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It's curious now, with hindsight being 20/20, to think about how the NFL let Marshon Lattimore and Alvin Kamara slip to the New Orleans Saints in last year's draft.

Lattimore was almost unanimously considered the top cornerback in the draft, the kind of player every team in the NFL needs in this pass-happy era, but concerns about his durability let him fall to the Saints at the 11th pick.

Before the draft, the Saints were excited about the possibility of Lattimore falling, especially after ranking among the worst pass defenses in the NFL from 2014-16, but they were so sure he would be gone that their pre-draft evaluation was slightly less thorough than for the other players expected to be on the board.

NFL teams get a bit of a pass with Kamara because every team except the New England Patriots passed on Kamara at least once before the Saints picked him 67th overall in the third round. Twenty-eight teams passed on Kamara at least twice. Four teams passed on him at least three times, including the Saints. The Cleveland Browns passed on him five times.

Kamara's success last year provides a cautionary tale for many NFL evaluators, a reminder to trust what they see on tape as opposed to extraneous factors.

"You can't find a better game for anybody (in the 2017 draft class) than what he did against Texas A&M," NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein said. "I mean, it was so special."

Against the Aggies that year, Kamara had 188 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. He averaged 7.1 yards on his 18 carries, 20.1 yards on his eight receptions and 11.1 yards overall per touch.

"Everything you saw on tape, you saw last year as a rookie," Zierlein said.



Unfortunately for Kamara and for NFL teams, that was the only game during his two seasons at Tennessee in which he had 20-plus offensive touches, leading scouts and draft analysts to wonder why he wasn't the go-to guy on a regular basis.

Neither Lattimore nor Kamara would change a thing about the process that led them to New Orleans. Lattimore joined a group of young defensive backs with similar personalities and felt comfortable immediately. Kamara had immediate mentors in Mark Ingram and, briefly, Adrian Peterson to help with his transition.

Lattimore and Kamara also had the chance to enjoy their award-winning seasons together, and as they continued to dominate the NFL, they became brothers, growing closer thanks to similarly laid back personalities. Moving forward, they'll also have each other for support as they try to take their games to the next level.

"One thing about Marshon, and I think that we're one in the same with, he's not like counting his newspaper clippings or like super focused on (winning) Rookie of the Year," Kamara said. "He's moving on, just like me. I'm moving on from it. It is what it is. I won Rookie of the Year. It's Year 2, so what are we going to do in Year 2?"


The Saints have been cautious about hyping their two rookie sensations, but even as quarterback Drew Brees talked about Kamara recently, he couldn't help but laud his skills.
"Listen, I'm trying to keep the guy humble, but he can do some things," Brees said. "He's made a couple cuts in this camp where I'm just like (shakes head feverishly).
"He's got a skill set that's very unique, very rare. What I love most about him is his approach and his demeanor. I don't think he's getting too far ahead of himself. I think he understands what it takes to be a great player in this league."
According to the Saints, the same goes for Lattimore, who has twice talked about his desire for Kamara and him to add to their trophy case, both individually and as a team.
"We got to win bigger awards this year and for years to come, hopefully," he said.

It's natural for rookies to improve in their second seasons, but simply sustaining their performances from 2017 would keep Kamara and Lattimore on Hall of Fame tracks.
Imagine if Lattimore goes another season without allowing a touchdown in man-to-man coverage. Consider the possibility of Kamara averaging 6.1 yards per carry for a second straight year.
Coaches and players around the NFL, and particularly in the NFC South, surely watched countless hours of film on Lattimore and Kamara this offseason seeking tendencies and potential weaknesses. That's why Lattimore and Kamara will have to continue to improve and evolve if they want to match or exceed last year's performance.
Out of the 21 players before Lattimore to have at least five interceptions as rookies, just four of them had five-plus again in their second season — Peters, Chris Gamble, Ed Reed and Nathan Vasher. Nine of the players never had five picks in a season again.
Interceptions, though, might be an unfair barometer for defensive backs because smart quarterbacks avoid the players who create turnovers. Darrelle Revis, widely considered the best cornerback of this generation, had five or more interceptions in just three of his 11 seasons, and he had two or fewer five times.
For Lattimore, matching last year's success as a cover man might not necessarily show up in statistics, and according to Zierlein, it will be hard for teams to find any weaknesses on film.
"Unless he has a tendency to jump routes, I think the issue there is you just have to find a way to beat him one on one," Zierlein said. "There's nothing clever you're going to do."

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SmashMouth

Rugby Saint II

Wow! Two possible Hall Of Fame players in the same draft last year, but definitely Pro bowlers......and maybe even more players will develop into this caliber of player. These young men are dedicated to getting better every single day and from year to year. I'm stoked!

jeanpierre

Still early, but they're off to great starts - but don't forget about Ryan Ramczyk or Mr. Marcus Williams...