The New Orleans Saints missed on Lawrence Taylor when they had the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft 35 years ago. Instead, they opted for running back George Rogers -- not too shabby a choice himself.
But it was 50 picks later in that 1981 draft when the Saints made their best draft choice in franchise history. They found their own Hall of Fame pass-rusher when they drafted Pittsburgh outside linebacker Rickey Jackson with the 51st pick.
Why Jackson is best draft pick in Saints history: Jackson, who was arguably the best player in Saints history before Drew Brees arrived, might have earned this honor even if he wasn’t a Round 2 steal.
Jackson became the first true Saints player inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, and he was the most accomplished member of New Orleans’ legendary “Dome Patrol” group of linebackers, which also included Sam Mills, Pat Swilling and Vaughan Johnson. All four were named to the Pro Bowl together in 1992. Jackson was named to the Pro Bowl six times.
Jackson officially recorded 128 sacks, which ranks 15th in NFL history.
The Saints, who became an NFL franchise in 1967, never had a winning season before Jackson arrived. They never had a losing season in his final seven years with the team, from 1987-93. He spent his final two years with the San Francisco 49ers, winning Super Bowl XXIX with them.
HONORABLE MENTION
Marques Colston, WR, and Jahri Evans, G: As I wrote last week, these two members of New Orleans’ ridiculous 2006 draft class and 2009 Super Bowl championship team could both make a case for being the best late-round picks in franchise history. Colston, a seventh-rounder out of Hofstra, is the Saints’ all-time leading receiver and touchdown scorer. Evans, a fourth-rounder out of Bloomsburg, was named first-team All-Pro in four straight years.
Willie Roaf, OT: Roaf is Jackson’s fiercest competitor for that unofficial title of best player in Saints history. The offensive tackle went to 11 Pro Bowls (seven with the Saints in nine seasons, four more with the Kansas City Chiefs), and he joined Jackson in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012. But Roaf loses points for only being a mini-steal with the No. 8 overall pick out of Louisiana Tech in 1993.
Morten Andersen, K: I also mentioned the “Great Dane” in my list of the best late-round picks in Saints history. He went in Round 4 in 1982, which is high for a kicker, but low for the all-time scoring leader in NFL history. Andersen has been one of 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in each of the past three years.
Deuce McAllister, RB: McAllister deserves mention on this list because he’s the ultimate example of choosing the “best available player.” The Saints drafted McAllister in the first round in 2001, when he surprisingly fell to the 23rd pick -- even though they had just traded their entire draft for RB Ricky Williams under a previous regime two years earlier. Williams was gone one year later, and McAllister went on to become New Orleans’ all-time rushing leader.