CSC Poll Results: Who are some of the greatest late round picks in Saints history?

With seven picks in the 5th round or later the Saints will hope to replicate past success

In this week’s poll question we asked, other than the obvious answer of wide receiver Marques Colston, who is the greatest player the New Orleans Saints have drafted in the 5th round or later. Colston of course would be the runaway favorite, as the fourth-to-last pick in the 2006 draft would go on to become the greatest receiver in Saints history. So, to make things interesting we asked who else could be considered the greatest late round pick in team history.

After 155 votes, punter Thomas Morstead won with 49.7% of the vote. Morstead was a Saint for 12 years and was consistently one of the best punters in the NFL during his tenure in New Orleans. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2009 draft in what was probably the greatest punter draft of all-time, as all three punters drafted (Morstead, Pat McAfee, and Kevin Huber) would all become Pro Bowlers.

He is of course known best for his successful execution of the surprise onside kick in Super Bowl XLIV that would lead to the Saints first championship. Morstead was a 23-year-old rookie at the time about to attempt one of the riskiest plays in Super Bowl history. The Saints were trailing 10-6 at the time and needing to steal a possession from Peyton Manning or else risk going down two scores midway through the 3rd quarter. The Saints would recover the onside kick, go down and take a 13-10 lead, and the rest was history, forever immortalizing Morstead in Saints lore.

Offensive guard Carl Nicks earned the second most votes with 36.8%. Nicks was drafted in 2008 also in the 5th round and would also be a contributor to the teams first Super Bowl title. Nicks would start the Super Bowl as a second-year 5th round pick and go on to become a two-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. Nicks played for three different college teams and was forced into the starting lineup due to a suspension and more than exceeded expectations. He was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2017.

Eric Martin, the first great wide receiver in Saints history earned 12.3% of the vote. Martin was a 7th round draft pick in 1985 and spent 9 years in New Orleans as the top weapon for Dome Patrol era Saints teams. He is still the second leading receiver in team history and is fourth all-time in touchdown catches and third all-time in receptions.

The Saints have seven draft picks in the fifth round or later this year. Do you think they will find a contributor with one of these picks?

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