- Boise State linebacker Kamalei Correa is a possibility for both the Colts and Saints in the first round. Indy could turn to Correa at No. 18 if Georgia’s Leonard Floyd is off the board and it deems Eastern Kentucky’s Noah Spence as too risky. The Saints, meanwhile, might move down from 12th to grab Correa.
- USC quarterback Cody Kessler has worked out for and/or visited the Chargers, Saints, Browns, and Lions, among others, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). At 6’1″ and 215 pounds, Kessler is slight, but he’s thrown for 88 touchdowns and just 19 interceptions during three seasons as the Trojans starter. Kessler is projected as a seventh-round pick or UDFA on CBSSports.com’s big board, but Rapoport hears that he could go a lot higher than is expected.
- Arizona State guard Christian Westerman has worked out for the Bengals and Saints, he told Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic, adding that he has an upcoming workout for the Broncos (Twitter link).
APRIL 15: The Saints’ signing of Hightower has been processed, and is now official, tweets Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune.
APRIL 8: After successfully revitalizing his NFL career last year with the Saints, running back Tim Hightower is returning to New Orleans. A source tells Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com that, after meeting last week, Hightower and the Saints have agreed to initial terms on a new deal.
A fifth-round pick in 2008, Hightower spent three seasons with the Cardinals and a fourth with Washington, but for several years, it looked like his brief stint in D.C. in 2011 might represent the end of his playing career. Having missed three full seasons, Hightower got a chance to return to the field in 2015 for the Saints, and made the most of it.
In eight games (three starts) for New Orleans last season, Hightower ran for 375 yards and four touchdowns on 96 carries, adding another 129 yards through the air on 12 receptions. Although the veteran back will turn 30 in May, he doesn’t have a ton of mileage on his legs due to his time away from the game — he has totaled just 619 career carries.
If Hightower hopes to continue his comeback story with the Saints during the 2016 season, he may have to beat out some competition to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. Mark Ingram, C.J. Spiller, and Travaris Cadet currently sit atop the depth chart in New Orleans, with players like Vick Ballard and Marcus Murphy in the running back mix as well.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
- San Jose State running back Tyler Ervin is drawing interest around the league and could end up as a day two pick, says Pauline. The Panthers, Browns, Texans, Saints, and Patriots have hosted Ervin for pre-draft visits.
- Vanderbilt linebacker Stephen Weatherly has worked out for the Panthers, Patriots, Colts, and Cardinals, and has visited the Panthers, Broncos, Saints, Raiders, Chiefs, and Vikings. Meanwhile, Maryland linebacker Yannick Ngakoue worked out for the Texans, Cowboys, Saints, Colts, Titans, Ravens, Dolphins, and Patriots, in addition to making several previously-reported visits. Pauline believes both players may come off the board earlier than expected.
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- Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch met with the Saints on Thursday and will visit with the Jets on Friday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- Air Force tight end/long snapper Garrett Griffin is drawing interest from the Lions, Saints, Chargers, 49ers, Chiefs, and Broncos, as Aaron Wilson tweets.
- Duke safety Jeremy Cash had more than 10 teams at his pro day, including the Panthers, Steelers, Falcons, Cardinals, and Saints, tweets Rand Getlin of NFL.com.
Many view Spriggs as the best pure left tackle in the draft outside of Ole Miss star Laremy Tunsil. Spriggs has been rising on draft boards around the league and the Hoosiers senior has already visited the Broncos and Saints and worked out for the Titans and Ravens.
- Western Kentucky tight end George Fant is garnering attention from NFL scouts, Pauline writes. Fant, a former WKU basketball player, has also received consideration at offensive tackle, but scouts believe that he should be a tight end because of his soft hands. If Fant drops some additional weight (currently 296 pounds), the belief is that he can make it work at TE. Fant has (or has had) workouts with a number of teams including the Bengals, Broncos, Cardinals, Chargers, Saints, and Seahawks. While Fant is apparently rising up draft boards, fellow Western Kentucky tight end Tyler Higbee is seeing his stock fall due to an off-the-field incident.
- Eastern Kentucky pass rusher Noah Spence is visiting the Texans today and will visit the Saints tomorrow, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Meanwhile, another potential first-round defender with some off-field question marks, Robert Nkemdiche of Ole Miss, has visits on tap with the Saints and Bengals, says Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter).
- German wide receiver Moritz Boehringer had team visits with the Chiefs, Packers, and Vikings last week, as Andy Fenelon of NFL.com writes. On Monday and Tuesday, he met with the Rams, on Wednesday he’ll visit the Seahawks, and next week he’ll visit the Saints, Falcons, and Panthers. Boehringer started turning heads in the NFL last month and one scout estimated in March that he could go in the fourth round. Based on the number of teams interested in him, one has to wonder if Boehringer could go even earlier.