Tag: meetings

Louisiana’s Michael Jefferson grew up a Saints fan, says it would mean a lot to play in New Orleans

Louisiana’s Michael Jefferson grew up a Saints fan, says it would mean a lot to play in New Orleans after meeting with the team, via @RossJacksonNOLA and @john_siglerr:

Every team will have met with virtually every prospect by the time the 2023 NFL draft rolls around, so you don’t want to make too much of prospect meetings at the NFL Scouting Combine. But it’s still a cool story when the New Orleans Saints talk shop with someone who grew up a fan of the team.

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns wide receiver Michael Jefferson hails from nearby Mobile, Ala., and he recently met with the Saints — a bit of a surreal experience after a young life spent cheering for them. He told our Ross Jackson that it would mean a lot to play in New Orleans in front of friends and family.

Jefferson added that the team likes his speed at his size (he’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 202 pounds) but they want to see more consistency on contested-catch opportunities. Pro Football Focus charting found Jefferson caught 20 his 44 career targets in those situations.

He’s seen as a prospect likely to go on the third day of this year’s draft after securing 51 receptions for 810 yards and 7 touchdown catches last season, ranking among Sun Belt leaders in each category. If Jefferson can validate his athletic upside in drills at the combine this week, it’ll do a lot to boost his draft stock as we approach the event in late April.

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Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker talks Saints contact, former teammates in New Orleans

WATCH: Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker talks Saints contact, advice from his former teammates in New Orleans via @RossJacksonNOLA and @john_siglerr:

There might not be a prospect in the 2023 NFL draft drawing more attention from New Orleans Saints fans than Hendon Hooker, and the Tennessee quarterback prospect had a lot of praise for the team during his Friday morning media session at the NFL Scouting Combine. He’s been one of the most prolific passers in college football over the last two seasons, but factors including his age (he turned 25 in January), a knee injury that could sideline him for the start of training camp, and the wide-open offense he played in have some observers feeling credulous about his pro prospects.

Our own Ross Jackson was in attendance with boots on the ground (or in his case, Allbirds; Hooker shared some tips on shopping for Air Jordans) and he got a couple of questions in with Hooker on his contact to the Saints through this pre-draft process. While Hooker hasn’t met with the Saints at the combine yet, he did have extensive contact with them earlier in the offseason, which he characterized as, “A get-to-know-me type of situation. We talked a little ball, it was a great process. … Great organization, great people, great football minds.”

When asked about any relationship with Saints wider receivers coach Kodi Burns, who held the same post at Tennessee in 2021, Hooker was all smiles. He reminisced: “Spent a lot of time with him, he was telling me about his quarterback days at Auburn. He’s a great guy, great football mind as well. He implemented a lot of good plays at Tennessee that worked in our favor.”

And quite a few of Hooker’s former teammates are on the Saints’ roster — the Knoxville-to-New Orleans pipeline, as Jackson put it. A number of Vols are on the depth chart on both sides of the ball, ranging from Alvin Kamara (who Hooker said has given him some advice on the pre-draft process) and Marquez Callaway to Alontae Taylor and Shy Tuttle. Other former Volunteers like Bryce Thompson and Ethan Wolf have also gone through the organization.

“Yeah, it’d be cool (to join them),” Hooker grinned. “Cool pipeline. I have communication with every one of those guys. I had dinner with Alontae Taylor last week. He came out to California, he was working out, so I had dinner with him, he told me about the things he encounters down in New Orleans.”

Hooker is projected to be picked in the second or third round of this year’s draft, and though he isn’t throwing in front of teams at the combine (he also said that he’ll be medically cleared to stand and throw for the first time since November’s knee injury next week) he’s going through interviews, weigh-ins, and all of the other experiences that factor into final evaluations. He’s someone who should be on the play when the Saints are on the clock at Nos. 40 or 72 overall. But if they like him well enough, maybe they consider him earlier at No. 29. We’ll just have to see how this develops and where things go for them in free agency.

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Saints among multiple teams to meet with Florida QB Anthony Richardson at 2023 combine

The New Orleans Saints are among multiple teams to meet with Florida Gators QB prospect Anthony Richardson at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine:

The New Orleans Saints are among multiple teams to meet with Florida Gators quarterback prospect Anthony Richardson at the NFL Scouting Combine, per The Score’s Jordan Schultz. Richardson is seen as a top-10 prospect in the 2023 NFL draft and likely won’t be available anywhere close to the Saints’ pick at No. 29 overall, but it’s always worth giving your due diligence.

Richardson sees the field well and boasts a live arm with the ability to keep plays alive with his legs. He also struggles to make some routine throws and experienced stretches of inconsistency at Florida. He’ll need real practice reps in the NFL to meet his sky-high potential. Still, he’s as exciting as draft prospects can be coming out of college.

More importantly, though, we need to recognize that every team will have met with virtually every prospect by the time the draft kicks off in late April. The Saints scheduling a formal sit-down with Richardson at the combine does not mean they’re going to push all their chips in to trade up and pick him. It’s just another step in the process towards crafting their overall draft strategy and big board of prospects.

