Canal Street Chronicles
A look back at the best and worst picks New Orleans has made in history
The New Orleans Saints drafted Cameron Jordan 24th overall out of Cal in 2011, and 13 years later he sits as the official all-time sack leader in team history. As the anchor of the Saints defense for a decade, Jordan was the fifth defensive end drafted in 2011 and currently leads his draft class in career sacks, a class that included J.J. Watt, Ryan Kerrigan, and Robert Quinn.
Honorable Mentions: Willie Roaf, Deuce McAllister, Archie Manning, Marshon Lattimore
The Saints drafted a punter 11th overall in 1979. Yes, you read that right. Erxleben was a 3-time All-American at the University of Texas, but no punter, no matter how good would ever be worth the 11th overall pick. Made even worse by the fact that Hall of Famers Kellen Winslow and Joe Montana were taken later in the draft. Erxleben never became one of the best punters in the NFL and was out of New Orleans after just three seasons. Other players drafted in the first round certainly produced less than Erxleben in their careers in New Orleans, but just the fact that they drafted a punter 11th overall makes this the worst first round pick in team history. This was, still is, and always will be the highest a punter or kicker has been drafted since the merger. Even Ray Guy, the only other first round punter in NFL history, was taken 23rd overall in 1973 and would go on to be a Hall of Famer. The Saints would not be able to replicate this “success” six years later with Erxleben.
Honorable Mentions: Stephone Anthony, Payton Turner, Johnathan Sullivan
The team’s first Hall of Famer, Rickey Jackson’s arrival sparked the first stretch of good football played in Saints history. Jackson was a dominant pass rusher in the 80’s and 90’s and retired with the third most sacks in NFL history. Jackson was one of the first three inductees into the Saints ring of honor in 2013 along with Manning and Roaf.
Honorable Mentions: Michael Thomas, Tracy Porter, Erik McCoy, Dave Waymer
Jean-Baptiste was drafted 58th overall out of Nebraska after a second-team All-Big Ten season. He would play in just 4 games his rookie season primarily on special teams, and after a poor performance in the 2015 preseason was waived before the start of the year. He would go on to be a part of five different practice squads, appearing in just one more regular season game for the Ravens in 2017.
Honorable Mentions: Reggie Freeman, Sam Holden
Despite bringing in future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson in the 2017 offseason and already having 1,000-yard rusher Mark Ingram on the roster,...
