New Orleans Saints

HEIGHT: 6'5 ⅜"

WEIGHT: 270

POSITIVES

—Played his best football recently, despite playing multiple positions at different body sizes.

—Strong combination of bull rush, shuck and hump moves as a pass-rusher.

—Despite weight fluctuation, still has balance.

—Will give issues to offensive linemen who cannot handle his strength and length.

—Is a high-effort player.

—Very strong upper body for a college defensive end.

NEGATIVES

—Raw technique, even down to his stance.

—Close speed is not what you would want it to be on the edge.

—Potential questions of how many snaps he can play at the NFL level.

—Missed a lot of games over the years.

2020 STATISTICS

25 TKL, 10.5 TFL, 5 SK, 1 FF

NOTES

—A foot injury, a knee injury and COVID-19 cost him games at the college level.

—Missed most of his high school senior season with an ACL injury.

—Gained over 50 pounds since his final year of high school.

OVERALL

Payton Turner is a long and strong defensive lineman who has played multiple roles with Houston when healthy. After a substandard year in his first season as a starter in 2018 (3.5 TFLs, 0 sacks), Turner reshaped himself and recorded 18 TFLs and 8.5 sacks over his final 17 college football games. Playing his best football now, Turner has the potential to continue to develop into an NFL starter thanks to his strength and length.

GRADE: 7.4/10 (Round 4)

OVERALL RANK: 106/300

POSITION RANK: EDGE16

PRO COMPARISON: James Lynch

Written by B/R NFL Scout Justis Mosqueda

Drew Brees still has his sights set high even after retirement from the NFL. 

"I think Jason Statham," he told Bleacher Report while laughing when asked who would play him in the Netflix movie Home Team that will star Kevin James as New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton. "I need a good action actor, and he's kind of got the male-pattern baldness going like I do."

While Brees may have no trouble picking the ideal actor to play him in a movie, he wasn't ready to predict who will win the Saints' quarterback job now that he is retired.

That will fall on Payton's shoulders, although the legendary quarterback praised Jameis Winston.

"I think Jameis has all the tools," Brees said. "I love his work ethic. I love his passion for the game. He loves football, and you can see it in the way that he works and his preparation throughout the week and his approach. And his attitude, he's such a fun guy to be around and has so much energy and juice at practice. He's a guy that has great leadership ability and great charisma who really draws people in that way."

The Saints re-signed the 2015 No. 1 overall pick to a one-year deal this offseason, which appeared to signal something of a commitment to the Florida State product. While Winston led the league with 30 interceptions in 2019 when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he also led the league with 5,109 passing yards that same season.

He was a Pro Bowler in his rookie season and threw a 56-yard touchdown in New Orleans' playoff loss to the Buccaneers on a trick play.

Then there's Taysom Hill, who started four games in 2020 when Brees was out with injury. The Saints went 3-1 in those contests, but Hill is probably better as a versatile threat who can make plays with his legs, line up as a receiver or contribute on special teams more than he is a pure downfield thrower.

"Taysom Hill is one of the most unique and talented and hardworking and tough football players I've ever been around," Brees said. "If someone were to take the time to really develop a system around him, I think Taysom Hill would be extremely successful as an NFL quarterback. … He's such a matchup problem, when he comes into the game as a defensive coordinator you have no idea where he's going to be or what he's going to do or what he's capable of. He provides such an advantage."

Whoever replaces Brees will be under plenty of pressure considering the future Hall of Famer became synonymous with the Saints while winning a Super Bowl, being named to 13 Pro Bowls and throwing for more yards (80,358) than any quarterback in NFL history.

No. 9 is no longer throwing touchdowns, but he has a new job in retirement.

He is set to be the new general manager of the Lowe's Home Team, which is a group of current and former NFL players who will partner with Lowe's associates and non-profit organizations to improve homes around the country.

The team will provide safe and affordable housing for fans in NFL cities, while Brees will help with projects and inspire other players to do the same.

"I was part of the selection process of choosing guys like Justin Fields, Najee Harris and some other NFL players to join alongside Lowe's associates and nonprofit organizations in communities to help build those communities and make them stronger," Brees explained. "There's some really unique projects that Lowe's has been involved in through the years and will be involved with this year. Like last year, distributing over a million Christmas trees throughout the country during the holidays to local communities. We had a chance to be a part of that in New Orleans, which was really great and made a lot of people happy during the holiday season."

Brees, who shared the 2006 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award with LaDainian Tomlinson, is no stranger to giving back off the field.

In addition to the Brees Dream Foundation's mission of "improving the quality of life for cancer patients, and providing care, education and opportunities for children and families in need" he and his wife, Brittany, committed $5 million to Louisiana in the state's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's a responsibility that we all have being in positions of leadership and influence to be able to give back like that," he said.

While Brees helped select Fields for the Lowe's Home Team, he said he hasn't studied enough tape to pick a favorite quarterback in the incoming draft class when it comes to on-field talent.

