Zach Strief and Marques Colston. The 7th round in 2006 was kind to the Saints. And while Sean Payton has failed to come anywhere close to duplicating that kind of production out of a 7th round draft pick since, that doesn’t mean gems can’t be found. And the jury is still out on Marcus Murphy, by the way. Below are five players that may have to wait until the last day to get their name called, but they should be on the Saints radar as a possible late draft prospects.
Vincent Valentine, DT, Nebraska
His teammate Maliek Collins will get all the attention but Valentine is a stout run defender in his own right. Defensive tackle is extremely deep in this draft and the Saints would be smart to address this position early in the draft. If they don’t, though, and they want to improve their run defense – Valentine is an intriguing prospect. His 7 tackles for a loss and 3 sacks in 2015 to go with 45 shows he’s around the football and in the backfield. At 320lbs he’s extremely stout against the run and he has surprising athleticism for a guy his size.
Daryl Worley, CB, West Virginia
At 6’2″ the Saints and every other NFL team will immediately love his size. He had 6 interceptions last year, so his ball skills are good, and he has good deep speed for his size. Sounds like a first round pick, right? The issues are off the field. He was suspended for academic issues and he was also charged for assault. If you watch his interviews, though, he’s a very well spoken and intelligent kid. If he’s available late, he’s definitely worth taking a flyer on.
Darion Griswold, TE, Arkansas State
He’s your latest all state high school basketball player trying to make the transition to football. He’s raw and needs development but he’s 6’5″, 255lbs and has the physicality and boxing out ability to be special with the right team.
Jatavis Brown, OLB, Akron
He’s just small. At 5’11”, 218lbs, a lot of teams will think he’s an OLB/SS tweener. But he’s a dedicated player who loves the game, plays with eye popping speed, and gets to the football. A Sean Payton type of player. Special teams could be his calling early on. Playing the run might be tough for him but he’s a good pass rusher, solid tackler and he can cover. Very versatile linebacker.
Donavon Clark, G, Michigan State
Very smart player that has the versatility to play guard or tackle if needed. At 6’4″ 318lbs he has nice size. Good leader and locker room character player. Fits right in with the Saints.
Now that you know who to look for as potential Saints draft picks in the late rounds, you can use this information to check betting odds on top Sports fields with William Hill.
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