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Chiefs updates from DB/ST prospect media availability at NFL Scouting Combine

From meetings with the #Chiefs to interesting quotes and notes, here are the latest updates from DB/ST media availability at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

Workouts for the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine are getting underway this afternoon. The media scrum continued on Thursday morning with special teamers, cornerbacks and safeties speaking to members of the media.

Meetings and interviews with teams are continuing throughout the week, so we’re getting a few updates on the players that have met with the Kansas City Chiefs. We’re also hearing plenty about what makes this latest group of NFL draft prospects tick.

Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. is again out at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis speaking with prospects along with other members of the media. Be sure to follow along below for the latest updates as they come in:

New Orleans Saints to meet with 125 NFL draft prospects at the Senior Bowl

The New Orleans Saints will be able to meet with all 125 draft prospects at the Senior Bowl this week, as will every other team in the NFL:

Months of leadup to the 2023 NFL draft kicks off this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. as the pro football world gathers for days of practices, interviews, and private meetings with 125 college prospects competing in the all-star game.

It’s a big opportunity for the New Orleans Saints, too. We’ll see dozens of reports and tweets linking the Saints to different players this week as they make contact with draft prospects, many of whom will be making their first contact with the Saints. This will also be the case for the Houston Texans and every other team around the NFL as they look to fill out scouting reports on this year’s top prospects.

So don’t get too worked up over the reported meetings between Saints personnel and these former college players hoping to turn pro. In many cases these conversations are as simple as filling out paperwork and sharing phone numbers to schedule later meetings. By the end of the week, decision-makers in New Orleans will have at least had cursory conversations with almost every player in attendance. By the time the draft rolls around in April, they’ll have talked with hundreds of draft-eligible players.

What’s more notable for the Saints this year is that four of their coaches will be working with some prospects every single day. Saints passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry and offensive assistant D.J. Williams have been assigned to the National Team roster as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, respectively, with the American Team adding Saints defensive assistant Cory Robinson and offensive assistant Declan Doyle as the safeties coach and tight ends coach.

That’s bound to bring New Orleans some inside info on how the players they’re working with tick, though we’re months away from finding out whether it impacts their draft strategy. It’s fine to get excited about news of the Saints meeting with various draft prospects. Just don’t expect the first one to be reported to be picked by them.

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Notre Dame-Boston College: History of College Football’s Catholic Rivalry

For being the only two catholic schools to play FBS football, Notre Dame and Boston College’s history together isn’t a long one.

Notre Dame and Boston College are set to meet again this Saturday for what will the 27th all-time meeting between the two.  Despite them being the only two catholic schools that play FBS football, the rivalry on the field between the Irish and Eagles is relatively young.

Any college football fan of a certain age can recall what happened in 1993 when Boston College ruined Notre Dame’s perfect season a week after the Irish beat No. 1 Florida State.  Heck, Notre Dame fans recall when the Eagles ruined another undefeated season by upsetting the Irish in 2002, a week after Notre Dame had stunned, you guessed it, Florida State.

There is a lot more to this rivalry than just those two games, though.  Here is a look back at some of the biggest moments when the two got together.

2022 draft prospect spotlight: Saints met with Miami WR Mike Harley Jr.

The Saints had an ‘especially productive’ meeting with Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Mike Harley Jr., a prospect in the 2022 NFL draft:

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Here’s one 2022 NFL draft prospect already on the New Orleans Saints’ radar: Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Mike Harley Jr. The Draft Network’s Justin Melo reports that Harley met with more than 25 teams at the Hula Bowl all-star game, counting the Saints among a handful of meetings which he described as lengthy and “especially productive.”

Listed at 5-foot-11 and 182 pounds, Harley appeared in 52 games over five years and shattered a 20-year school record for career receptions (182) that was set by former Indianapolis Colts star and New Orleans native Reggie Wayne (175). He profiles as more of a possession receiver rather than a big-play threat, though, ranking seventh in career receiving yards (2,158) and ninth in touchdown receptions (15). His 11.9 yards per catch average is the lowest of all Hurricanes with 120 or more career receptions. He also didn’t get many looks in the return game, fielding 3 punts for 15 yards and 12 kicks for 244 yards.

Still, he could be a good get for the Saints. New Orleans badly needs help at wide receiver, with Michael Thomas still recovering from ankle surgery while Marquez Callaway looks to build on a solid second season. A couple of starters are pending free agents in Deonte Harty (restricted) and Tre’Quan Smith (unrestricted), as well as backups like Kenny Stills, Ty Montgomery, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey (restricted).

The other five receivers under contract for 2022 — Kevin White, Easop Winston Jr., Kawaan Baker, Kirk Merritt, and Jalen McCleskey — combined for just two catches last season. Some new additions and significant changes are going to be necessary.

