NEW ORLEANS — UPDATE ROUND 3: Finally a trade up and finally a cornerback! The Saints traded their two third round picks - numbers 98 and 105 to the Broncos for the 76th overall pick and with that, they got Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo.
Adebo is listed as 6'1 and 192 pounds with very good speed. He had 4 interceptions in his 2018 and 2019 seasons before opting out of playing during COVID.
According to CBS Sports: Length, plant-and-drive ball hawk who lacks a bit in the agility department but reads QB's eyes and route combinations very well. Had his best season in 2018, regressed in 2019, then opted out. Underrated prospect.
UPDATE ROUND 2: Yes, another Ohio State Buckeye for the New Orleans Saints. This time it's linebacker Pete Werner of Ohio State.
Werner stands 6-2, and weighs 238 pounds. He played four seasons for the Buckeyes and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2020.
Ohio State is one of the teams that traditionally is a Final Four team or one in the conversation and they usually have one of the top recruiting classes, along with Alabama, Clemson, LSU and Georgia.
“This is an unreal experience," said Werner Friday night. "I am speechless right now. I have a bunch of family with me now. I had to go come upstairs and get somewhere quiet. This is an unreal experience. I am so excited. I can't wait to get the opportunity and arrive in New Orleans. That's a place where they like Ohio State guys."
CBS Sports' thoughts: The Saints added more firepower to their defense with the Werner selection, snagging a potential three-down linebacker after selecting end Payton Turner in the first round. Werner (6-foot-3, 238 pounds) was the leading tackler on a strong Ohio State run defense, though it's a slight concern that not many of his stops occurred behind the line of scrimmage. Werner's athletic testing was quite encouraging otherwise, as his 4.62-second 40, 39.5-inch vertical and 122-inch broad jump were all strong.
The New Orleans Saints addressed a need Thursday, selecting defensive end Payton Turner from Houston in the first round at pick 28.
Turner is 6'6 and weighs 270 pounds. He is tall for a defensive end and could possibly help the team handle the loss of Trey Hendrickson.
“You’re never certain that a player’s going to be available and we weren’t with this player," said head coach Sean Payton. "He’s got a lot of traits that we value. He’s a high energy player, his size.”
Much of the day there had been speculation that the Saints might try to move up in the draft with cornerbacks Patrick Surtain or Jaycee Horn on their minds, but the team stayed pat and selected Turner.
The Saints still have seven remaining picks. With one pick in the second round, two in the third, one in the fourth, no pick in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh.
The Saints are expected to look for some defensive help and to perhaps take a flyer on a quarterback in the later rounds.
