3 biggest New Orleans Saints surprises of the 2021 season

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Paulson Adebo, New Orleans Saints (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /

2. Paulson Adebo

Keeping it with the 2021 rookie class, Paulson Adebo was a tremendous addition to the Saints’ secondary. NOLA landed the Stanford corner in the third round of last year’s draft and there was a lot of intrigue surrounding Adebo.

Adebo had not played in a football game since the 2019 season, as he opted out of the college football season last year due to the pandemic. You’d never have known that Adebo hadn’t been in a football game since 2019, however, as he stepped into the Saints’ secondary and immediately made his presence known.

The rookie corner recorded his first NFL interception in his pro debut and it came against Aaron Rodgers. Adebo had one of Rodgers’ four interceptions, proving how good the Stanford product was in his first season.

Adebo started all 17 games and finished his rookie season with 66 tackles (four for lost yardage), eight defended passes, and three interceptions. He definitely showed that he can be a great piece in this Saints secondary moving forward and with Marshon Lattimore locked up through at least the 2024 season, these corners are in good shape.