New Orleans Saints draft trends in the Sean Payton era

When you think about the New Orleans Saints and their draft history, you might easily cringe. Some 67 players have been drafted in Sean Payton era, which is a league low. After Brandin Cooks was traded to the New England Patriots, no player exists from the 2014 NFL Draft.

Here’s a detailed look at the Saints and their pick history, as we gear up for Day One of the NFL Draft.

Round One Picks

• 2006 (2nd): Reggie Bush, RB, USC
• 2007 (27th): Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee
• 2008 (7th): Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
• 2009 (14th): Malcolm Jenkins, DB, Ohio State
• 2010 (32nd): Patrick Robinson, CB, Florida State
• 2011 (24th): Cameron Jordan, DE, Cal | 28th: Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
• 2013 (15th): Kenny Vaccaro, DB, Texas
• 2014 (20th): Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State
• 2015 (13th): Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford | 31st: Stephone Anthony, LB, Clemson
• 2016 (12th): Sheldon Rankins, DT, Louisville

Round Two Picks

• 2006 (43rd): Roman Harper, DB, Alabama
• 2008 (40th): Tracy Porter, DB, Indiana
• 2010 (64th): Charles Brown, OT, USC
• 2014 (58th): Stanley Jean-Baptiste, DB, Nebraska
• 2015 (44th): Hau’oli Kikaha, OLB, Washington
• 2016 (47th): Michael Thomas, WR, Ohio State | 61st: Vonn Bell, DB, Ohio State

Round Three Picks

• 2007 (66th): Usama Young, DB, Kent State | 88th: Andy Alleman, OG, Akron
• 2010 (95th): Jimmy Graham, TE, Miami
• 2011 (72nd): Martez Wilson, LB, Illinois | 88th: Johnny Patrick, DB, Louisville
• 2012 (89th): Akiem Hicks, DE, Regina
• 2013 (75th): Terron Armstead, OT, Arkansas Pine-Bluff | 82nd: John Jenkins, DT, Georgia
• 2015 (75th): Garrett Grayson, QB, Colorado State | 78th: P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State

Round Four Picks

• 2006 (108th): Jahri Evans, OT, Bloomsburg
• 2007 (107th): Antonio Pittman, RB, Ohio State | 125th: Jermon Bushrod, OT, Towson
• 2009 (116th): Chip Vaughn, DB, Wake Forest | 118th: Stanley Arnoux, LB, Wake Forest
• 2010 (123rd): Al Woods, DT, LSU
• 2012 (122nd): Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin
• 2014 (126th): Khairi Fortt, LB, Cal
• 2016 (120th): David Onyemata, DT, Manitoba

Round Five Picks

• 2006 (135th): Rob Ninkovich, DE, Purdue
• 2007 (145th): David Jones, DB, Wingate
• 2008 (144th): DeMario Pressley, DT, NC State | 164th: Carl Nicks, OT, Nebraska
• 2009 (164th): Thomas Morstead, P, SMU
• 2010 (158th): Matt Tennant, C, Boston College
• 2012 (162nd): Corey White, DB, Samford
• 2013 (144th): Kenny Stills, WR, Oklahoma
• 2014 (167th): Vinnie Sunseri, DB, Alabama | 169th: Ronald Powell, LB, Florida
• 2015 (148th): Davis Tull, LB, Tenn-Chattanooga | 154th: Tyeler Davison, DT, Fresno State | 167th: Damian Swann, DB, Georgia

Round Six Picks

• 2006 (171st): Mike Haas, WR, Oregon State | 174th: Josh Lay, DB, Pittsburgh
• 2008 (178th): Taylor Mehlhaff, K, Wisconsin
• 2012 (179th): Andrew Tiller, OG, Syracuse
• 2013 (183rd): Rufus Johnson, DE, Tarlton State
• 2014 (202nd): Tavon Rooks, OL, Kansas State

Round Seven Picks

• 2006 (210th): Zach Strief, OG, Northwestern | 252nd: Marques Colston, WR, Hofstra
• 2007 (220th): Marvin Mitchell, LB, Tennessee
• 2008 (237th): Adrian Arrington, WR, Michigan
• 2010 (239th): Sean Canfield, QB, Oregon State
• 2011 (226th): Greg Romeus, DL, Pittsburgh | 243rd: Nate Bussey, LB, Illinois
• 2012 (234th): Marcel Jones, OL, Nebraska
• 2015 (230th): Marcus Murphy, RB, Missouri
• 2016 (237th): Daniel Lasco, RB, Cal

Picks By Position

• Defensive Back - 16
• Offensive Line - 12
• Defensive Line - 12
• Linebacker - 9
• Wide Receiver - 8
• Running Back - 5
• Quarterback - 2
• Tight End - 1
• Kicker - 1
• Punter - 1

John Hendrix

Saints picks by College - Top 3

• Ohio State (4)
• Alabama (3), California (3), Nebraska (3), Oregon State (3), USC (3)
• Florida State (2), Georgia (2), Illinois (2), Louisville (2), Pittsburgh (2), Tennessee (2), Wake Forest (2), Wisconsin (2)

Saints picks by College Conference

• Big Ten (14), SEC (10), ACC (9), Non-Division I-A (6), Pac 10 (6), Pac 12 (5), Big 12 (4), Big East (4), MAC (2), Mountain West (2), Other (2), C-USA (1), FCS (1), Southern (1)

John Hendrix