New Orleans Saints Biggest Draft Misses under Sean Payton: No. 5, Johnny Patrick

The New Orleans Saints continue to make final preparations for the NFL Draft next week, and fans everywhere are dying to know what the team will do with their two first round selections. You have to wonder just how many of these nine draft picks will make the team this season. When you look at last year’s class, overall it was a strikeout.

Speaking of strikeouts, we’re back with our latest installment of the biggest draft misses under Sean Payton. Today we have a fun one for you, as we focus on cornerback Johnny Patrick.

Johnny Patrick, Defensive Back
2011 Draft, 3rd Round, #88 Overall – Louisville

After drafting linebacker Martez Wilson (spoilers?), the Saints would have another chance to get some big potential in the third round. The team would use their 88th overall selection to take Johnny Patrick from Louisville. Patrick would primarily serve in nickel packages, and play as a special teamer during his two seasons with the New Orleans Saints.

Scouts said that Patrick did not have elite recovery speed and lacked the hip fluidity to mirror in man coverage. He’d play too aggressively at times and gets burned by play action and double moves.

If you recall anything about Patrick’s short tenure in the Crescent City, that sounds all too familiar, and we witnessed plenty of that during his .

This is what we expected out of Patrick:

Instead, this is what we received:

After a horrid 2012 season, the New Orleans Saints had seen enough from Patrick, and chose to sever ties with him on February 19, 2013. He’d be claimed by the San Diego Chargers a week later, playing in 13 games, but was released on March 4, 2014.

The New York Jets would claim him off of waivers a day later. As bad as the Jets secondary was at the time, Patrick couldn’t make final cuts. After his release on August 30, Patrick went off the grid for a bit, but resurfaced as one of the attendees of the NFL’s first Veteran Combine on March 11. However, like many of those players, nothing transpired.

Some players the Saints could have drafted in that Round: CB Shareece Wright (#89), S Chris Conte (#93)

Stay tuned as we count down the biggest busts and misses leading up to the NFL Draft!

Previous Rankings:

• No. 10, Khairi Fortt (2014)
• No. 9, Antonio Pittman (2007)
• No. 8, Al Woods (2010)
• No. 7, Chip Vaughn and Stanley Arnoux (2009)
• No. 6, Andy Alleman (2007)

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