2014 NFL Draft Results: Saints Select Ronald Powell with 169th Pick in Fifth Round

With the 169th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints have selected linebacker Ronald Powell from Florida.

By Dave Cariello May 10, 2014, 2:27pm CDT

With the 169th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints have selected LB Ronald Powell from Florida.

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There are red flags attached to Powell because of his injury history. He's torn the same ACL twice in his career already and was plagued by injury throughout college.

For a nice scouting report on Powell, be sure to read Alligator Army's evaluation. Here's a quick blurb:

What Powell does well is in his natural athletic ability; he's a big, tall, strong-bodied force who can create disruption off the edge as a pass rusher. What he still needs work on - if he choses to go the path of a linebacker - is diversify his ability to drop back into coverage.

Powell is the second linebacker taken by the Saints in this year's draft, joining California's Khairi Fortt. Which is why this pick is surprising, because the Saints have continued to ignore their needs on the offensive line and focus on defense.

The Saints now have only one pick remaining in the 2014 NFL Draft. They're on the clock for the last time with the 202nd pick in the 6th round.

Here is a little more on Powell from NFL Draft Scout:

Powell was a five-star recruit lured out of Moreno Valley, Calif. by then-head coach Urban Meyer as the No. 1-rated overall prospect in the country by Rivals.com. Powell was a two-way star as a pass rusher and tight end at Moreno Valley and chose Florida over Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Tennessee, UCLA and Southern Cal.

He played in 13 games as a true freshman in 2010, including one start at strong-side linebacker. Powell was selected to the Freshman All-SEC Team and finished with 25 tackles while also playing significantly on special teams.

Powell started 12 games the following season, missing the Auburn game due to an injury. He finished fourth on the team with 9.0 tackle for loss while recording a team-high 6.0 sacks.

Poised for a breakout 2012, Powell suffered a torn ACL during the April spring game. He reinjured the knee during fall practice and was forced to sit out the entire season while taking a medical redshirt.

Powell returned in 2013 to start eight of 11 games and led the Gators with four sacks and eight quarterback hurries. Rather than return for a fifth season, Powell announced on Jan. 6 that he would enter the 2014 NFL Draft.