13 NFL teams in attendance for the USC-Oregon matchup tonight:
ATL, CHI, CLE, HOU, LAC, MIN, NO, NYG, NYJ, PHI, SEA, TB and TEN
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) November 12, 2023
Take a bow, Bo Nix. The Oregon Ducks quarterback dismantled the USC Trojans defense on Saturday night with a passing line of 412 yards and 4 touchdowns — having completed 23 of his 31 pass attempts without turning the ball over. And the New Orleans Saints were one of 13 NFL teams with scouts in the press box at Autzen Stadium, per ESPN’s Jordan Reid.
Now that’s not to say Nix was the only 2024 draft prospect to show out. Junior running back Bucky Irving ran for 118 yards and scored a 19-yard touchdown run to extend Oregon’s fourth-quarter lead, also catching 5 passes for another 43 receiving yards. Oregon defensive end Brandon Dorlus, a senior who weighs in at 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds (fitting the Saints’ archetype), had his fifth sack of the year.
Their efforts frustrated USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who completed 19 of 34 pass attempts for 291 yards and a score. He also ran for a touchdown but fumbled once and was sacked three times. Williams is still going to be a top-two pick once he declares for the 2024 draft, but he isn’t looking like a surefire first overall selection with North Carolina’s Drake Maye playing at a high level. Either of them could end up in the NFC South with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tightening their grip on a top-10 pick.
Maybe one of those prospects caught New Orleans’ eye. It would be a surprise to see them spend an early-round pick on a quarterback after investing so heavily in Derek Carr, but he hasn’t played well enough this season to rule out the possibility. They’ll go back after the season and study game tape of all the major prospects ahead of the 2024 draft; sending scouts to catch games in person is just one part of the process, and it isn’t much of a tell. We’ll see whether any of the Ducks or Trojans who competed on Saturday end up hearing their names called by the Saints next April.
