Tag: meetings

Saints had virtual interview with first-round LB prospect Zaven Collins

The New Orleans Saints are on the list of Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins’ interviews, putting the top NFL draft prospect on their radar.

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Add another name to the still-growing list of New Orleans Saints pre-draft meetings. The Draft Network’s Justin Melo reports that the Saints have Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins on their radar, joining a long list of teams to virtually interview one of this year’s top draft prospects. Other interested teams include the Ravens, Packers, Titans, and Seahawks, and that’s just those to have contacted Collins by early March.

It’s easy to see why he’s earned so much attention. Collins is a rare athlete, moving like someone much lighter than his listed size at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds. He’s got impressive ball skills with four interceptions in just eight games last season, plus a pair of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. But his best skill might be rushing the quarterback on blitzes, using his size mismatch to swat aside running backs in pass protection — he bagged 7.5 sacks in his Tulsa career, and 25 tackles for loss.

And he’s been a popular fit in Saints mock drafts, considering they only have one linebacker the black and gold can hang their hat on. Demario Davis is terrific, but he can’t do everything on his own, and it’s unclear whether Zack Baun will be able to switch positions like the coaches have tasked him with or if Kwon Alexander can rebound from an Achilles injury. Adding someone like Collins early in the draft would help build some confidence in a shaky part of the defense. Remember his name in late April when the Saints go on the clock.

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Saints among a crowd of teams interviewing first-round OL prospect Teven Jenkins

The New Orleans Saints have a meeting with Oklahoma State tackle Teven Jenkins, a popular first round prospect in the 2021 NFL draft.

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The Draft Newtork’s Justin Melo reports that the New Orleans Saints have made contact with Oklahoma State left tackle Teven Jenkins, a legit first-round prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft. 14 teams are listed on Melo’s report of Jenkins’ current predraft interviews, but there’s a good chance all 32 squads end up meeting with Jenkins virtually at some point.

And the interest is easy to justify. Jenkins has terrific size at 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds of muscle, with the lean body type favored by today’s most successful linemen. He’s expected to test well athletically at Oklahoma State’s pro day.

What’s interesting is that he has experience playing on both the left and right sides of the line: per Pro Football Focus, 483 of Jenkins’ snaps in college have come from the left tackle spot, which isn’t an insignificant number. But he’s logged more time at right tackle (1,844), and that’s probably where his future lies in the NFL.

He isn’t someone who would help the Saints tremendously right away, but he could be a solid succession plan if either Terron Armstead or Ryan Ramczyk exit New Orleans. Both bookend tackles are unrestricted free agents next year and could be part of a blockbuster trade package if the Saints get creative. Having a good prospect like Jenkins ready to step in makes sense.

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Report: Saints schedule meeting with top CB prospect Asante Samuel Jr.

The New Orleans Saints have reportedly scheduled a virtual meeting with Florida State CB Asante Samuel Jr, a top 2021 NFL draft prospect.

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The Spun’s Chris Rosvoglou reports that the New Orleans Saints have a virtual interview coming up soon with Florida State standout Asante Samuel Jr., one of the best cornerback prospects in the 2021 NFL draft.

Samuel might not be the first cornerback off the board — that distinction likely belongs to another NFL veteran’s son, South Carolina corner Jaycee Horn — but it’s not unimaginable. He’s that talented. Despite his physical limitations (listed at 5-foot-10, 184 pounds) he brings great short-area movement skills and a rare ability to read and react to plays as they’re happening. He’s recorded 29 passes defensed in his career and is an able tackler.

He also proved he can line up in the slot and out on the boundary, having covered the slot on 76% and 77% of his snaps during his first two years before primarily playing outside as a junior (moving to the slot on just 3% of snaps). It’s also worth noting that he set career highs in interceptions (3) and fumbles (2 recovered, 1 forced) in just 8 games last season.

So could he be an option at the 28th pick? Maybe, depending on how highly the Saints regard him. But he might make more sense as a second-round prospect depending on who is available. New Orleans needs more corners with uncertain contract status for both Marshon Lattimore (entering the final year of his deal) and Janoris Jenkins (possible salary cap cut). Adding a good player like Samuel to the mix would be worth considering.

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Tracking 2021 Saints draft prospects meetings

The New Orleans Saints have begun conducting virtual interviews with 2021 NFL draft prospects due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic means the run up to the 2021 NFL draft is going to look much like the process that led to last year’s event. There won’t be an NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The pro day circuit is pared-down. Teams like the New Orleans Saints can’t fly prospects into town for private meetings at their facilities; all contact is being conducted virtually.