As for Harley: he was not invited to the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, so he’ll have to wait and go through athletic timing and measurements at Miami’s pro day in the weeks ahead. He’s currently projected to be picked on the third day of the draft or be signed as a priority free agent after the event, but clearly plenty of teams are taking a look at him.

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Nevada QB Carson Strong met with Saints at Senior Bowl

2022 NFL draft: Nevada QB Carson Strong met with Saints at Senior Bowl

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There’s a ton of uncertainty surrounding the quarterback class in the 2022 NFL draft, which means prospects like Nevada’s Carson Strong have an opportunity to quickly climb rankings across the league. And the Senior Bowl gave him and his competition a great platform to show what they can do on an even playing field. It’s also an opportunity to meet with interested teams, including the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints were one of many teams to meet with Strong this week, per Sports Illustrated’s Crissy Froyd, who Strong told he felt his conversations with New Orleans and several other teams “went really well.”

Known for his big arm but facing concerns about his surgically-repaired knee, he was able to stand tall without a brace during Senior Bowl practices this week. The wintry wind and rain challenged him throwing deep downfield, though, so teams should be interested to see him dropping back to pass in better conditions.

So where will he go in the draft? It’s too soon to call Strong a first-round lock (which is the case for most of the top passers this year), but he’s often being projected inside the top two rounds. If the Saints address a different position at No. 18 overall, they could angle to move up from their second pick (at No. 47) to try and get him. Other quarterback-needy teams he singled out in speaking with Froyd are in New Orleans’ way, including:

  • Washington Commanders: Nos. 11 and 42
  • Pittsburgh Steelers: Nos. 20 and 52
  • Philadelphia Eagles: Nos. 15, 16, 19, and 51
  • Tennessee Titans: No. 26

Of course by the time the draft rolls around in April every team has met with every top prospect, and the Saints have also been in contact with Liberty quarterback Malik Willis. They’ll do their homework on all of this year’s premier passers, and whoever they hire as head coach is going to have an opportunity to go get their guy — whoever that ends up being. Maybe it’s Strong. Maybe it’s Willis. Or maybe they’ll prefer to target a veteran already in the NFL instead. We’ll keep an eye out in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

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Saints met with Mississippi State QB prospect K.J. Costello

The New Orleans Saints are one of several NFL teams to contact Mississippi State QB K.J. Costello, a prospect in the 2021 NFL draft.

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Here’s another name for the list of 2021 draft prospects contacted by the Saints: Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello, who has been picking up steam after recent throwing sessions in front of NFL scouts. LSU Wire’s Crissy Froyd reports that Costello has also spoken with the Chargers, Eagles, and Patriots in addition to his meeting with New Orleans.

Costello transferred to Mississippi State after three years at Stanford, but an initially-impressive start against LSU in the season opener didn’t quite set the tone. Five of his six touchdown passes on the year came in that upset against the defending national champs, and he ended up missing four weeks between a concussion and COVID-19 exposure. He wasn’t allowed to do much within the constraints of Mike Leach’s limited Air Raid offense, which SEC defenses figured out in a hurry.

So where is he projected to be drafted? Costello has good size (6-foot-4 and 225 pounds) but poor athleticism, along with inconsistent college performance. While he has the profile of a late-round flyer like his predecessor Tommy Stevens — cut from the Saints practice squad after failing to convert to tight end — the priority teams feel to acquire quarterbacks and maybe some optimism that he can flourish in a better situation could see him go higher, maybe earlier on the draft’s third and final day.

Right now, the Saints have a vacancy at the end of their depth chart. Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill are slated for a training camp battle to start. Adding someone like Costello to compete with Trevor Siemian to back them up as the team’s third-string quarterback makes sense. Keep an eye out for him on draft day.

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Packers meet virtually with Michigan CB Ambry Thomas

The Packers had a virtual pre-draft meeting with Michigan cornerback Ambry Thomas.

The Green Bay Packers will have a virtual pre-draft meeting with Michigan cornerback Ambry Thomas, according to Justin Melo of The Draft Network.

Thomas, an All-Big Ten pick in 2019, opted out of the 2020 season.

The Packers likely see Thomas as an intriguing cornerback prospect with experience playing on the perimeter and in press-man coverage alignments. With Kevin King headed to free agency, the Packers have a need opposite Jaire Alexander.

During his final season at Michigan in 2019, Thomas delivered 38 tackles, 3.0 for loss, seven pass breakups, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

From the Draft Network: “Thomas was most effective in coverage playing in press and disrupting route releases inside the contact window—he’s a physical player who does well when able to get his hands on the receiver and upset the timing of patterns. Thomas also flashes quite a bit in shallow spaces as a flat defender in zone coverage; showcasing good awareness of plays developing underneath to drive back to the football.”

Thomas played in 39 total games for the Wolverines, tallying four interceptions, nine pass breakups, one fumble forced, five fumble recoveries and 3.5 tackles for losses. He also returned 39 kickoffs during his first two seasons, including one for a 99-yard touchdown.

Pro Football Focus currently ranks Thomas as the site’s 121st overall prospect in the 2021 draft.

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