Rico Payton got him clamped up pic.twitter.com/UjRZUYNLoi
— Saints Film Room (@SaintsFilmRoom) August 19, 2024
The second preseason game for the New Orleans Saints has been completed, with a 16-10 loss being the result against the San Francisco 49ers. A 13-point second quarter powered the 49ers to their victory, and despite that, the Saints looked solid in the first half and had some standout performances.
Of those standouts the most notable was undrafted free agent cornerback Rico Payton, who ended the first preseason game exceptionally well and carried his momentum into this week. In his first NFL game Payton ended with a 91.7 Pro Football Focus grade, 90.9 coverage grade, and 4 forced incompletions according to PFF. He picked up where he left off.
Payton had an exceptional game against the 49ers as well, with 3 tackles (2 solo) and a pass deflection, which was an extremely impressive play. He lost touch with wide receiver Danny Gray for a slight second along the left sideline, and was able to catch up to close the gap and bat the ball away for an incompletion. What a play by the rookie from Pittsburg State.
His impressive performances makes things extremely intriguing in the cornerback room, as four spots are already locked up presumably with Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and Alontae Taylor. However, if another roster spot were to be available at the position, you would have to assume Payton is well within reach of attaining it.
