There are NFL scouts from the Steelers, Dolphins, Saints, and Chargers in the press box tonight. There may be one other, but I can't see a logo.
Buy Saints Tickets— Jason Shepherd (@jsnshep) September 3, 2023
We told you to keep an eye on Kingsley Suamataia, didn’t we? The New Orleans Saints were one of several pro teams with scouts at BYU’s home opener with Sam Houston State on Saturday night, per BYU beat reporter and ESPN+ host Jason Shepherd, and Suamataia was by far the top prospect on the field.
He’s someone we highlighted over the summer as the Saints’ type of player. A former highly-prized recruit at Oregon, he transferred back home to finish playing college ball at BYU, and the 20-year-old is already drawing buzz as an early-round prospect in the 2024 NFL draft. He’s also the cousin of Saints linebacker Nephi Sewell (and his brothers Penei and Noah).
Suamataia was one of the nation’s better right tackles last year with the Cougars but has since returned to his high school position at left tackle. He’ll need to play well against top competition on BYU’s schedule to stay on the left side in the pros, but he has all of the athletic tools NFL coaches look for. It’s interesting that the Saints were on hand for his left tackle debut.
But Suamataia wasn’t the only NFL prospect in the game, though he’s the only one drawing first-round pick projections. He has teammates like junior linebacker Ben Bywater (who logged what felt like 30 tackles) with pro aspirations. There are other young guys up and down the depth chart — and some playing for Sam Houston State — who will be auditioning for NFL roster spots next spring. Their process starts here. A couple of nice plays in live action can create a strong first impression, setting up further interest at pro day workouts, and possibly lead to an offer as an undrafted free agent later on down the line. They need every chance they can get.
