercepted just 8 times on his first 322 pass attempts through 15 games this season.

He was quickly surrounded by teammates who celebrated his big takeaway, knowing just how important it was to the young player given his struggles this season after converting to a new position.

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