Saints Trade Up, Select DB Vonn Bell 61st Overall [VIDEO]
The New Orleans Saints traded back into the second round to select Ohio State Safety Vonn Bell, their second Buckeye in the NFL Draft.
New Orleans apparently couldn't wait to take Bell, so they cut a deal with the New England Patriots. The Saints gave the Pats their 3rd (78th overall) and 4th (112th overall) Round picks, and they got the third to last pick in the 2nd Round (61st overall) in exchange.
At 5'11"-199 lbs, with a 4.51 40-yard dash time and a 30.5 inch vertical, Bell is an athletic addition to the Saints secondary. He saw time as a freshman at Ohio State, and he was the main man at the back of Urban Meyer's defense the past two seasons.
He was an absolute monster in 2014 (91 tackles, 6 INT) as only a sophomore. Even though his numbers dipped in 2015 (65 tackles, 2 INT), Bell still brought a field-general's mentality to the safety position. His ability to play the ball in the air is probably what attracted the Saints, and his instinctive ability to find the flow of the offense could get him on the field in a hurry.
The Saints needed a safety, so they made sure to get one of the best ones in the draft. Watch the tape, and you'll see what made Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis pull the trigger.
Those two might want to dampen their excitement a bit. With Bell's ability to pick off passes, he's the future of the safety position for the Saints. The temptation to take the talent won out in the end.
Bell thought he was going to go as early as the Mid 1st Round, so when the Saints saw him still there at the end of the 2nd, they had to take him. It cost them an extra draft pick, but if it helps them finally play a little defense, it will be worth it in the end.
Get to work, Vonn. You have a lot of cleaning up to do on the back end of that defense.