Tag: meetings

Saints among a crowd of NFL teams reaching out to big Utah defensive tackle

More than half of the teams in the NFL have reportedly reached out to Utah draft prospect Leki Fotu, including the New Orleans Saints.

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While prospects at linebacker, wide receiver, and cornerback have been dominating the latest mock drafts, the New Orleans Saints might be preparing to throw everyone a curve ball by picking a defensive tackle early in this year’s NFL draft. Utah Utes big man Leki Fotu is the latest interior lineman to be connected to the Saints, who previously interviewed Texas A&M prospect Justin Madubuike.

The Draft Network’s Jordan Reid reported that the Saints are among a crowd of 18 different NFL teams to have contacted Fotu, along with possible draft fits like the Seattle Seahawks, as well as the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers.

Widely considered a top-100 option in the 2020 draft class, Fotu would probably be under consideration when the Saints are on the clock at No. 88 — late in the third round. But if his meeting with the team went well, they could target him in a trade up the board, as they back in 2016 (acquiring David Onyemata, who signed a three-year contract extension earlier this offseason).

So what’s spurred the interest in Fotu? He’s an impressive athlete for the position, with his rugby background showing up in some nice movement skills. He timed the 40-yard dash in just 5.15 seconds at the NFL combine; a blazing mark for a 6-foot-5, 330-pounder. He started two years at Utah as a head-over-center nose tackle, notching 17 tackles for loss in his college career, and did a great job occupying blockers so his teammates could knife through gaps at the line of scrimmage.

However, the Saints’ interest in him is probably just cursory. Fotu wasn’t cleared to participate in this year’s Senior Bowl after initial physicals, and he didn’t finish combine athletic testing due to a hamstring issue. The Saints could have simply been doing their diligence to ask some pertinent questions about his medical history.

Besides that, his first-year fit in New Orleans is tough to nail down. Fotu would back up Malcom Brown (who saw just 31 snaps per game last year) at nose tackle. He lacks the pass-rushing skills or sleeker build to line up as a three-technique lineman, bullying guards with speed off the snap much like Onyemata, standout rookie Shy Tuttle, and former first-round pick Sheldon Rankins thrive in doing. The Saints could view Fotu as an upgrade over reserve nose tackle Taylor Stallworth (who spent most of the 2019 season on the practice squad), but is that really a spot they should prioritize so early in the draft?

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Saints show an interest in Notre Dame draft prospect Alohi Gilman

The New Orleans Saints reached out to Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman, a prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft, early in the pre-draft process.

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The New Orleans Saints showed an early interest in one of the busiest prospects in this year’s NFL draft class, scheduling a private visit with Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman before travel restrictions related to the novel coronavirus prohibited those sort of face-to-face meetings.

Justin Melo over at Draft Wire reported that the Saints were one of five different teams to pencil Gilman in for a private visit; of that group, only the Saints have yet to circle back and speak with Gilman over a video chat service like FaceTime or Zoom. In total, he’s virtually met with seven different teams. There are still two weeks left before the 2020 draft kicks off, so the Saints (and other teams around the league) have plenty of time to reach out to Gilman’s camp for an interview, if they choose.

But who is he? The 5-foot-10, 201-pounder transferred from the Naval Academy after starting there in 2016, redshirting the 2017 season with the Irish. He earned a starting gig in 2018 and 2019, ending his college career with a combined 244 tackles (140 solo) between his stops with two different programs. He created splash all over the field through 11 tackles for loss (including a sack), three interceptions and a dozen passes defensed, five forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries (returning one for a defensive touchdown in his freshman year with Navy).

Impressive as those numbers may be, Gilman tested like a pedestrian athlete by NFL standards. He doesn’t carry a very large frame or all-world movement skills (timing the 40-yard dash in 4.60 seconds flat), though he performed well in the three-cone drill (6.81 seconds). He’s a player who wins with his deep understanding of the game and great instincts rather than his physical tools. Keep an eye out for him during the second day of this year’s draft, in rounds two and three.

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Sean Payton details Saints’ plans for 2020 draft amid coronavirus crisis

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton relocated his team to the somewhat-isolated Dixie Brewing Company to prepare for the 2020 NFL Draft.

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How are the New Orleans Saints responding to the coronavirus pandemic? Saints coach Sean Payton has experienced the infection more personally than most, having tested positive and self-isolating at home for two weeks before he received an update that he was in the clear on March 26. But the Saints organization is taking more thorough steps to protect its employees and their families, especially with the 2020 NFL Draft on the horizon.