Still, he recognized how talented the collective of Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Fields, Trey Lance and Mac Jones can be as they look to transform the league.

"Now more than ever these quarterbacks are coming in prepared to start and contribute," Brees said. "I don't know if that's just their development up through high school and seven-on-seven to college playing in systems that are pretty sophisticated. Obviously, the level of competition is very high when you go to a school like Clemson or Alabama or Ohio State, but it will be interesting to see the contributions these guys can have right away."

Brees was part of a generation of game-changing quarterbacks alongside Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers and others who dominated the league for more than a decade.

This year's draft could bring in a new crop of quarterbacks who do the same, although Brees figures to have an even better grasp on future prospects since he will get a firsthand look at the college game after he signed a deal to join NBC Sports and broadcast Notre Dame games.

He will also contribute to Football Night in America, but Notre Dame's Sept. 18 game against his alma mater, Purdue, has already caught his attention.

"I've already made it very clear that I'm just going to call it like I see it," he said. "But Purdue does come to town to play Notre Dame in Notre Dame Stadium. I've already made it very clear that my blood bleeds Black and Gold during that weekend."

Between calling Notre Dame games, coaching his children and spending more time with his family, Brees said his first year of retirement is "gonna be a lot busier than I expected."

That's fitting because general managers are always busy, even if they are general managers for the Lowe's Home Team.

The New Orleans Saints have reportedly been active in trade talks to move up in the first round of Thursday's 2021 NFL draft.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Saints are "doing the most groundwork" of any team to potentially trade up and have even inquired about getting into the top 10.

New Orleans currently owns the No. 28 overall pick after winning the NFC South and reaching the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs last season.

New Orleans is a fairly deep team without many glaring weaknesses, but Rapoport suggested the Saints could be in the market for a cornerback to start opposite Marshon Lattimore.

Landing Alabama's Patrick Surtain II or South Carolina's Jaycee Horn would likely require a trade near the top 10. Meanwhile, Northwestern's Greg Newsome II, Virginia Tech's Caleb Farley or Florida State's Asante Samuel Jr. may be available in the 20s and perhaps even at pick No. 28.

Aside from corner, the Saints could look to address the quarterback position in the wake of Drew Brees' retirement. New Orleans is set to enter the 2021 season with Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill competing for the starting role.

It isn't outside the realm of possibility that Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, Trey Lance and Justin Fields could all come off the board within the first eight or nine selections.

That means New Orleans likely needs to make a huge move to get one of them. Even if one of the quarterbacks does fall, one can only assume the Saints would have to get ahead of the quarterback-needy New England Patriots at No. 15.

The Saints' other biggest needs are at wide receiver and tight end.

Florida's Kyle Pitts is the only tight end worth taking in the first round, and he figures to come off the board in the top five, so a trade up for a pass-catcher would likely be with an eye toward a wide receiver.

There is a clear top three at wideout with LSU's Ja'Marr Chase and Alabama's Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith. Chase should go early, but if one of Waddle or Smith falls, they could be a target for a Saints team that needs a complement for Michael Thomas.

The 2021 draft is rich with receiver talent, however, so the Saints could land someone like Minnesota's Rashod Bateman, Florida's Kadarius Toney, Mississippi's Elijah Moore or LSU's Terrace Marshall Jr. should they decide to stay put.

In their quest to upgrade the cornerback position, the New Orleans Saints might look to trade up the board.

According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Saints are considering a move and have eyes for Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley:

Cornerback is a big enough need in New Orleans that a number of mock drafts have the team addressing the position.

Albert Breer of SI.com and Pete Prisco of CBS Sports believe Farley will drop to the Saints at No. 28. Peter King of Pro Football Talk has them selecting Georgia corner Tyson Campbell. The Athletic's Larry Holder believes the team will trade up to No. 21 and select Northwestern corner Greg Newsome. 

Were it not for medical concerns—he's had two back surgeries in the past two years and opted out of the 2020 season—Farley might have been a top-10 pick. As it stands, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network believes he's the 22nd-best player in this draft class, noting he has "outstanding size, length and speed for the cornerback position" and "all of the ingredients to be a No. 1 cornerback at the next level."

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has him at No. 28 on his big board, noting his "2019 tape is fantastic" and that he "allowed a completion percentage of 24.4 percent when he was the primary defender in coverage in 2019, which ranked first overall in the FBS."

And ESPN's Todd McShay has him at No. 19 on his own big board, writing that Farley "possesses a rare blend of size, length, top-end speed and burst. His ball skills are elite, as he tracks the ball extremely well and has natural instincts when it comes to getting into phase and getting his head turned around at the right time. He reads receivers and is a playmaker."

So it wouldn't be surprising if the Saints are targeting him. The bigger question will be whether they have to move up the board to get him. If Farley starts to slide, the Saints will be a team to monitor.

Longtime New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees appears to wish his NFL career had ended on a higher note.

