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By Bob Rose | SI

When the New Orleans Saints agreed to terms with free-agent wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders two weeks ago, they addressed a major weakness. The Saints have gotten little production from their wideouts outside the record-breaking exploits of All-Pro Michael Thomas. The acquisition of Sanders, along with other free agent moves the team has made, gives the Saints more flexibility with their first-round draft pick (24th overall) along with the rest of their selections.

New Orleans may still opt to use their first pick to further bolster the receiving corps, depending on their draft board and the talent available when they select. The wide receiver position is deep in this draft, however, and teams will be able to grab a quality wideout in later rounds. Today we profile a player who won’t hear his name called in the 1st round, but one that looks like he can be a difference-maker in the league.

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He was born without toes on his right foot, but spent 11 seasons in the N.F.L. and
kicked 159 field goals. He died of complications of the coronavirus.

By Richard Goldstein | NY Times

Tom Dempsey, who was born without toes on his right foot or fingers on his right hand but played for 11 N.F.L. seasons as a place-kicker and was remembered for his game-winning, 63-yard field goal for the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 8, 1970, a league record at the time, died on Saturday at an assisted living center in New Orleans. He was 73.

His wife, Carlene, said the cause was complications of the coronavirus, which he contracted on March 25 at the Lambeth House center, where he had been treated for dementia that was diagnosed in 2010.

At 6 feet 2 inches and 255 pounds, Dempsey relished running downfield to deliver hits to cover his kickoffs and had sustained several concussions, his family told The New York Times in 2013.

Full Story - NY Times

By Mike Detillier / Sports Correspondent

We all have to adjust to things in life.

We are going through some unprecedented times today due to the Coronavirus outbreak that has spread across our nation.

The virus spread has also affected the scouting of college players for the NFL draft later this month.

This has impacted all of our lives and it trickles into the NFL and how they deal with players in college entering the league who have had injuries or have had off the field issues.

I’m a big believer that the smart folks in the NFL figure it out and find a way to make the right decision on who to select, but these times have thrown the league into doing things differently when it comes down to player rehabilitation. It will have an impact on players with injuries and also the call on players who have had issues off the field.

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a dislocated hip in the fall and he seems to be more than ahead of his rehab time with the hip injury, but his health status will raise more questions for teams picking early in the draft.

Full Story - houmatoday.com

By John Sigler | Saints Wire

What will the New Orleans Saints do in the 2020 NFL Draft? Few teams have been less predictable in recent years, thanks to the team’s strategy to plug roster holes through free agency, allowing them to maximize the talent available in each rookie class. That’s not something Saints coach Sean Payton expects to change soon, owing to a solid haul of veteran free agents and a number of important re-signings up and down the depth chart.

“Well, look, we’re going to be smart with the draft relative to the grades and paying attention to our board,” Payton said, emphasizing the team’s plan to draft the best players available, rather than force a pick at a position of need.

The Saints no longer have a huge vacancy at wide receiver, having paired Emmanuel Sanders up with Michael Thomas. They’ve arguably upgraded the secondary by bringing back Malcolm Jenkins, extending their contract with Janoris Jenkins, and retaining critical depth with...

By Jeff Tarpley | 247 Sports

First-round selections in the NFL Draft tend to collect most of the pre and spot draft observations whether it be a mock draft or performance ratings after the season. However, ESPN rated the performance of the league's second-round selections from the 2019 draft and noted that 20 of them became starters. One of them was former Texas A&M center Erik McCoy who was a walk-in starter at the position and was given an "on his way" rating by the outlet's Mike Triplett.

Not only did McCoy fill a glaring need for the Saints after Pro Bowl center Max Unger retired last spring, but he was also widely praised as the top rookie center in the NFL last season. The 6-foot-4, 303-pounder actually led the Saints with 1,058 snaps while starting all 17 games, including the playoffs. Pro Football Focus had McCoy graded as the fourth-best center in the NFL -- and the only one with both a pass-blocking and run-blocking grade above 75.0. And the Saints' offense didn't miss much of a beat, tying for third in the NFL in points per game (28.6) and fewest sacks allowed (25).

Full Story - 247 Sports