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The New Orleans Saints continued to revamp their secondary on Thursday night, selecting Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro in the first round with the 15th overall pick.

New Orleans Saints select Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro with the 15th pick | NOLA.com




STRENGTHS NFL starting combo safety material with a very good blend of overall strength and athleticism. Often used as a nickel back despite a thick overall build. Very loose hips and good overall change-of-direction ability. Locks onto slot receivers at the line and has the agility and straight-game speed to stay with them on out routes and downfield. Physical with receivers trying to block him in the run game, has the strength to rip off and make a stop. Solid open-field tackler, uses great effort and his upper-body strength to drag down ball carriers. Strong off the edge as a blitzer, has bend to turn the corner and gets physical with running backs standing in his way. Flashes the hands and body control to catch passes away from his body. Good change of direction ability and shows the range to play the half-field in Cover Two. Attacks downhill against the run well, running the alley aggressively from deep-half coverage.

WEAKNESSES Used extensively in man coverage and around the line, must continue improving as a reliable back-half defender against the pass and last line of defense against long runs. One-speed player who lacks burst. Is not quite agile or fast enough to stick with better NFL receivers, backpedal is high and stiff, can be out-quicked in space, and loses a step running down the seam. Can get caught freelancing and watching the backfield in zone coverage, and will bite on play action. Knee injury ended his senior season in high school after three games. Can fill downhill out of control, losing his leverage on the ball carrier and missing tackles. Doesn’t always take good angles and is prone to running himself too far upfield when he’s the “force” defender.
Kenny Vaccaro Draft Profile

Danno

Great pick. Surprised we didn't take Floyd, but this is a damn good pick.

lsutigerfan

Im really cool with this pick.

Boutte

Is this the end of the Harper era?

dizzle88

Dont know what to make of this pick, first thing they said is inconsistent tackler and that's all we need on a team full of shoddy tacklers

I'll obviously support him but from the tape i watched of him I wasnt impressed, slow to the ball, over pursues alot, dives at ball carriers feet (oh god) and read and reacts slow

Danno

SF gets Reid

The Dude

We have enough safeties who can't catch. Hate this pick. hope he proves me wrong.

Danno

Strengths: Prototypical size and build for the position. Possesses a high-cut frame with good overall musculature. Shows very good straight-line speed, agility, balance and hip flexibility. Athleticism for coverage duties are enhanced by Vaccaro's vision and instincts. Quickly locates the ball and shows an understanding of route-progression, rarely getting caught out of position.

Often asked to drop down from his free safety position to cover the slot, demonstrating a smooth backpedal, hip turn and the burst out of his breaks to stay in the hip pocket of his opponent. Hasn't generated the number of interceptions of prior UT defensive backs, but has good ball skills and showed greater willingness to jump routes as a senior.

Highly aggressive run defender. Flies to the line in run support, demonstrating a physical pop and generally reliable open-field tackling skills. Possesses the long, strong arms for the drag-down tackle, as well as good closing speed in pursuit and on the occasional blitz.

Weaknesses: Can get out of control in his aggression toward the line of scrimmage. Will duck his head in his attempt to make the big hit and leave cut-back lanes for patient, explosive runners to take full advantage. Must do a better job of wrapping up, rather than leading with his shoulder.

Hasn't shown the consistency as ballhawk considering his hype, recording only five interceptions in 51 career games. Teams will want to ask Vaccaro about a few run-ins with authorities. He was reportedly arrested following a fight with another Texas student in 2009 and again in 2012 after failing to obey a lawful order, a misdemeanor.

Compares To: Eric Weddle, FS, San Diego Chargers -- Like the highly instinctive and versatile Weddle, Vaccaro has the athleticism and size to line up wherever his NFL team needs him most. Vaccaro hasn't yet shown the same ball skills as the Chargers' Pro Bowler but showed signs of improving in this area as a senior.

--Rob Rang

LivnaLieTimay

I'm glad we upgraded at safety and Vacarro is an OK pick but his weaknesses scare me a little. Seems like another safety who is prone to getting beat deep.

B_Dub_Saint

I believe this will turn out to be a very solid pick. I have a good feeling about this kid! Lord knows we need a spy in the back field.