Latest news with #WillieRoaf
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 77
Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 77 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. This Sunday means there are 77 days before the New Orleans Saints will take on the Arizona Cardinals in their 2025-26 regular season opener. Advertisement For the Saints, it'll be their 59th NFL season. For Kellen Moore, it'll be his first game on the sidelines as a head coach. New Orleans is hoping that this combination yields far better than the 5-12 result from the team last season. Offensive guard Dillon Radunz was one of the new faces added by the Saints this offseason. He's currently wearing number 77. If he keeps that number into the regular season, Radunz will become the 21st player in franchise history to wear it. The Saints haven't had a lot of success with players in a 77 jersey, with one notable exception. Saints History of 77 Oct 31, 1993; FILE PHOTO; New Orleans Saints tackle Willie Roaf (77) blocks against the Arizona Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images • Ray Rissmiller, OT (1967) Advertisement • Jim Boeke, OT (1968) • Mike Taylor, OT (1969-70) • Dan Goich, DT (1971) • Carl Johnson, G/T (1972-73) • Chris Morris, OT (1975) • Marv Montgomery, OT (1976-77) • Gary Anderson, OG (1978) • Jerry Boyarsky, DT (1981) • Daren Gilbert, OT (1985-88) • Willie Roaf, OT (1993-2001) • Rodney Leisle, DT (2005-06) • Carl Nicks, OG (2008-11) • Brodrick Bunkley, DT (2012-14) • Mike McGlynn, OG (2015) • John Fullington, OT (2017) • Derek Newton, OT (2018) • James Carpenter, IG (2021) • Cameron Erving, OT (2023) • Justin Herron, T/G (2024) • Dillon Radunz, OG (present) Jan 8, 2010; New Orleans Saints left guard Carl Nicks (77) blocks against Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Brandon Mebrane (92) during the NFC Wild Card playoff game. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images Ray Rissmiller was the first to don 77 for the Saints, doing so in their inaugural season with 11 starts. Dan Goich was the first defensive player in 77, wearing it for 10 games in 1971. Carl Johnson was the first of five Saints to wear 77 for more than one year, playing 28 games between 1972 and 1973. Advertisement Of the 20 players to previously wear number 77 for the Saints, 16 have done it for two years or less. Fourteen have worn it for just one season. Saints' 1985 second round draft pick Daren Gilbert was the first of 10 77's to do that, playing in 42 games with 11 starts through 1988. Willie Roaf became the standard for Saints players 77. Roaf was the eighth selection in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft out of Louisiana Tech. He'd be with the Saints for 9 of his 13 seasons and starting all of his 131 games with the team through 2001. It's the most, by far, for any player who has suited up in 77 for New Orleans. Oct 17, 1993; FILE PHOTO; New Orleans Saints tackle Willie Roaf (77) blocks Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Kevin Greene (91). Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images After playing his rookie year at right tackle, Roaf became one of the best left tackles in NFL history. He made seven Pro Bowls as a Saint, including two seasons of All-Pro recognition. Between 1993 and 2000, Roaf missed only one start. Advertisement Roaf was voted onto the NFL's all-decade team for both the 1990s and 2000s. He was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Saints Ring of Honor in 2013. In 2012, Willie Roaf was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. After Roaf was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2002 offseason, nobody would wear 77 for the Saints again until Rodney Leisle in 2005. A fifth-round pick by New Orleans in 2004, Leisle wore 75 in his first year, 77 for a two year stretch, then 95 when he returned to the team in 2009. Sep 20, 2010; New Orleans Saints guard Carl Nicks (77) during a game against the San Francisco 49ers. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images Carl Nicks was a fifth round pick by the Saints in 2008. He'd instantly become a fixture of one of the finest offensive lines in football. Between 2008 and 2011, Nicks appeared in 64 games and made 61 consecutive starts until departing as a free agent to Tampa Bay in 2012. Advertisement Nicks made the 2008 All-Rookie squad, earned two Pro Bowls and received one 1st Team All-Pro as a Saint. His time in New Orleans was the second longest tenure of any player to wear 77 behind only Willie Roaf. In 2017, Nicks was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame. The only other player to make a significant contribution to the Saints in a 77 uniform was Brodrick Bunkley. Between 2012 and 2014, Bunkley had 2.5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss, and was a standout run defender in 38 games for an often bad Saints defense. Oct 26, 2014; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) is pressured by New Orleans Saints nose tackle Brodrick Bunkley (77). Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-Imagn Images Since Bunkley, six players have worn 77 for the Saints in the last 10 years. They've played a collective 21 games with New Orleans, making a mere four starts. Advertisement Dillon Radunz now gets his turn. Radunz started 15 games for the Tennessee Titans in 2024 and 26 contests over the last two years. He is expected to provide competition to Trevor Penning for the New Orleans opening at left guard. Related: Star UFL Cornerback Added By Saints Among Friday Moves Related: Saints Make Roster Move At Running Back On Friday Related: Saints Sign Another Player To Their Tight End Position Related: Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 80 Related: Saints Countdown To NFL Kickoff With The History Of Number 84 Related: Saints Countdown To Kickoff With The History Of Number 89 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
24-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ranking the 10 best first-round picks in New Orleans Saints franchise history
Ranking the 10 best first-round picks in New Orleans Saints franchise history The New Orleans Saints have had a long history of quality players being drafted in Day 2 and Day 3 of the NFL draft, signifying an ability to identify talent down the board and develop it. However, over the years, they have accrued some truly impressive players in the first round as well, and despite only having one first-round pick become a Hall of Famer so far, they have a surefire second one on the roster currently with a golden jacket waiting for him. With Day 1 of the 2025 NFL draft upon us, let's take a look at the best first-rounders in Saints history, based specifically on their contributions to the black and gold, and not overall for other teams: 1. OT Willie Roaf | 1993 | Pick 8 Speaking of Hall of Famers, Willie Roaf is far and away one of the best players in Saints history, behind maybe only one or two others. His success for the Saints was unprecedented, playing 189 games and starting all of them over the course of 13 seasons, and being one of the most prolific blockers in NFL history. In 11 of his 13 seasons, he would make a Pro Bowl appearance, and in nine of them, he would make an All-Pro team. From 1993 to 2005, he never lost a step, and even in his last season, he was absolutely outstanding at protecting the quarterback. The only thing that is unfortunate is that we never got to see him block for Drew Brees, with the overlap coming only one year later. 2. DE Cameron Jordan | 2011 | Pick 24 Cameron Jordan is definitely a future Hall of Famer, and when he ends his NFL career, he may solidify himself as the second-best Saints player of all time behind Brees. Ultimately, Roaf beats him out for now just due to how many accolades he would accrue, but Jordan is practically the 1A to Roaf's 1B. Jordan has remained one of the best players not only in team history, but league history, in his 14 seasons with the Saints. Accruing 121.5 sacks, 160 tackles for loss, 716 tackles, and 15 forced fumbles, he is no doubt one of the best to ever do it. 3. RB Deuce McAllister | 2001 | Pick 23 Despite having a shorter career than the previous two players, Deuce McAllister was an absolutely outstanding player for the Saints over the years, and one of the best rushers in team history before Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara came along. He is third in all-time rushing yards for the Saints behind those two, with 6,096, and would put together 49 rushing touchdowns. In addition, he also had 1,720 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns in the receiving game as well. While his career was on the shorter side of things, he made the most of it and produced at a high level. 4. DE Wayne Martin | 1989 | Pick 19 Wayne Martin is another one of the best defensive ends in Saints history, accruing the third most sacks ever for the team behind Rickey Jackson and the aforementioned Cameron Jordan. Martin was another player with a shorter career than the first two players mentioned, but in 11 years, putting together 82.5 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, and 597 tackles to his name, he produced at an elite level for many years. Despite tackles for loss not being tracked until his last season, he picked up 11 in a year that was most certainly not his best, so that just goes to show what a dominant force he truly was. 5. QB Archie Manning | 1971 | Pick 2 Someone being brought up