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The Saints were about to move on from franchise record-holder Marques Colston after 10 seasons and needed another similar-type receiver to replace him.

That's when Johnson said he told Payton "the best receiver in college football is Michael Thomas. Just trust me on this."

"Sean said OK," Johnson said. "So Sean went, worked him out and did the whole deal."

After the workout, Payton wanted Johnson to keep quiet about the sure-handed, 6-foot-3 Ohio State product.

"Don't say anything; be quiet," Johnson recalled Payton telling him. "I said, 'Don't worry about it.'

"And the next thing you know, the moment they had to grab him, they were going to take him late (in the first round), but there was no buzz of him going high in the (second round), so Sean kept it quiet and snatched him up and the rest his history."

Michael Thomas' uncle Keyshawn called Payton to share secret, background on nephew's talent | NOLA.com

"A Veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount of "up to and including my life."