New Orleans Saints Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Saints Acquire 120th Pick From Washington

April 30th, 2016 at 12:20pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints have found a way into the fourth round, as Mike Jones of The Washington Post reports (via Twitter) that the team has acquired the 120th pick from Washington. Jones reports that Washington will receive pick No. 152 and a 2017 fifth-rounder in return. The Saints will use the pick on University of Manitoba (Canada) defensive tackle David Onyemata.

Hailing from Nigeria, Onyemata was considered a fifth- or sixth-round pick by NFL.com. The 6-4, 300-pound lineman finished this past season with 50 tackles, five sacks, and 7.5 tackles for a loss. His performance earned him the J.P. Metras Trophy for the best down lineman in CIS. These are especially impressive accolades when you consider that Onyemata started playing football in 2011.

Saints Acquire 61st Pick From Patriots

April 29th, 2016 at 8:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints acquired the 61st pick from the Patriots in exchange for Nos. 78 and 112, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). New Orleans then selected Ohio State safety Vonn Bell. The Patriots, meanwhile, now have three third-round picks.

Bell will join a a Saints defense that allowed the second-most passing yards in the NFL last season and hauled in just nine interceptions. Bell picked off nine passes himself during his three-year tenure with the Buckeyes and should play a prominent role in New Orleans’ defensive backfield.

Draft Rumors: Elliott, Cowboys, Saints, Titans

April 28th, 2016 at 6:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The idea of selecting running back Ezekiel Elliott is “gaining steam” inside the Cowboys organization, reports David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote earlier tonight that Dallas is “struggling” with their decision on Elliott, while the Ravens are also a contender to draft Elliott at pick No. 6.

Here’s the latest with the draft only about 30 minutes away…

While a report earlier tonight indicated that we could see quite a few first-round trades, Saints head coach Sean Payton feels differently, telling Larry Holder of NOLA.com (Twitter link) that he doesn’t believe there will be many deals tonight, at least in the top half of the first round. New Orleans is comfortable picking where it is (No. 12), per Payton.
Though the Chargers are reportedly open to trading out of the No. 3 pick, general manager Tom Telesco tells Britt McHenry of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that while he’s taken calls, “nothing of significant interest” has caught his ear as of yet.
The Dolphins and Titans are still trying to move back into the top-10 picks, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who adds that Miami has its eye on Elliott, while Tennessee would like to pick up an offensive tackle. Meanwhile, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com used two separate draft value charts to calculate what it would take for the Titans to trade up to various locales on the board.

Giants Not Considering Myles Jack At No. 10

April 27th, 2016 at 8:49pm CST by Zachary Links

8:49pm: Some teams that are interested in Jack are thinking about having him sign an injury waiver, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net tweets. In an entry on WalterFootball.com, Pauline details how such a waiver would work:

“Teams can start their due diligence now and see if Jack would accept such a request before deciding on whether or not they would draft him. The injury waiver would be a clause that waives any compensation for Jack if he injures or re-injures the knee in question. The teams in question would require this for their short or long term protection, but it should be noted that verbal agreements of this sort are non-binding,” Pauline writes.

The Saints at No. 12 are a team to watch if Jack slips, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets.

7:37pm: The Giants are not considering linebacker Myles Jack with the No. 10 pick, sources tell Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The linebacker is considered to be one of the best talents in this year’s class, but the Giants have serious reservations about his medical situation.

“If the injury is so significant… It’s like school. F is bad and A is good. Anything in between… If it’s a C, there’s some risk,” Giants general manager Jerry Reese said last week when asked about draft prospects with medical concerns. “If there’s a D, there is a lot of risk, and if it’s an F, we’re not going to take them. It’s hard for us to take a D. We rarely take a D.”

The Giants reportedly like Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd and Michigan State tackle Jack Conklin, two players who are regarded as safer picks than Jack, at No. 10. According to Raanan, Floyd is the Giants’ preference at No. 10 and Conklin is viewed as the fallback option, provided that he is also available.

Jack missed most of the 2015 campaign thanks to a torn meniscus in his knee. Now, there is growing concern that Jack could require further surgery that could keep him off the field for part of the 2016 season.

News of the Giants shying away from Jack comes on the heels of the linebacker personally doing a poor job of selling himself in a conversation with Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter link):

“[The degenerative problems are] there, but it’s nothing extreme. Down the line, possibly I could have microfracture surgery – potentially. Who knows what will happen? Nobody knows how long anybody is going to play in this league. To play three years in this league would be above average,” Jack said.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints Notes: Draft, Norman, QBs

April 27th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis spoke to reporters today about his team’s draft plans, and took the opportunity to take a shot at one reporter who wasn’t involved in the presser. After Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested earlier this week that the Saints had a discussion about trading up to No. 1 before the Rams acquired the pick, Loomis said today that his club had “absolutely no conversations” with any teams at the top of the draft (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune). “Another miss by that reporter,” Loomis added.

