New Orleans Saints: 5 worst NFL Draft picks of all-time

The New Orleans Saints have made some terrible draft day decisions in their near 50-year history. Here are their five worst NFL Draft picks to date.

The New Orleans Saints have done a significantly better job on draft day since Sean Payton became the team’s head coach back in 2006. In the last decade of the Payton era in New Orleans, the Saints have won a Super Bowl and been mostly a playoff caliber team in the NFC South.

However long before Payton arrived, the Saints had their difficulties as an NFL expansion franchise in their first few decades of existence. After being established in 1967, it took the Saints 20 years to make their first trip to the NFC Playoffs in 1987. Half of the Saints’ 10 playoff berths have come in the last decade.

One area that seemed to hurt the Saints the most over the years is that New Orleans would frequently miss on their first round draft picks. While players like Rickey Jackson and Willie Roaf would go on to have Pro Football Hall of Fame careers, much of what derailed the Saints’ growth as a franchise were through poor draft day decisions.

As the Saints will begin their 50th season as an NFL franchise in 2016, let’s take a look back on some of the worst draft selections made by New Orleans. These are the five worst picks made by the Saints all-time.

Next: 5. K/P Russell Erxleben, 1979, No. 11 overall