Countdown to Kickoff: Fadil Diggs is the Saints Player of Day 40
The New Orleans Saints will kick off their 2025 regular season just 40 days from today. They'll do it at home against the Arizona Cardinals under new head coach Kellen Moore. Wearing No. 40 for the Saints at the moment is rookie edge rusher Fadil Diggs. Our Saints Player of the Day, here's a closer look at Diggs as he tries to become the 18th player to wear No. 40 during the regular season in team history.
An offensive and defensive standout at Woodrow Wilson High School in New Jersey, Diggs was the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year as a senior. The Texas A&M Aggies won the battle for the four-star recruit. However, Diggs saw little playing time in 2020 or 2021. He'd work his way into more reps in 2022, managing 3 sacks and 5 tackles for loss. He'd increase that production with 11 stops for loss and 4 sacks in 2023, but would transfer to Syracuse at year's conclusion. Diggs blossomed for the Orange, leading Syracuse with 7.5 sacks, 14 stops for loss, and 3 forced fumbles.
The Saints finally grabbed Diggs off the NFL draft board at pick No. 254, just three selections before the end of the draft. Despite his late draft status, Diggs could grab a legitimate role in the New Orleans defense. New defensive coordinator Brandon Staley is expected to employ more 3-4 concepts, meaning the Saints will need more athletic rushers along the edge. New Orleans got only 17 combined sacks and 27 tackles for loss from their edge rushers/defensive ends last season. Carl Granderson and Chase Young return as the probable stand-up rushers for Staley, but there is no proven skill behind them for depth.
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 257 pounds, speed off the edge is a Diggs strength. Diggs will compete against undrafted rookie Jasheen Davis, Jonah Williams, and disappointing 2023 Round 2 draft pick Isaiah Foskey for reps at the position. If he can improve his instincts against the run and expand his pass rush moves to create consistent pressure, Fadil Diggs could be a late draft steal for a Saints defense desperately seeking a young and disruptive force.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
Drew Brees' former teammate says what we're all thinking about his Hall of Fame candidacy
Drew Brees - 1st ballot New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the first time in 2026, as he has finally made it five years away from his last playing season by then. Not only every Saints fan, but every ball-knowing NFL fan agrees Brees is a first-ballot Hall of Fame lock; there is nothing to discuss when it comes to the topic; he has done everything you could ask from him, and put together an award list that goes on for about two pages on its own. Super Bowl winner, Super Bowl MVP, two-time OPOY, five-time All-Pro, 13-time Pro Bowler, seven-time NFL passing yards leader, four-time NFL passing touchdowns leader, owns three of the top five single-season completion percentages, Saints Hall of Famer, Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, most career 5,000 yard seasons, most consecutive games with a touchdown pass, 80,358 passing yards, 571 career passing touchdowns, 67.7% career completion rate, and for those who care, a 172-114 career record with a Saints team that lacked competent defensive play for many years. That is less than a quarter of what he did for New Orleans on the field, never mind off it. The only man above Brees in some of the key career passing statistics is Tom Brady, due to his extra 49 starts, who will also be pretty much the strongest lock for first-ballot Hall of Fame induction when he is eligible. But when it comes to efficiency, effectiveness in all scenarios, and just year-by-year dominance no matter who is surrounding him, Brees takes the cake. One of Brees' longtime teammates and fellow Super Bowl XLIV champion, punter Thomas Morstead, made clear his view of the eligibility for Brees, sharing a simple four-word response when discussing the upcoming 2026 class: That is about as simple as it gets, and anyone who played with or against him would likely have the same response when asked. Brees was lethal in every facet of his game, both in his prime and even towards the back-end of his career. While it is a complete injustice that he never received an MVP award, it just simply does not matter towards his eligibility, because the second you look at his numbers and profound impact on the team he played the majority of his career for, it is clear where he belongs. Canton, Ohio.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
If FSU football's defense is any good, Justin Cryer, Stefon Thompson must be really good
A position of intrigue for Florida State football this season sits at the heart of the defense. In defensive coordinator Tony White's new system, the linebacker room will be crucial to defensive success. It's a position that has been inconsistent in its production in recent seasons, which played its part in linebackers coach Randy Shannon exit as linebacker coach in the offseason. Former special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach John Papuchis is now taking over the linebacker coach role as the Seminoles hit the reset button. The Seminoles retained key players like Justin Cryer and Blake Nichelson and added transfers Elijah Herring, Caleb LaVallee and Stefon Thompson to the room. Thompson is an important figure, having spent time with White at both Syracuse and Nebraska, making him an on-field coach to help the defense get up to speed with the new 3-3-5. Last season, the Seminoles ranked 106th in the nation in rushing defense with 184.7 rush yards per game and allowed 7.41 pass yards per attempt, ranked bottom 10 in the nation, and a total of 201.2 passing yards per game. While neither stats are a sole indictment of the linebackers, inconsistency in performance from that group played its part in the 385.9 yards per game the team allowed opponents last season. GOOD OMEN? We simulated FSU's season in EA Sports College Football 26. Here's how it went With new reinforcement and a new system, players are key to the success of the lineabcekrs this season. Juice Cryer set to emerge as a leader, veteran presence Cryer gave the Seminoles a flicker of hope defensively last season, and he emerged as an outspoken leader for the group as the season progressed. While a leg injury against North Carolina cut his year short, Cryer is likely poised for a big season in White's defense as he enters his junior season. He appeared in 13 games in his freshman season and in nine games as a sophomore. He recorded 32 tackles and recovered one fumble prior to his injury last season, with his best game coming against Duke, where he recorded seven total tackles. In White's defense, Cryer will be moved around in both bringing pressure and coverage. With three linebackers in the traditional 3-3-5 scheme, Cryer could be lined up across the front seven of the defense and be given a more aggressive role after becoming one of the most consistent tacklers last year on a team that struggled to wrap opponents up. There will be a heavy rotation in the linebacker room, and expect Cryer to make an impact when he's on the field. Stefon Thompson brings knowledge, confidence in White's system A transfer that might be one of the most impactful this season, Thompson brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in college football, and importantly, with White's defensive schemes. In his career, the redshirt senior has recorded 199 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks while playing at both Syracuse and Nebraska. He had a 77.6 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus last season, which would have ranked him highest on FSU's roster last year, and he was a consistent tackler, something the Seminoles desperately needed more of. Thompson has one year of eligibility left and this could be his most important, and a chance for him to emerge as a veteran leader in the Seminoles' linebacker room. FSU football 2025 schedule Aug. 30, Alabama, 3:30 p.m. Sept. 6, East Texas A&M, Noon Sept. 20, Kent State, TBA Sept. 26, at Virginia (Friday), 7 p.m. Oct. 4, Miami, TBA Oct. 11, Pittsburgh, TBA Oct. 18, at Stanford, 10:30 p.m. Nov. 1 Wake Forest, TBA Nov. 8 at Clemson, TBA Nov. 15 Virginia Tech, TBA Nov. 21 North Carolina State (Fri.), 8 p.m. Nov. 29, Florida, TBA Liam Rooney covers athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@ or on Twitter @__liamrooney This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football LBs Justin Cryer, Stefon Thompson are crucial to success
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Saints sign OT Jonathan Mendoza
The Saints added a player to their 90-man roster on Wednesday. The team announced that they have signed offensive tackle Jonathan Mendoza to a one-year deal. The Saints waived tackle Josh Ball earlier this week. Mendoza was undrafted this year. He finished his college time at Louisville as a starter at right tackle and also played four seasons at Yale before transferring to the ACC school for the 2024 season. The Saints have 2024 first-round pick Taliese Fuaga and 2025 first-rounder Kelvin Banks set to be their starting tackles. Mendoza joins Landon Young, Josiah Ezirim, and Easton Kilty in the mix for depth roles.