So information is coming at a premium this year. Still, eventually, every team will have met with nearly every prospect. So we shouldn’t look too deeply into these reports. The Saints aren’t tipping their hand one way or another based of which interviews are made public, but it’s a good data point to keep in mind ahead of this year’s draft. This list will be updated as new meetings are reported:

Saints to interview small-school standout OL Quinn Meinerz

The New Orleans Saints have scheduled a virtual meeting with Wisconsin-Whitewater center Quinn Meinerz, a versatile 2021 NFL draft prospect.

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Few players helped themselves at this year’s Senior Bowl more than Quinn Meinerz, a little-known offensive lineman out of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Meinerz put himself on the map between his people-moving skills on the field and big personality off of it, with his fashionable crop top jersey tying everything together beautifully. Meinerz injured his hand during the week of practices but gutted out the pain to impress scouts and coaches with quality reps at center and both guard spots.

The Draft Network’s Justin Melo reports that Meinerz has a virtual meeting with the New Orleans Saints coming up, and he’d be an ideal replacement for someone they recently cut — veteran guard Nick Easton. Easton’s contract had become prohibitive (his release saved nearly $6 million) relative to his play, but he was an important part of their success up front. Like Meinerz, Easton was an accomplished guard with a history of snapping the ball himself at center.

As for where Meinerz could be picked: that’s very much up in the air, making virtual interviews like this even more important. His conference didn’t play football in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, making it even more difficult to evaluate a Division III prospect with a smaller sample size. It’s possible he lands in the second or third round if he continues to check the right boxes with teams.

The Saints have a history of adding small-school talent. Two of the best players in team history, Jahri Evans and Marques Colston, played at Bloomsburg and Hofstra (which doesn’t have a football program anymore). All-Pro return man Deonte Harris starred at Division-II Assumption College. They found former tight end-convert Dan Arnold at nearby rival Wisconsin-Platteville. Terron Armstead might be the best left tackle in the NFL, depending on who you ask, and his career started at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Meinerz fits the profile of what the Saints like to see in draft prospects, and his addition would address a need on the roster; but there’s a long road to go until this year’s draft, and it’s anyone’s guess who might end up picking him.

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Report: Saints schedule meeting with Notre Dame pass rusher Adetokunbo Ogundeji

The New Orleans Saints have scheduled a meeting with Notre Dame defensive end Adetokunbo Ogundeji, a still-rising 2021 NFL draft prospect.

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One 2021 draft prospect who helped his case at this year’s Senior Bowl was Adetokunbo Ogundeji, a defensive end out of Notre Dame who impressed in practices leading up to the annual all-star game. The Spun’s Chris Rosvoglou reports that Ogundeji has scheduled a virtual meeting with the New Orleans Saints. The Draft Network’s Justin Melo adds that, for now, this is Ogundeji’s only follow-up interview after contacting all 32 teams at the Senior Bowl in January.

Ogundeji was an early star at Senior Bowl weigh-ins, where he measured in at 6-foot-4 and 256 pounds with 35 1/4-inch arms, nailing the physical prototype the Saints have shown a liking for in their defensive ends. Much like Marcus Davenport and Trey Hendrickson, he could continue to add on muscle at the next level.

He improved each year he played at Notre Dame, finishing his college career with 71 tackles (38 solo, 15 tackles for loss) and 10.5 sacks in 30 games played. Ogundeji is considered a viable second-day prospect in rounds two or three.

And it makes sense for New Orleans to put him on their radar. They could lose their sacks leader in free agency, where Hendrickson should command plenty of interest despite his status as a one-year wonder. Davenport is flirting with the draft bust label after three inconsistent, injury-plagued seasons to start his career.

That leaves annual Pro Bowler Cameron Jordan and ascendant reserve Carl Granderson (who Pro Football Focus credited with 19 pressures, including 5 sacks, in 2020) as the only players the Saints can really hang their hat on at defensive end, which isn’t good enough.

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Report: Saints VP of pro personnel Terry Fontenot to interview for Broncos GM job

New Orleans Saints VP of pro personnel Terry Fontenot has scheduled an interview with the Denver Broncos after John Elway stepped down as GM

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Add the Denver Broncos to the list of teams interested in hiring Terry Fontenot. The New Orleans Saints vice president of pro personnel has scheduled an interview with the team after John Elway vacated the general manager position, as first reported by Mike Klis of 9News-Denver.

Fontenot has had a busy week as it is. He’s already interviewed for openings with the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons, with the Jacksonville Jaguars also requesting a meeting. So the Broncos would be the fourth team potentially putting his name in the hat.

With that said, interviews are still ongoing throughout the NFL, and few positions have been filled just yet. It’s anyone’s guess as to where Fontenot could go next, but it sure seems like the New Orleans front office is in for a restructure or two between the interest he and college scouting director Jeff Ireland are receiving.

