3 sleepers Saints drafted who could become stars

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish takes the snap over the defense of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the 2021 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

1 of 3

PALO ALTO, CA – OCTOBER 26: Paulson Adebo #11 of the Stanford Cardinal plays defense during an NCAA Pac-12 college football game against the Arizona Wildcats played on October 5, 2019 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images) /

It is transition time in the Crescent City as the defending NFC South champions will no longer have the NFL’s all-time passing leader on their roster.

Only the Kansas City Chiefs (6) have made more consecutive playoff appearances currently than the New Orleans Saints. Sean Payton’s club his captured the NFC South four consecutive years. But despite a combined 49-15 win-loss record over that span, the team from the Big Easy failed to reach the Super Bowl on each of those occasions.

This past season, the club finished 12-4 and that included a regular-season sweep of the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers – the team that sent Payton’s club home in the divisional playoffs. While Drew Brees has retired and the team lost some key performers in free agency, the cupboard is far from bare.

When it was all said and done last week, the Saints wound up drafting a half-dozen players. But which three could be surprise contributors?

3 sleepers for the New Orleans Saints in the 2021 NFL Draft

3. CB Paulson Adebo

The 6-foot-1, 198-pound product from Stanford opted out of 2020 but put together quite the resume before sitting out this past season. In two seasons from 2019, he played in a combined 22 contests and knocked down an impressive 27 passes. Adebo also recorded four interceptions in each of those two seasons.

Don’t be fooled by the team’s final ranking when it comes to aerial yardage allowed (5th in the NFL) this past season. The Saints’ pass defense started shaky a year ago, gradually improved and then slumped down the stretch and the young defender is a welcome addition.

Home/New Orleans Saints