Brees, who retired this offseason after 15 seasons with the Saints (and five with the San Diego Chargers), talked about the injuries he suffered in his final season, when he made 12 appearances.

"I had a lot of limitations throughout the season as to what I could and couldn't do," he told reporters Wednesday.

In January, Brees' wife, Brittany, revealed the star had foot and shoulder injuries in addition to 11 cracked ribs and a collapsed lung. He was on the injury report with a right shoulder ailment in Weeks 8-10, and the rib and lung issues were reported in Week 11.

He was absent for Weeks 11-14.

On Wednesday, Brees said he also "had this abdominal thing" for "pretty much most of the season."

"As a QB everything you do is rotation," he said. "And when you can't rotate the way that you want, you all of a sudden begin to accommodate. Everything for you kind of narrows. I can't make that throw. I can't make that throw. I can't make that throw. So what's now in my toolbox?"

Brees is set to work for NBC, having signed a contract to join the network's Sunday Night Football broadcast.

As for his successor, he told reporters Wednesday he sees positives in both of his backups from 2020, Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston.

Drew Brees thinks his potential replacement, Taysom Hill, has something special.

The longtime New Orleans Saints quarterback, who retired this offseason, called Hill "the most unique player I've ever seen," per Jeff Duncan of The Athletic. 

Hill has played all over the field for the Saints through his four seasons in the league, though he's officially listed as a quarterback. Though he ended up seeing four starts at the position in 2020, playing 317 snaps, he also played 134 snaps at five other positions, per Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. In contrast, he played 41 of 428 snaps under center in 2019. 

He posted eight touchdowns with a 3-1 record as a starter last season, and he said he's building on that heading into the year he could potentially take over under center. 

"For the last four years, my workout routine has been different," Hill said Tuesday, via Mike Triplett of ESPN. "It's been structured to be the Swiss Army knife and do all these other things I was going to be called upon [to do], where now my emphasis, my focus is being a full-time quarterback." 

Brees didn't give any insight as to who might serve as his replacement, as he also praised Jameis Winston's attitude and love of the game. Winston and Hill are set to battle it out for the Week 1 starting job.

Winston, who spent last season as a backup for the Saints, started all 16 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019 and led the league in passing attempts (626), yards (5,109) and interceptions (30). 

A Cleveland police officer warned New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore "you're gonna shoot your d--k off" while removing a firearm from Lattimore's pants during a March 26 traffic stop. 

TMZ Sports shared video Wednesday in which Lattimore told police about the weapon before they began a search of the vehicle after smelling a "strong odor of marijuana." The car was initially stopped because police said the driver committed multiple traffic violations.

"Get yourself a holster, brother," another officer told the NFL player.

Police said the gun came back as having been stolen, so Lattimore was arrested and charged with failure to notify and receiving stolen property, per TMZ. The other three people in the car were also arrested.

One of the arresting officers learned of Lattimore's identity and scolded him in the video.

"You play for the Saints?" the officer said. "... The amount of stuff you got going for you. ... It's not like you're a, you know, f--king chump out there, bro!"

The arrest was previously reported but the video of the interaction wasn't immediately released.

Marcus Sidoti, Lattimore's attorney, released a statement to NFL Media on March 26 before the fourth-degree felony charge of receiving stolen property was announced:

"Mr. Lattimore, a proud Cleveland native with no prior criminal record or history, is fully cooperating with law enforcement's investigation of this matter. He was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by police and was arrested without incident and was not formally charged. We believe that this was a misunderstanding and that this will become even clearer as new information becomes available and is shared with the authorities."

The case was transferred to a grand jury after Lattimore waived his preliminary hearing.

Lattimore, the 11th overall pick in the 2017 draft, is heading into his fifth year with the Saints. He attended Glenville High School in Cleveland before starring at Ohio State in college.

The 24-year-old defensive back was the 2017 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and has earned three Pro Bowl selections. He recorded 62 total tackles, 11 passes defended and two interceptions in 2020.

He could face discipline under the league's personal conduct policy depending on the outcome of the case.

New Orleans Saints players announced through the NFLPA on Saturday that they will not be attending in-person voluntary offseason workouts:

The Saints are the 17th team to state that players will not be attending those workouts. The others are the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

All of the announcements have been made between Thursday and Saturday.

The 2021 offseason program is scheduled to start Monday and run through June 18. It's a three-phase program, and the only mandatory portion is a minicamp during the third phase.

Last year featured a virtual offseason (until training camp) due to COVID-19, with training camps starting in late summer. There were also no preseason games last year.

As for 2021, some of the teams vary in terms of how many players will refrain from voluntary offseason workouts.

For example, the Raiders said that some players would still be attending the workouts due to "contractual incentives," while the Falcons stated that "many" players would not be taking part.

However, the Saints stated the entire team is in solidarity and that no players will be attending the workouts.

New Orleans is coming off an NFC South title and 13-3 regular-season record. The Saints are entering a new era after the retirement of quarterback Drew Brees, who called signals for New Orleans from 2006 to 2020.