more and more by the day is Archie Manning, and as many of you know, he is the last quarterback to be selected by the Saints in the first round of the draft. Many will immediately look at his stats and ask why he should even be considered a decent quarterback, never mind one of the Saints' best, and the reason is his ability to make an extremely poor team look at least halfway decent. He would accrue the second-most passing yards in Saints history with 21,734, and the third-most passing touchdowns with 115. He was crucial to the Saints having any wins, and despite a 35-91-3 record in his years with the team, he was slinging the ball like nobody else at the time. 6. RB George Rogers | 1981 | Pick 1 The first and only New Orleans Saints No. 1 overall pick, George Rogers, a player who would come into the team with huge promise, and would leave the same way. Playing four years with the Saints before leaving for Washington, one might ask why he is one of the best, and ultimately, the answer is that his peak was the best we have ever seen from a non-Drew Brees Saints player. His rookie year in 1981 was something we have not seen replicated, setting the franchise record for most rushing yards in a season ever at 1,674, the 43rd most ever in the NFL. He would average 104.6 rushing yards per game on 378 attempts, putting up 13 touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry. Despite only being with the team for four years, he would end up fourth on their all-time rushing list, with 4,267 yards. An outstanding back who just did not stick around all that long for the team. 7. OT Stan Brock | 1980 | Pick 12 Stan Brock was the face of consistency for the Saints over the years, playing 13 years with the team before playing another three with the San Diego Chargers. He would play a total of 182 games for the franchise, and while he would not receive many accolades for his play, he was an absolutely outstanding offensive tackle. He set the edge off the right side for over a decade to protect the quarterback, and for a short time did so for Archie Manning, and is no doubt one of the most valuable players to ever put on the Black and Gold jersey. 8. CB Marshon Lattimore | 2017 | Pick 11 Now looking more towards the modern side of things, we get to Marshon Lattimore, one of, if not the best cornerback in Saints history. He was the man receivers and quarterbacks alike feared for years in the NFC South due to his ability to make reads at an impressively fast level and get a jump on the ball before the receiver even knew it was happening. He was a crucial part of the Saints' success in the late stages of Drew Brees' career, and while he was traded to the Washington Commanders, he will no doubt go down as one of the best in Saints history. 9. OT Ryan Ramczyk | 2017 | Pick 32 Speaking of the 2017 draft class, we have recent retiree Ryan Ramczyk, who would, unfortunately, have his insanely impressive career cut short by knee injuries. He was the definition of toughness in his seven full seasons with the Saints, and in 2023 overcame these knee injuries and played through them despite them no doubt causing him some tremendous pain. A player who would start 101 of his 101 games played with the Saints, making three All-Pro appearances, and protecting Drew Brees from injury for multiple years before things went downhill. A short career for Ramczyk ultimately stunted his overall value as one of the best, but his best performances were magical to watch. 10. OG Jim Dombrowski | 1986 | Pick 6 Why not show a little love for the interior offensive line as well, with Jim Dombrowski, a player who would start out his NFL career as a tackle and would not see a ton of playing time. However, after a move to left guard, things became clear, and he would showcase his immense talent for nine seasons as a full-time starter. Despite a tough showing in 1993 where he would only start two of 16 games, he would remain the starter in 137 of his 151 total games played for the Saints, and over the years would remain a well above-average interior offensive lineman, going down as one of the better players the Saints would take in the first round. Honorable Mention. RB Reggie Bush | 2006 | Pick 2 Reggie Bush may not have panned out at the NFL level like many thought he would after one of the best collegiate careers of all time, but boy, was he fun to watch, and his productivity was good enough to warrant mention. Over the course of five seasons with the Saints, he would pick up 4,232 yards from scrimmage, including 2,142 receiving and 2,090 rushing. With 29 total touchdowns, he was a crucial part of the Saints' Super Bowl victory during the 2009 season and was no doubt one of the most impressive players to watch in his stint with the team.
