Tag: Old Dominion

Saints add more depth at cornerback by signing Kaleb Ford-Dement

The Saints added more depth at cornerback by signing Kaleb Ford-Dement. The rookie from Texas State was recently waived by the Patriots:

Here’s that corresponding move to fullback Zander Horvath being waived. The New Orleans Saints Saints added more depth at cornerback by signing Kaleb Ford-Dement on Tuesday, as first reported by Sara Palczewski for BR Proud.

The rookie from Texas State was recently waived by the New England Patriots before trying out for the Seattle Seahawks. Ford-Dement went to Whitehouse High School in Texas, about an hour northwest of Saints running back Kendre Miller’s hometown at Mount Enterprise. He initially played at Kilgore College before transferring a couple of times, first to Old Dominion, then Washington State, and again to Texas State.

Ford-Dement signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent earlier this year and now joins an already-crowded position group in New Orleans. But the Saints clearly want more competition after watching Rico Payton, Rezjohnn Wright, and Shemar Jean-Charles take most of the snaps in their first preseason game. Kool-Aid McKinstry will continue to get more work but the top of the depth chart is set between Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, and Alontae Taylor.

So we’ll see if Ford-Dement can make a strong impression. He doesn’t exactly have the physical traits the Saints look for after weighing in at just 5-foot-11 and 178 pounds, but he’s got rare movement skills and an impressive 9.00 Relative Athletic Score. Every rep matters through these last few weeks leading up to roster cuts.

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Countdown to Kickoff: Nick Saldiveri is the Saints Player of Day 64

Countdown to Kickoff: Nick Saldiveri is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 64. A successful season for Saldiveri has him playing well in the starting lineup:

We’re counting down to the days to the start of the New Orleans Saints’ 2024 regular season by highlighting each player to own the corresponding jersey number, and Day 64 brings us to a very important name: Nick Saldiveri.

What are realistic expectations for the second-year pro? What does a successful 2024 season look like for him? And what road brought him here? Let’s answer all those questions:

  • Name (Age): Nick Saldiveri (23)
  • Position: Offensive line
  • Height, weight: 6-foot-6, 316 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: 9.47
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $1,188,570
  • College: Old Dominion
  • Drafted: Fourth round in 2023 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: 1 year

Saldiveri played right tackle almost exclusively in college, but the Saints converted him to left guard as a rookie last year and the new offensive coaching staff is keeping him there. And the early returns are encouraging. Saldiveri initially split reps at left guard with veteran pickup Shane Lemieux at organized team activities before dominating first-team snaps at minicamp. He did leave the final day of minicamp practice early with a soft-tissue injury (either a hamstring or groin muscle) but it isn’t expected to be serious, and he should be full-go when the Saints regroup for training camp.

A successful season for Saldiveri will have him playing well in the starting lineup. All of the offensive linemen drafted after him in the top half of Round 4 played more snaps than he did as a rookie, though we should remember Saldiveri’s rookie season ended with shoulder surgery, which he opted to undergo sooner so it wouldn’t disrupt his offseason. He also missed part of the spring last year with a calf injury, so durability may be a concern here. It’s at least something to monitor moving forward. Hopefully he’s as strong a fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense as the Saints envision. If Saldiveri can be part of a much-needed youth movement along the offensive line, that’s a win.

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Nick Saldiveri taking all first-team reps in Saints left guard competition

Nick Saldiveri was viewed as a future starter at guard when the Saints drafted him last year. He’s taking charge of the competition early at OTAs:

Nick Saldiveri seems to be in the lead in the New Orleans Saints left guard battle, for now. James Hurst retiring before the NFL draft and Andrus Peat leaving in free agency meant the Saints would need a new starting left guard. But this would have been a move the Saints should have considered even if Hurst didn’t retire. The new scheme requires more mobility than Hurst has shown. Insert Saldiveri.

In the second day of organized team activities open to local media, the second-year pro took all the first team snaps at left guard, per Locked On Saints host Ross Jackson. This was a departure from the approach seen the week prior. Last week, Saldiveri and Shane Lemieux split time in the starting lineup. Saldiveri taking all first team reps suggests he’s ahead of Lemieux, at least for the moment.