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Notre Dame vs. Louisville – short but sweet series history

Notre Dame and Louisville have only ever played twice in football with each winning once. Take a quick look back at the series now!

Notre Dame and Louisville will square off on Saturday for just the third time ever, with each team winning one of the previous meetings.

Oddly enough, the road team has won the two previous meetings with Louisville knocking off Notre Dame in mid-Novmeber back in 2014 and Notre Dame starting the season with a win at Louisville to open the 2019 season.

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In 2014 it was running back Brandon Radcliff helping lead the way for Louisville as he ran for 136 yards and a touchdown in the 31-28 Louisville victory.

Tarean Folston ran for a touchdown and 134 yards for Notre Dame while Will Fuller hauled in 109 yards and a touchdown but a late 32 yard field goal attempt by Kyle Brindza was untrue as the Cardinals held on to win the first meeting ever between the two programs.

2019:

The two would meet again to start the 2019 season on Labor Day as the Irish came in fresh off their first ever College Football Playoff appearance while Louisville had their first showing under new head coach Scott Satterfield.

Louisville’s offense got off to a hot start, matching Notre Dame blow-for-blow early but the Irish defense came alive as the game went on, holding Louisville to just three points after the first quarter that night.

Tony Jones helped lead the Notre Dame offense with 110 yards and a score while Ian Book added 81 yards on the ground and a score.  Jahmir Smith scored twice in the Irish victory despite only getting eight touches on the day.

The star of the day for the Louisville offense will be back for Louisville on Saturday, as running back Javin Hawkins rushed for a game-high 122 while averaging more than six yards per carry.

Chiefs pre-draft prospect meeting, interview tracker

Comprehensive list of the Kansas City Chiefs’ interviews and meetings ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Over the course of the final weeks leading up to the draft, the Kansas City Chiefs have engaged in numerous pre-draft virtual meetings. Typically these would be top-30 visits, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, teams have been using video conferences with prospects in order to stay true to social distancing guidelines.

Below you’ll find our trackers for virtual meetings, pre-draft interviews at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, and meetings at all-star games. We’ll continue to keep you updated as we learn of more meetings ahead of the 2020 NFL draft.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out to Chiefs Wire on Facebook or Twitter.

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Senior Bowl & East-West Shrine Bowl

School Position & Player Game
Florida International  QB James Morgan East-West Shrine Bowl
Buffalo OT Evan Ksiezacyzk East-West Shrine Bowl
Auburn OT Jack Driscoll East-West Shrine Bowl
TCU OG Cordel Iwuagwu East-West Shrine Bowl
Michigan State OG Tyler Higby East-West Shrine Bowl
Rhode Island OG Kyle Murphy East-West Shrine Bowl
Illinois RB Reggie Corbin East-West Shrine Bowl
Western Michigan RB LeVante Bellamy East-West Shrine Bowl
Boise State WR John Hightower East-West Shrine Bowl
Ferris State DE Austin Edwards East-West Shrine Bowl
Illinois LB Dele Harding East-West Shrine Bowl
SMU S Rodney Clemons East-West Shrine Bowl
Washington WR Aaron Fuller Senior Bowl
Florida WR Van Jefferson Senior Bowl
NC State DT Larrell Murchison Senior Bowl
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Notre Dame Players Meet with Another Former NFL MVP

Running game coordinator Lance Taylor who we’ve discussed for his connections at length already this week, arranged another meeting Friday, this time with his stable of running backs.  

Notre Dame players have recently had the benefit of meeting with a couple of former NFL stars.  New tight ends coach John McNulty arranged a meeting with Hall of Famer Kurt Warner a week or so ago and earlier this week he had a video conference arranged for his tight ends with former Irish great, Anthony Fasano.

Running game coordinator Lance Taylor who we’ve discussed for his connections at length already this week, arranged another meeting Friday, this time with his stable of running backs.

A couple thoughts here from Shaun Alexander talking to a room of Notre Dame running backs.

I wasn’t able to legally drink when Alexander won his MVP in 2005 and am now 34. I wonder if the players on this call are aware of how great he was considering they were all probably about six or seven years old in Alexander’s prime.

How great would it be to be able to have a giant poster of yourself on the Madden cover to put up in your home office?  Power move.

If you’ve forgotten, go check out Alexander’s career numbers.  He averaged more than a touchdown a game over a five year span.

Also noteworthy is the former Notre Dame running back who is looking to get drafted next week that regrets not jumping on the call today.

It’s cool to see Notre Dame taking advantage of this strange time and making the best of a bad situation.  Now we’re curious what former NFL star will be next to meet with a one of the 2020 squad’s positional groups.