Saints need to scout these 2025 draft prospects in the HBCU Legacy Bowl
RB Irv Mulligan
The HBCU Legacy Bowl is an all star game for draft eligible players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and it's in the New Orleans Saints backyard for the fourth year in a row. This week started with the HBCU Combine on Monday then continued with practices from Tuesday through Friday. The entire week of activities took place at the Saints indoor facility. All 32 teams sent scouts to the event, but it can be assumed the Saints had the largest presence since they were the hosts of the event. The Legacy Bowl itself is Saturday Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. CT. You can watch it on NFL Network. Here are a pair of players that should be on the Saints' radar and fans should look for during Saturday's all-star game.Williams is a versatile defensive lineman out of Morgan State, who ended his career with the most sacks in school history. Through his four years, he was one of the most disruptive forces in the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference and won the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.Williams has experience playing on the edge and the interior at a high level, which would be beneficial in the Saints' transition to an odd front system. At 294 pounds, he would slot perfectly as a 3-4 defensive end. As a late round pick, he could grow into the role without pressure of immediate success.He possesses power, speed and agility to defeat blockers. He showcased all of these abilities during Legacy Bowl practices. The domination he showed over four seasons extended to the past four days. He was easily the MVP of the week, and his ability lines up with a position the Saints could look to target in the later rounds.Like Williams, Irv Mulligan won his conference's player of the year award. The Jackson State running back missed the first three games of the season due to an injury suffered the previous season and still crossed the century mark rushing.After a short ramp up period, Mulligan's production hit top speed. He ran for over 130 yards and a touchdown in four consecutive games. He also averaged more than five yards per carry in nine of his 12 games this year.Mulligan displays strong contact balance with a good blend of power and underrated speed. While he wouldn't be categorized as a burner, Mulligan is capable of hitting the home run in addition to getting tough yardage.
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