The Saints haven’t made it to training camp just yet so the battle is far from over. New Orleans could also be alternating days in the starting lineup. That won’t be known until media is allowed to watch consecutive practices. Saldiveri was viewed as a future starter when they traded up to draft him last year, with the first pick in the fourth round, so him taking over at left guard would be the intended outcome. Saldiveri played right tackle almost exclusively at Old Dominion so he’ll need every rep he can get. He’s off to a good start in 2024.

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Michigan State football lands Old Dominion transfer DL Jalen Satchell

Michigan State lands Old Dominion transfer DL Jalen Satchell

With the recent departure of Derrick Harmon and Simeon Barrow, Michigan State football needed some help on the defensive line. They got it on Sunday, when Old Dominion transfer Jalen Satchell committed to the Spartans.

Satchell is a 6-foot-1, 300-pound defensive tackle who has 36 career tackles, with 2.5 coming for a loss. He also had 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in a career split between Temple and Old Dominion.

Satchell will have two years of eligibility remaining.

LOOK: MICHIGAN STATE FOOTBALL SPRING TRANSFER TRACKER

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

Highlight: Chargers TE Stone Smartt gets first career touchdown vs. Packers

Stone Smartt’s first career touchdown went for 51 yards.

It’s been a long road to glory for Chargers tight end Stone Smartt.

An undrafted player from Old Dominion, Smartt spent most of his college career as a quarterback. He moved to tight end, was signed by the Chargers, and had a strong training camp before incurring an injury that kept him out for the majority of his rookie season in 2022.

With Gerald Everett out this week, Smartt stepped into a bigger role against the Packers. That step paid dividends in the second quarter. Smartt took an intermediate pass from Justin Herbert, stiff armed a Packers defender, and burst upfield for a 51-yard touchdown.

Smartt’s first career touchdown also gave the Chargers a 10-7 lead.

Old Dominion added to Arkansas basketball schedule

Arkansas added Old Dominion to an already daunting non-conference basketball schedule this week.

Duke took the headlines the other day, but Arkansas also has another non-conference game lined up for 2023-24 with an East Coast opponent.

Old Dominion will play the Razorbacks in Bud Walton Arena on November 13 in what will be the first meeting between the schools.

Arkansas also has games scheduled with Gardner-Webb on November 10 and Abilene Christian on December 21.

The Razorbacks are also scheduled to compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament in the Bahamas during the week of Thanksgiving.

Teams also in that tournament include Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Northern Iowa, Stanford, Texas Tech and Villanova.

The Duke game is slated for November 29, which will be the 30th anniversary of the first regular season game ever played in Bud Walton Arena.

Arkansas won that game, 93-67 over Murray State.

Rookie Saints offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri sidelined by calf injury at OTAs

Rookie Saints offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri sidelined at organized team activities, head coach Dennis Allen says he has a calf injury:

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We’re starting to notice a theme with the New Orleans Saints this offseason. The team is playing it safe with many players managing injuries — including third-round rookie running back Kendre Miller and veteran wide receiver Michael Thomas. We can add fourth-round draft pick Nick Saldiveri to the list being held back by an abundance of caution from the medical staff.

Saldiveri wasn’t spotted at Saints organized team activities on Tuesday; after practice, head coach Dennis Allen said that he’s dealing with a calf injury. He was a full participant at Senior Bowl practices in February as well as the NFL Scouting Combine and Old Dominion’s pro day in March, as well as rookie minicamp last week, so this injury must have occurred after he arrived in New Orleans and began training earlier this month.

It’s not a big deal that Saldiveri isn’t able to participate right now. Contact is limited if not nonexistent at this stage in the offseason, so the offensive linemen who are present don’t have much to do besides work on their cardio. It would be nice to have him at the facility and getting more familiar with his teammates, but it’s not like the Saints are running blocking drills without him.

With that said, we still don’t know where he’s going to play this year. Saldiveri was a full-time right tackle in college and he played that role very well. He’s also right on the fringe of the Saints’ standards for the position with arms measuring just over 33 inches long. He was working at right guard in rookie minicamp but Allen has said his ability to kick out to tackle if needed was part of what drew them to him. They valued him highly enough to trade up to the first pick of the 2023 draft’s third day, so they clearly have a vision for the player once he’s able to return.

