The New Orleans Saints in recent years have been exceptional at evaluating and bringing in defensive back talent. Draftees like Marshon Lattimore, Alontae Taylor, Paulson Adebo, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and even back to Kenny Vaccaro and Malcolm Jenkins among many others have cultivated their defensive backs room for a significant amount of time now.
Additionally, they have been outstanding at finding quality talents among the undrafted free agent pool, such as Rashid Shaheed, Deonte Harty, Malcolm Roach, Carl Granderson, Justin Hardee, Wil Lutz, Pierre Thomas, Garrett Hartley, and more.
This mix is something that bodes well for lots of players who come through the Saints system, but one player in particular from the 2024 NFL draft class fits the bill exceptionally well, and went under the radar as a quality performer for them throughout the season. That player is cornerback and special teamer Rico Payton.
After being signed as an undrafted free agent last offseason out of Pittsburg State (without an H, and out of Kansas, not Pennsylvania), Payton garnered attention throughout the summer as a player to potentially watch for when the preseason arrived. However not much could have prepared fans for how truly strong his performance would be, as in three preseason games he was no doubt one of the best players on the field.
In those three games, Payton took 107 total snaps, being targeted 13 times in coverage and only allowing 3 passes to be completed (23.1% completion rate). Additionally, he had 4 pass breakups, 5 tackles, plus a sack on Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis in the third game which took approximately 2.33 seconds from snap to contact. Now that’s moving.
Once the preseason concluded, Payton ended up making the roster outright, and he appeared in 16 games for the Saints — taking 245 special teams snaps (57%) and 21 defensive snaps. On defense he was targeted twice and did not allow a catch, so that part was self explanatory. When it came to special teams he was an ace there as well, having the third-most special teams tackles on the team (9), which was tied for the 31st around the league.
He and J.T. Gray were absolutely electric to watch on punt coverage all season, as both would be down the field in a flash to stop the returner from advancing whatsoever, and giving the Saints whatever momentum they could. Their efforts went a long way in the punting game — the Saints faced the 13th-most punt returns in the NFL (28), but they allowed the 8th-fewest yards per return (7.6). No defense enjoyed a better average starting field position than New Orleans (their own 27.2 yard line).
Overall, Payton’s explosiveness, willingness and dedication to learn special teams while being extremely effective at it, and the potential he showed in preseason as a true outside corner are why he could be someone to truly watch out for in 2025. Given an opportunity to play at cornerback and get some true reps there at the NFL level, he could be the next in line of high-end Saints defensive backs.
