Tag: Scouts

Sean Payton’s Broncos poaching more staff from the Saints

Sean Payton’s Broncos are poaching more staff from the Saints. NOF reports that the Broncos are hiring Jeff Ireland’s right-hand man:

This hurts: NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos are hiring more staff away from the Saints, this time poaching Jeff Ireland’s right-hand man.

Cody Rager spent nine years in New Orleans as a West Coast area scout before being bumped up to the national level, and he was promoted in 2021 to work as assistant college scouting director. He’s now leaving for a new role in Denver’s front office.

Payton took a number of longtime Saints assistants with him to the Broncos last offseason. Rager is just the latest departure, but he’s an impactful loss. With the roster getting older and the team short on draft picks, New Orleans needs all the help it can get in evaluating this year’s prospects to add the right players to the team. Hopefully they can find a capable replacement already on staff.

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New Orleans Saints spotted scouting UNC’s loss to Clemson

The New Orleans Saints were spotted scouting UNC’s loss to Clemson, giving them insight on a potential rival quarterback in Drake Maye:

The New Orleans Saints were spotted scouting UNC’s loss to Clemson on Saturday, possibly giving them insight on quarterback Drake Maye, a potential future rival. The Tar Heel Times’ R.J. Bynum noted the Saints as one of six NFL teams with scouts at the game, including the Atlanta Falcons — who were one of a few teams to send multiple representatives to the press box.

Atlanta is projected to pick inside the top-10 next April, putting them in range to trade up to the top of the draft for their chosen passer (just like the Carolina Panthers did in targeting Bryce Young this past cycle). There’s a non-zero chance that Maye could end up being a dirty bird.

If so, his performance on Saturday may have been illuminating. Maye had a bit of a meltdown in the game, completing just 16 of his 36 pass attempts for 209 yards, throwing both a touchdown and an interception. He was sacked four times but rushed for 67 yards, doing his best to give the offense a spark. He’s been pushing USC star Caleb Williams for the top spot in the 2024 draft class and a rough game like this will give NFL evaluators a lot to mull over.

What about the other NFL hopefuls on the field? Clemson’s first-round cornerback prospect Nate Wiggins intercepted Maye to seal the win late in the fourth quarter, forced a fumble on a touchdown-saving play earlier on, and finished second on the team with 7 tackles (6 solo).

Clemson linebackers Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Barrett Carter each played well (Trotter had 11 combined tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a pass deflection) and are both projected to be top-50 picks should they declare for the draft. But it remains to be seen which underclassmen will enter the draft, and it’s anyone’s guess who the Saints were eyeing on Saturday.

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Saints scouts spotted in attendance at Penn State-Northwestern game

Saints scouts were spotted in attendance at Saturday’s Penn State-Northwestern game, where plenty of 2024 draft prospects helped their case:

A small crowd of NFL scouts were spotted at Saturday’s college football game between Penn State and Northwestern, including the New Orleans Saints. Penn State beat writer Seth Engle reports that the Saints were among ten teams with representatives on hand for the matchup at Ryan Field on Saturday.

So who were they watching? Penn State left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu is one of the highest-rated prospects in the 2024 draft class and a veritable top-10 pick (if not top-5). But his teammates Kalen King (a cornerback) and Demeioun “Chop” Robinson (a pass-rushing linebacker) are also seen as surefire first rounders, so there was no shortage of NFL talent on the field. Penn State routed Northwestern 41-13, so there’s plenty of impressive game tape for the Saints’ scouts to pore over as they prepare for the 2024 draft.

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Saints among teams scouting future pros at Tulane vs. UAB

The Saints were among teams in attendance scouting future pros at Tulane’s conference opener against UAB | @crissy_froyd

It’s no secret the New Orleans Saints have a solid relationship with Tulane’s football team. The Green Wave practice in the Saints’ facilities at certain times, head coach Willie Fritz has paid visits to training camp, and Tulane names have crossed through as potential players to take the field in the same city at the next level.

And the Saints have been dropping in at Yulman Stadium a good bit, most recently with a representative in attendance for the Saturday matchup between UAB and Tulane as the Green Wave open up conference play.

The Saints had one individual on-site, joining the Los Angeles Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While there are multiple potential 2024 NFL draft prospects between the two sides here that may provide intrigue to the Saints and other teams who came to the contest, some have suggested that Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt could be one of the primary potential targets as he’s received plenty of NFL attention before and throughout the season.

According to sources, Pratt was being talked about “not far behind” USC quarterback Caleb Williams and UNC quarterback Drake Maye. It was also said he had a third-round grade on him with the potential of moving even higher than that.

Other possible draft prospects of note for the Green Wave in this cycle include wide receiver Jha’Quan Jackson, kicker Valentino Ambrosio, defensive lineman Patrick Jenkins and cornerback Jarius Monroe, among others.

This is not the first time the Saints have sent a scout over this season, including Week 1 against South Alabama. They’ve maintained a scouting presence with this local team.

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Saints busy scouting 2024 draft prospects at Iowa-Iowa State matchup

The New Orleans Saints were busy scouting Saturday’s Iowa-Iowa State matchup, getting a good look at several early-round prospects in the 2024 NFL draft:

The Daily Iowan’s Matthew McGowan reports that the New Orleans Saints were among teams with scouts on hand for Iowa State’s rivalry game with the University of Iowa — a game with more early-round prospects for the 2024 NFL draft than you might first expect. Iowa has been a factory of pro-quality athletes at tight end, linebacker, and along the offensive line, and Iowa State shouldn’t be overlooked either.

Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Cooper DeJean and offensive lineman Connor Colby (their starting right guard, with hundreds of snaps played at left guard and right tackle in his career) were the highest-rated prospects in the game. Iowa State Cyclones cornerback T.J. Tampa and wide receiver Jaylin Noel are also on the NFL’s radar.

It’s too soon to say which positions the Saints could seek to address in the 2024 draft, but several players stood out on Saturday who could be good fits in New Orleans. McGowan adds that the Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, and Chicago Bears were among nine other teams also represented at Jack Trice Stadium.

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New Orleans Saints scouting Tulane’s home opener vs. South Alabama

The New Orleans Saints are scouting Tulane’s home opener with South Alabama. Which prospects should be hot on their radar?

The New Orleans Saints’ college scouting staff is busy this week, the first full schedule of the 2023 college football season — with plenty of 2024 NFL draft prospects hitting the field. Our own Crissy Froyd is covering Tulane’s home opener at Yulman Stadium against South Alabama, and she reports that several NFL teams have sent scouts to observe the game in person.

Those teams include the Saints, Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, and New York Giants in addition to Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy; Tulane standouts Tyjae Spears and Dorian Williams both impressed at the college all-star game earlier this year, and there’s a good chance some more promising players draw attention Saturday night.

So who could be hot on their radar? Five members of the Green Wave made the cut for the preseason Senior Bowl watch list: quarterback Michael Pratt, center Sincere Haynesworth, left tackle Cameron Wire, left guard Prince Pines, and cornerback Jarius Monroe. And five players from South Alabama are on that watchlist, too: quarterback Carter Bradley, wide receiver Caullin Lacy, running back La’Damian Webb, defensive tackle Wy’kevious Thomas, and safety Yam Banks.

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Seahawks GM John Schneider shares what final week before draft looks like

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider gave a small glimpse into the team’s final preparations ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

The 2023 NFL draft is less than a week away and Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll are putting the final touches on all of the prep they’ve worked so hard to complete.

Here’s a look at what the two have planned in the final days leading up to the draft.

“We’re getting together with the coaches on Friday and Saturday,” Schneider said during his press conference at the VMAC. “Sunday is a really cool kind of gathering of all the information that you just heard and kind of a reset with the scouts and trying to figure out the input from the coaches and what that means to the front board. We’ll get with Jody (Allen) on Tuesday night and show her what it looks like and tell her what we’re thinking and what our process has been and the way we think it’s going to go, all the different scenarios.”

The Seahawks are in an unfamiliar position this year with two picks in each of the first two rounds and a ton of selections to consider. Some serious discussions are ahead for the duo.

“Then Pete and I will have a good day, afternoon just the two of us,” Schneider continued. “Like I said, speaking to other teams, speaking to agents, getting as much information in the final prep as we possibly can and then closing the doors and just getting ready for Thursday night to let it rip.”

The NFL draft kicks off on Thursday, April 27.

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John Schneider, Seahawks scouts still working hard ahead of NFL draft

After visiting multiple prospects, Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider and his scouts still have work to do to finalize their draft board.

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider and his staff have been on a whirlwind tour meeting with prospects ahead of the 2023 NFL draft.

Finally, back at home, Schneider spoke about the process so far during his weekly radio show on Seattle Sports.

“It’s exciting to go out and do the work and see all that, but I’m most excited about being back and being able to hunker down in the draft room with everybody and be able to study and continue to bounce things off each other and try to try to figure this thing out,” Schneider said. “I think just being back here – obviously I love sleeping in my own bed – but I don’t mind that travel at all.”

But all the hard work isn’t over just yet – there is still a lot to do ahead of the first round, and fortunately, it can be done closer to home.

“We’re still Zoom(ing) a bunch of guys,” Schneider explained. “We had a huge portion of our visits (on Wednesday) and then (on Thursday), we had our local group in for our local visit, which is a big tryout day. We had some really really cool guys in today and it was one of our better local days that we’ve had.”

After all the effort the crew has put in, it now comes down to putting the final touches on the Seahawks draft board.

“We’re meeting with the scouts right now. This is like our third time through the board,” Schneider explained, noting it could take up to five times to get everything up to par.

“It gets like a rescraping, kind of,” he said. “Not taking everybody off, but just moving around and making sure everybody has all their input and everybody feels good about it.”

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Latest look at Chiefs’ pro day attendance

The #Chiefs’ personnel department was exceptionally busy with nearly two dozen pro day stops throughout the week.

The Kansas City Chiefs covered a ton of ground on pro days over the course of the past week. The front office has been collecting as much information as possible to make informed decisions on draft-eligible talent in April.

We’ve already confirmed that the Chiefs have been to pro days for Texas, Purdue, UNLV, Columbia, Illinois, South Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Central Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, Army, Georgia Tech, and Tulsa. Now, we’ve got a whole new group of confirmed attendances for Kansas City over the past week.

Here’s a look at the latest pro days that Chiefs scouts have been present for:

Chiefs scouts attend Texas, Purdue, UNLV and Columbia pro days

#Chiefs scouts have been in attendance for Texas, Purdue, UNLV and Columbia pro days thus far.

It’s officially pro day season for the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the NFL.

Scouts hit the road to get a final look at all the draft-eligible players ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. They’ll hone in on those players who weren’t participants in All-Star games or at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, gathering information to help them make the best decisions possible in April’s draft and in undrafted free agency. They’ll also look to fill in the blanks on those players who didn’t work out in full at the combine.

With several key pro days kicking off earlier this week, here’s a look at those that we’ve confirmed the Chiefs were in attendance for: