The New Orleans Saints entered the first-round of the 2015 NFL Draft with two first-round picks and plenty of holes to fill, maybe none more glaring than the one at inside linebacker.
With Jonathan Vilma jettisoned prior to 2014 and Curtis Lofton now a member of the Oakland Raiders, the Saints and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan had few options in terms of a top guy on the interior, able to make the calls along with making plays.
David Hawthorne remains a steady, consistent contributor and the recently-acquired Dannell Ellerbe could be in line for serious snaps this year, but the drafting of Stephone Anthony out of Clemson with the 31st pick in the draft suggests that the former Tiger defender is slated for a big role on Ryan's unit moving forward.
Interestingly for Saints fans, according to a recent report, Anthony's lofty draft status may not have actually been warranted, as Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com suggests that "some NFL organizations" had a third-round grade on the inside 'backer.
Anthony, 6-foot-3, 243-pounds, really opened NFL eyes during the pre-draft process, despite having tape that seemingly left a lot to be desired.
He has the physical dimensions and athletic tools of a star inside linebacker, but he lacks elite instincts and struggles with recognition.
Add in the fact that he had difficulty taking on blocks in college and too-often found himself out of position due to misreading play fakes and it's not hard to see why many teams balked at the Saints decision to draft him so high.
Then again, one look at the reports of his efforts at the Senior Bowl and it's also not hard to see what the New Orleans decision-makers are likely envisioning for Anthony.
"He caught my eye with his ability to run; then he caught my eye with his ability to hit," NFL Network's Charles Davis said. "He's a big-time player. Not many people around the country know enough about him. They're gonna learn quickly about him. He's a heck of a player."
While Anthony will likely have to earn his snaps and prove he's worthy of moving ahead of Ellerbe or Hawthorne on the Saints depth chart next season, his draft value will matter little if he's able to take the prodigious potential that made him such a high pick and turn it into real on-field impact.
