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
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