It’s not the first time Loomis has been dismissive of a Rapoport report — last January, he asserted that Rapoport “has about a 30% accuracy rate if you pay attention to things he puts out there.” As I wrote when Rapoport first tweeted about the Saints’ talks for the No. 1 pick, it’s not clear whether he was suggesting the team actually spoke to the Titans about a deal, or simply had an internal discussion about the idea of moving up. Either way though, Loomis’ comments today confirm that New Orleans never seriously considered the possibility at all.

Loomis did confirm today that the Saints were in the mix for Josh Norman before the standout cornerback ended up in Washington. “We made a strong offer,” the Saints GM said (Twitter link via Woodbery).
The Saints are considered likely to select a quarterback at some point in this draft, and Loomis didn’t dispute that notion, telling reporters that his team looks into QB prospects every year. “I don’t see [this year] as being dramatically different,” Loomis said (Twitter link via Woodbery).

Saints Never Seriously Considered Trade To No. 1

April 26th, 2016 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported that the Saints “had talks” about potentially moving up to the No. 1 pick, before Tennessee ultimately sent the pick to Los Angeles. At the time, I noted that it wasn’t clear whether Rapoport was suggesting New Orleans actually engaged the Titans in trade talks, or whether the Saints simply had internal discussions about the possibility.

According to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com, however, a source said the Saints had no talks about trading for the first overall pick. Once again, it’s not entirely clear whether Triplett is referring to discussions between the Saints and Titans, or simply internal conversations in New Orleans, so it’s possible he and Rapoport are on different pages. In any case, it seems as though the team was never serious about the idea of moving way up in the first round.

In fact, that source tells Triplett that the Saints are more likely to trade down than up, adding that the idea of drafting quarterback Paxton Lynch appears to be a long shot, at best. The club is more likely to add a QB in the middle rounds of the draft, says Triplett.

Saints Discussed Possible Trade For No. 1 Pick

April 26th, 2016 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

Before the Titans sent the No. 1 overall pick to Los Angeles, the Saints had discussions about moving up to No. 1 for a quarterback, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s not clear whether New Orleans actually engaged in talks with the Titans, or simply discussed the idea internally, but Rapoport wonders if the team will target Paxton Lynch in the first round.
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) adds the Saints to the list of clubs that have worked out Cal running back Daniel Lasco in the weeks leading up to the draft. Lasco, whose stock is believed to be on the rise, worked out for at least five other teams besides New Orleans.

Saints Cut Barnes, Sunseri

April 25th, 2016 at 4:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have released second-year defensive end Tavaris Barnes, a league source tells Evan Woodbery of The Times Picayune (on Twitter). Barnes, a Clemson product, appeared in 12 games for New Orleans in 2015.
The Saints have also waived safety Vinnie Sunseri, as Woodbery tweets.

Draft Rumors: Lawson, Lynch, Jack, Bosa

April 25th, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest mock draft, Peter King of TheMMQB.com has Clemson edge defender Shaq Lawson coming of the board at No. 11 to the Bears. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report likes that prediction, tweeting that the idea of Lawson to the Bears is “heating up,” with Chicago having done a ton of homework on the young pass rusher.

According to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via PhiladelphiaEagles.com), not all NFL teams are comfortable with Lawson’s shoulder — a few clubs believe he has a degenerative condition that will create problems down the road. However, Lawson believes his shoulder is good to go, and his camp sent a video to all 32 teams over the weekend to prove it, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Here are a few more draft-related odds and ends from around the league:

The NFL has notified all 32 teams that no player tested positive for banned substances during the February combine, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Some clubs are concerned about Paxton Lynch‘s “alarmingly low score” on the Wonderlic test, and while there are still plenty of teams that like him, some people around the NFL believe the Memphis quarterback may be picked after Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg, according to Tony Pauline. Pauline cautions that he doesn’t buy that idea, but he does expect Hackenberg to be selected during the early part of the second round.
Despite concern about the long-term health of Myles Jack‘s knee, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) says that the UCLA linebacker is still a virtual lock to come off the board within the top 15 picks in the first round, while Gil Brandt of NFL.com (Twitter link) doesn’t expect Jack to get out of the top 10.
The trades for quarterbacks at the top of the draft could push some defensive players down the board, but it’s “highly unlikely” that Ohio State pass rusher Joey Bosa slips beyond No. 7, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Baylor basketball player and tight end Rico Gathers has his pro day at the Saints‘ facility today, with 24 teams sending reps, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Given how weak this year’s tight end class is, teams are more intrigued by Gathers than initially expected, says Rapoport.

Travis Feeney, Alex Lewis Visited Saints

April 25th, 2016 at 10:22am CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints held pre-draft visits with Washington linebacker Travis Feeney and Nebraska offensive lineman Alex Lewis, reports Joel Erickson of the Advocate. Both prospects project as Day 3 picks, and Lewis is particularly interesting as the college tackle could be moved inside to guard at the pro level.

New Orleans Saints News & Rumors