Payton discussed the changes during a conference call with local media on Wednesday, including a move away from the team facility.

“Our meetings will take place and we’re kind of in a remote location,” Payton said. “We’re over at the Dixie Brewing Company actually, which is a brand new facility in New Orleans East and it’s really a way from any high traffic area and it’s also closed. We’re the only ones here.”

Dixie Brewing Company is another property belonging to Saints owner Gayle Benson, whose late husband Tom Benson — who Payton affectionately called “Mr. B” — purchased and renovated in recent years. Based in an industrial park far from residential and commercial districts, it’s a secluded, sanitized building in which the Saints brass can congregate. Team security staff will help turn away any uninvited visitors, but odds are slim anyone will travel so far out of their way as it is.

That’s as opposed to the more-cramped quarters in the team’s Metairie offices and training facility, or the Benson Tower in the Central Business District. Payton and the Saints considered both venues but agreed that it would be easier to follow guidelines from the Center for Disease Control at the brewery. The goal is to keep staff isolated and prevent the potential spread of infections, so its large conference room makes for an ideal location.

Payton shared an example of what draft meetings now look like. Typically these are crowded conferences in the Saints “war room” in their offices, stuffing scouts, coaches, and front office executives shoulder-to-shoulder to preview this year’s prospects. But they’re taking a different approach with everyone’s safety in mind.

“Those are kind of set up a little differently this year, with all our scouts Skyping in, teleconferencing in,” Payton continued. “Mickey (Loomis), myself, Jeff (Ireland), with the position coach, maybe a few others, are in a large meeting room spread out with a lot of monitors. Depending on who we’re reading, what player group we’re reading, different people Skyping in.”

Payton added that the Saints plan to keep everyone physically in the room at least six feet apart, checking their temperatures before entering as per CDC recommendations. While some position coaches and regional scouts may rotate in depending on each day’s topic, Payton expects the process to largely feature face-to-face conversations only between himself, the Saints general manager (Loomis), and the assistant general manager (Ireland).

These meetings will continue for almost two weeks as the Saints work to finalize their “big board” of ranked prospects and decide on a draft strategy. While the team is normally one of the NFL’s most aggressive in the draft, frequently trading up to acquire talented players like Alvin Kamara, Marcus Davenport, Erik McCoy, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Payton also suggested that a scarcity of the usual data points could lead them to a more passive approach.

“The grade and the system and the way it’s set up on the board remains the same,” Payton mused. “But you may not be able to clarify or clean up some of the question marks you normally would in each year. How do we philosophically then approach the draft this year? I think it’s a great question. You might be more conservative relative to, aversion to taking a risk if you don’t have the information that you’re looking for.”

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Saints combine meetings included Utah running back Zack Moss

The New Orleans Saints met with Utah running back Zack Moss, a top prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft. Could he replace Alvin Kamara?

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The New Orleans Saints were allowed to formally interview 45 draft prospects at last week’s NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and we’re slowly finding out some of the names they prioritized. LSU Tigers safety Grant Delpit was one of them, and now we know another: Utah Utes running back Zack Moss, per Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar.

Moss gutted through a hamstring injury to time the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds, weighing in at 5-foot-9, 223 pounds. He also put up 19 reps on the bench press and hit 33 inches in the vertical jump, but hopes to improve on those numbers at Utah’s pro day on March 26.

That combine performance followed a solid college career, in which Moss ran for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons before entering the draft. He capped off his Utah tenure with 1,416 rushing yards and 15 touchdown runs in 2019, as well as a career-high 388 receiving yards (on 28 catches). He’s a name to watch on the second day of this year’s draft.

It’s possible that the Saints could target a running back this offseason, especially with uncertainty surrounding Alvin Kamara’s future with the team. Kamara is entering the final year of his rookie deal and underwhelmed last year while managing a series of lower-leg injuries. They also have Latavius Murray under contract but are otherwise running thin at the position, with practice squad call-up Taquan Mizzell waiting in the wings.

But we shouldn’t bet on the Saints drafting a runner highly. Murray proved he could shoulder the load when Kamara missed time last season, and they have too many needs at more important positions. If anything, Moss meeting with the Saints at the combine illustrates the point that we shouldn’t look too deeply into these interviews — by the time the draft rolls around on April 23, every team will have met with nearly every prospect. These formal meetings in Indianapolis are just part of the process in getting to know all possible options.

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Saints to meet with small-school quarterback prospect before 2020 draft

The New Orleans Saints are one of a few teams set to meet with Florida International’s James Morgan, a rising prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft

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All three quarterbacks who played for the New Orleans Saints last year are on track to test free agency, but it’s a safe bet that two of them will return. Team executives have made a contract extension with Drew Brees an offseason priority, while Taysom Hill can be retained on a restricted free agent tender. But that still leaves the door open for another passer to join them, especially if the plan is for Hill to remain heavily involved on special teams and in the receiver rotation.

One name to keep an eye on might be James Morgan, a draft prospect out of Florida International. Morgan has been on the rise after he turned in a solid week of practices at the East-West Shrine Bowl, which he followed up with by interviewing well at the NFL Scouting Combine. The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson reported that the Saints are one of three teams planning to touch base with Morgan in the weeks ahead, along with the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders.

However, Wilson did not include the Saints in the list of teams most interested in Morgan’s NFL potential. That may be due to their lack of familiarity with Morgan as his actual prospects of success, with NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein characterizing him as a “tough guy with a big arm” who lacks some nuance to his game, struggling to throw with consistent accuracy. Morgan figures to be picked on the third day of the draft in rounds four through seven, if at all.

But who is he? Morgan grew up near the Green Bay Packers, and was a self-professed Brett Favre fan. He played 42 games in four years as a starter (initially at Bowling Green before transferring to Florida International as a junior), peaking in 2018 with a 65.3 completion percentage with 26 touchdowns thrown against 7 interceptions.

The Saints have kept developmental passers like Morgan around before. J.T. Barrett bounced on and off of the practice squad maybe a hundred times before the Pittsburgh Steelers gave him an opportunity, a role which Tulane legend Ryan Griffin once played. While they whiffed on picking Garrett Grayson as a third-round pick, he’s also worth mentioning in the rundown of past Saints backups. We shouldn’t be shocked if Morgan joins them.

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Report: Saints met with LSU prospect Grant Delpit at NFL combine

The New Orleans Saints met with LSU Tigers prospect Grant Delpit, a top safety in the 2020 NFL Draft class, during combine interviews.

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Here’s a potential curve ball for the New Orleans Saints strategy in the 2020 NFL Draft: LSU Tigers safety Grant Delpit, last year’s Jim Thorpe Award winner. Delpit started all three of his years in Death Valley, finishing his Tigers career with 199 total tackles (17.5 for loss of yards), 8 interceptions (24 total passes defensed), 7 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles as well as a pair of fumble recoveries. He was one of the high-impact defenders on LSU’s National Championship-winning defense, and is perceived as a potential first-round draft pick.

And per a report from The Athletic’s Larry Holder, Delpit was one of 40-plus players the Saints formally met with at this year’s combine (teams are allowed 45 such interviews, but event logistics mean they don’t always meet that limit). While wide receiver is the popular pick for the Saints’ most-pressing roster need this offseason, safety can’t be overlooked.

Strong safety Vonn Bell is headed for free agency in just a few short weeks, while his partner at free safety, Marcus Williams, will test the open market next year. The Saints nailed last year’s fourth-round pick of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and he figures to be the immediate replacement of Bell should the fourth-year pro leave for greener pastures. But it makes sense for the Saints to target someone like Delpit if they want a long-term fix at the position.

That said: the Saints must spend the time between now and April 23’s draft deciding whether Delpit (or another prospect) would really be an answer. He’s struggled with missed tackles throughout his college career, bottoming out with four tackles missed against two tackles made in last year’s game against Alabama, per Pro Football Focus. Delpit did clean up his technique down the stretch, making every tackle he attempted in the final three games versus Georgia, Oklahoma, and Clemson, but it’s still something worth noting.

Of course, this is all probably moot if the Saints hammer out a new deal with Bell before free agency. Holder’s report adds that the Saints have interest in re-signing him, but that the Saints have a firm number in mind once negotiations begin. There’s a few factors to remember here — Bell finished the 2019 season as the NFL’s leader in fumble recoveries, he recently hired a new agent, and teammates like Marcus Williams play a much more prestigious position. Odds are strong that Bell’s new representatives could envision better opportunities on the open market, rather than what the Saints are able to offer. And that could shake up their entire offseason strategy.

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