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The Athletic’s Dane Brugler talks up Round 4 Saints OL Nick Saldiveri

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler talks up New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri, one of their fourth-round picks in the 2023 draft, via @DillySanders:

The New Orleans Saints have been widely praised for their fourth-round selection of Old Dominion offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler listed Saldiveri as his Day 3 pick that could surprise for New Orleans:

Saldiveri has NFL-starting traits with his body control to center himself against rushers. Coaches rave about his mental approach to the position, and it won’t be a surprise if he impresses should he be pressed into early action. Saldiveri was a right tackle in college, but he has position flex.

Saldiveri will be an interior player primarily in New Orleans, after a successful right tackle career in college. Per Pro Football Focus charting, he allowed just nine sacks in 1,406 pass blocking snaps during his career.

He’s a great athlete, offering much more in that area than fellow depth guard Calvin Throckmorton. Throckmorton had a notoriously-low Relative Athletic Score, coming in under a 2.00, while Saldiveri came out with a 9.84 grade when scored as an offensive guard. Lewis Kidd is a much more comparable athlete, with a 9.26 unofficial RAS.

Saldiveri also ended inside up Brugler’s Top 100 players in the 2023 draft. It’s hard to look at Saldiveri and not get excited about the potential that the Saints found in the fourth round, with the trade up to secure him looking better and better. Starting guards Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz are both playing out the final year of their contracts and Saldiveri could position himself to supplant one of them this time next year.

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2023 NFL draft grades: Saints pick OL Nick Saldiveri at No. 103 overall

2023 NFL draft grades: Saints pick Old Dominion offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri at No. 103 overall, via @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints continue to knock out their individual needs in the 2023 NFL draft by selecting offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri out of Old Dominion in the fourth round.

The Saints felt the need to trade up to the top spot of Day 3 to get their guy. Saldiveri played right tackle in college, but projects as someone that will move inside in the NFL due to his short arm length.

He’s an elite athlete, scoring a 9.47 Relative Athletic Score. His best trait is his burst and acceleration after the snap. He can be a solid swing guard at the next level. Saldiveri will be solid depth for now, but he does have a better chance to grow into a starter to possibly replace Andrus Peat than anyone else currently on the roster.

Grade: B+

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Who is Nick Saldiveri, and why did the Saints trade up for him?

Who is Nick Saldiveri, and why did the Saints trade up for him? He’s a high-end athlete who started three years at Old Dominion:

Who? The New Orleans Saints traded up to the top of Round 4 so they could pick Nick Saldiveri and add him to the offensive line depth chart. But who is he, and why did they value him so highly?

A former two-star recruit from Waxhaw, N.C., Saldiveri started 35 of the 38 games he played at Old Dominion, only missing two games in his college career (once for injury, later for illness). He didn’t allow a single sack last year and blocked well in space, paving the way for the school’s run-first offense.

More than 2,200 of his snaps came at right tackle but he also has experience at right guard, and he tried out at center during Senior Bowl practices earlier this year. He can back up multiple spots while preparing to start, likely at guard, where his rare movement skills can shine while his substandard length is minimized.

And he’s a fantastic athlete for his size. Saldiveri weighed in at 6-foot-6 and 318 pounds but posted a 9.47 Relative Athletic Score among offensive tackles; that number improves to 9.84 among guards. The Saints don’t use RAS but their in-house analytics line up very closely with it, and they consistently draft prospects who post high-end athletic scores.

Beyond his starting experience and impressive athletic traits, Saldiveri has other qualities that make him an on-brand Saints draft pick. He was voted a team captain and was noted for his vocal leadership skills and need for accountability. He competed hard at the Senior Bowl, which is an all-star event the Saints often use to scout talent. They have a strong history of drafting small-school offensive linemen like Terron Armstead (Arkansas Pine-Bluff), Jermon Bushrod (Towson), Jahri Evans (Bloomsburg), and last year’s first-round pick Trevor Penning (Northern Iowa). Saldiveri is cut from similar cloth.

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